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How to use music legally in your work

When do I get a license for the use of music in my work?
You need to obtain a license if you want to take music that you have not personally made and use it as a soundtrack in your production. Acquiring a license gives you the right to someone else’s copyrighted work as a part of your own work.

What is a copyright?
Copyright is a federal law that protects makers by them exclusive rights to their work. Once a work is under copyright, it is illegal to make use of the work without the consent of the copyright owner.

How does copyright effect my decision to make use of music?
Music that has been registered and issued on CD 2 is protected by copyright. To use a recording of a musical composition in your work, you must obtain permission from both copyright holders.
The first thing you need authorization from the music of the publisher. The music publisher holds the copyright for the actual written music - the melody,
Lyrics, monitoring, the actual music as it appears in sheet. This copyright is demonstrated by using the familiar © symbol.

The second is consent to the recording itself. For this, would you approach the record company that released the recording. The record company owns the copyright to the actual performance of the song and knee caught on tape and CD. The symbol for this copyright is the letter (P) in a circle. (Check the back of your own Cds, you will notice that these symbols used).

How do I get permission to use copyrighted music?
The fact that music is copyrighted does not mean that you can not use, it simply means you have to ask permission to use it. For that you receive permission has to pay a licensing fee.

What permits do I need?
Here are the licenses that you need for the right to use music in your media project:

Synchronization License - This license is issued from the music publisher. The Synchronization License (usually abbreviated as sync license) gives you the right to “synchronize” the copyrighted music with your images and dialogue

Note: After synchronization license means you permission of the publisher using the music, but it gives you no right to use a specific recording of the composition. For that you need…

Use Master License - This license is issued directly from the record company. Fees can range from a few hundred dollars to millions of dollars, depending on the popularity of the music.

Once you have paid for a music publisher Sync License and the record for a Master Use license, you have the right to use the music in your production.

Sidebar
This article talks about music, which is under copyright and NOT in the public domain. Music written before 1933 is in the public domain and can be used without purchasing a license synchronization (you must have a master license if you use a recording of a piece in the public domain). Music written after 1933 is still under copyright according to the American legislation. I hope to discuss the public domain in more detail in a future article.

What are the advantages of Production Music CDs such as those available from UniqueTracks?
As you can see from the process described above, licensing music can be a time-intensive, shape-laden, and costly process. Use Production Music CDs (also known as Royalty Free Music CDs), the easiest way to get music legally licensed to use in your work.

Production Music fills a niche for producers who do not have one million dollar music budget and can not afford to license a big hit song. Production Music gives the smaller, independent producers the opportunity to use music soundtracks in his or her production.

Is Music Production under copyright?
Production music is protected by both the (C) and (P) copyrights. When you buy a track from UniqueTracks, you will receive a license agreement that the synchronization and master use rights.

Production Music is not a copyright-free as some have mentioned. It is fully protected by copyright. With the production of music you get ease of licensing. You do not have to contact several sources to find synchronization and master use license.

Can I license a famous song of a production music library?
There are no production pop music hits. You will not find an Eminem track in a production music library. To use an Eminem cut you would have to negotiate a license with Interscope Records. That is not to say that you can not find Hip Hop tracks in production music libraries, but you will not find current or former pop hits.

Contrary to a pop song, the production of music composed specifically to be used as background music. It is mostly instrumental, without vocals or lyrics, and is comparable to a film soundtrack.

How many times can I use Production Music tracks?
The license agreement grants you very broad rights to use it. By UniqueTracks license agreement, you are not limited to one-time use, you can use the music again in another production that you create. You do not have to inform us of your intention to use or production once the report is completed. Once you have bought the music, you are free and clear to use as often as you like within the limits set by the license (ie the music is to be used in synchronization with narration or visuals)

The simplicity of licensing Production music makes it a perfect choice for corporate videos, Flash animations, PowerPoint presentations, independent film, multimedia applications, - virtually anywhere where music is useful, but where the budget for the project has not been included Expensive hundreds of thousands of dollars to license numbers.