Pricing and Costs of Music Licensing
Budgeting music licensing for your business' commercials and films
Perhaps you want to find music for your business' latest radio or television commercial. Or maybe you're working on an industrial film and need background songs. Or perhaps you've been hired to create a wedding DVD or a video slide show with music in the background. In each case, you need to understand the pricing and costs of music licensing.While you're looking for music to use in the business setting, keep in mind there are three legal possibilities when it comes to music licensing. You may consider:
1. Purchasing rights-managed music from music licensing companies
2. Buying royalty-free music from a music licensing service
3. Using copyright free songs in lieu of licensing music
Obtain music licensing services for rights-managed songs
If you want exclusive use of a piece of music, or need high-end music by popular artists for your commercial, demo, industrial film or similar work, you'll probably need to pay for rights-managed songs. Prices vary from about $2,000 to $200,000, depending on how famous the artist is and where you plan to use the music. (For example, if some people in your ad have radio music playing faintly in the background, the cost is closer to $2,000, but a well-known song used as a commercial theme is around $50,000 to $200,000.)
Try: For a good explanation of small business use of music, read "Small Business Videographer" at The Music Bridge. Be sure to also read their article on buying verses leasing rights, found under the "Music Clearance & Licensing" button near the top of the page. Getty Images is also a music licensing company featuring popular music.
Look into royalty-free record licensing
For music by unknown artists, prices are much cheaper. Often such songs can be obtained royalty-free, costing you a one time fee of $50 to $75. The biggest downside to royalty-free music is that you cannot obtain exclusive use rights. But the greatest upside is the music is inexpensive and need only be paid for once.
Try: Shockwave-Sound.com is a music licensing organization with royalty-free music. See also Creative Support Services not only for downloads, but for a detailed explanation of what royalty-free music is and how you may use it.
Take advantage of music copyright license-free songs
Copyright free (also called public domain) music requires absolutely no license. However, you may pay a service to find such music for you. This cost varies, depending upon whether the service is custom or not. A website with downloadable copyright free songs generally charges less than $10 a song, while a service that does custom searches for you may charge more.
Try: Haven Sound is a good place to find copyright free music; search through categories like "popular hit songs" (from 1900 - 1922, which is the era most public domain recordings fall into) to "patriotic songs." MusOpen is a good source for classical public domain music that is free.
- If you want to play background music in your restaurant, or wish to host a public performance of some music, you must also work with a music licensing agency.
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