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If you’re producing a film or other multimedia project, you may find that royalties aren’t what you expected. Besides being priced out of the range of most filmmakers, they often carry with them artist approvals that can be difficult or impossible to obtain if it’s a small-scale production. That’s where stock music comes in: it’s music licensed for use through a designated production company. It’s also called production music, or library music, and its uses range from old cartoons to the theme for Monday Night Football. Let’s consider its functioning and applications in more detail.
Despite some slightly misleading advertising to the contrary, there’s no such thing as ‘royalty-free’ music. All intellectual property is subject to copyright law, and unless enough time has passed to make the work public domain – rarely the case for recorded music – royalties must be paid to the artist. However, some companies with small music libraries offer a kind of package deal wherein the consumer can buy a CD of music at a relatively high price – say a couple of hundred dollars – and the purchase will include the licensing fees in perpetuity.
Otherwise, if the producer of the project that will be using the film is part of a large company, they’re often entitled to re-using the creative property of the firm. There are relatively few major labels, and if you’re affiliated with one of them, you’re likely to have a great deal of music at your disposal.
If you’re an independent production, music licensing varies widely and can be very complex. It depends on the nature of the usage, the likely potential audience for the project, artist approval, and other factors as well. It can be a lot more expensive than you might be expecting it to be.
That said, many major companies offer their stock music at deeply discounted rates, and if you’re willing to go with something relatively obscure, you can find something at one of these companies that might suit your purposes. Explore what’s available online, and don’t be afraid to call a representative and inquire after availability and pricing structures. It can be complicated, and you won’t be sorry you asked too many questions.
