June 23, 2021
Do I need a License to play royalty-free music?
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June 23, 2021
Do I need a License to play royalty-free music?
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Listening to music is entertaining and fun. But have you ever thought of it as a tool to boost your business or YouTube channel? If yes, it is very likely that you faced dozens of legal questions, including understanding different aspects of royalty free music and licenses.

If you have chosen to use music for your professional needs, the best option may be to look for some good royalty-free tracks. But what about licenses for these tracks? This question often confuses people, and in the article, we will try to sort out everything about licenses. Let’s start!

How does royalty-free music work?

First of all, do not confuse royalty-free songs and uncopyrighted music. Those are two different types but often used as synonyms. Those intricate aspects are the reasons why people are still misled with terms, related to music.

“Royalty-free” means that anyone who uses the song does not have to pay special fees called “royalties” every time the piece is used. In other words, this model facilitates the exchange between musicians and users. The former can easily earn money for the songs, while the later will know exactly how much to pay to avoid getting in trouble. You have to purchase the license only once – and this is the global idea of royalty-free music.

This feature makes this model very useful for YouTubers, TV broadcasters, and even filmmakers. No matter how long you need the music or how big your audience is, you only need pay once.

However, the purpose of a music piece affects its price. For instance, buying songs for TV is more expensive than getting tracks for YouTube or a student project.

Do not consider royalty-free tunes to be some simple jingles. There are many sites that offer you tracks of various genres: ambient, jazz, house, lo-fi, and many more.

If the song is not royalty-free, you are likely to pay each time it is used. The majority of popular new tracks are neither royalty-free nor distributed under “free license”, also known as Creative Commons license. That is why it is better not to play Spotify in your cafe or pub: this action violates both the rules of the service and copyright law.

If you wish to use music in your videos or broadcast it at your venue, it is likely that you will choose royalty-free songs. But licensing still can be confusing.

Why do I need a license?

Basically, the license allows you to use music in a specific way. Different types of Creative Commons license, for example, mean that you sometimes are able to modify the original, but sometimes it is prohibited. So, the license shows how much freedom in terms of music use the buyer has.

Licenses exist for both free and paid music. The main distinction is that a free music license usually obliges you to properly credit the author (for instance, in the description box below the video), but, when you purchase the royalty-free music, you acquire rights to work with it in your projects, and attribution is usually not required.

You may be asking, why do you need to pay for the license if you can get music for free. We have some answers:

  • Flexibility for commercial purposes – as already said, payment for music for small projects is quite low. Also, sometimes crediting the author is just impossible;
  • Uniqueness – sites with royalty-free tracks offer you a vast choice of songs and sound effects that match every taste. The libraries, which are listed on the sites, are regularly updated, so everyone can find something unique;
  • Higher quality – royalty-free music is created by professionals who earn for living with music;
  • Legality – you can be sure that you will not face any legal consequences of music usage. You are basically protected by the contract, so even if the musician decides to change the licenses, you will still have the right to use the song.

Royalty-free music is so popular especially because of the convenient way of getting and using it. If you are wondering, how much can it cost, head to the next section!

How much should I pay for a license?

There is no general cost of royalty-free tracks. As already discussed above, the price of the license depends on the purpose. Also, different sites will offer you different pricing. One of the reasons is because some platforms work with subscriptions, while others use the pay-per-use basis. Each model has its fans. For instance, people who work with music a lot may enjoy subscription plans because it is more cost-effective.

Nevertheless, you can compare the terms and pricing of various platforms, including Motion Array, TakeTones, Epidemic Sound, Music Vine, and dozens of others. There is even Spotify for businesses, but working with it is significantly more complicated than with other royalty-free music services.

Even though one can think that spending money on a license for music is useless, think of the time and money you save with it. No need to worry about legal issues. Your YouTube video also will not lose monetisation and will not be deleted. Also, paying for royalty-free music is still more cost-effective than paying big fees to popular and famous musicians.

In conclusion

We highly recommend you think about royalty-free music if you are looking for perfect background music you can use without worries. It is a perfectly legal and easy way to use high-quality music. Even though licenses may sound challenging, it is still a simple process. Moreover, each royalty-free music site provides you with comprehensive instructions on how to buy and use music.

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