Royalty Free Music Music Licensing
The term royalty free music, also known as buyout music or
buy-out music, is frequently a source of confusion. Some believe
that it means there is no cost associated with the music. Others
believe that the music is “copyright free”, or that there is no
copyright associated with the music. Each music library license
will vary to a certain degree, however, as a general rule
royalty free music simply means that you have purchased a
“lifetime synchronization license” for a give song or group of
songs. In other words, you have the right to synchronize the
music with your audio and/or video productions an unlimited
number of times without incurring any additional expense.
Other types of production music licenses include “Needle Drop”
where the user pays a fee each time they synchronize a piece of
music, and “Blanket Licensing” where the user leases a group of
music or Cds, and can use the music for a specified set of uses
during the term of the lease (typically a one, two, or three
year commitment). Each of these licenses are a bit more like
renting the music than buying. While you don’t actually own the
music with a buyout library, you do own a lifetime license to
synchronize the music with your productions.
A buyout library like Studio Cutz Music
Library does away with much of the complication of
typical music licensing and allows the user to pay a one time
licensing fee, and then use it as much as they want. Not only is
this a more affordable option, but it is more convenient as well
because it eliminates much of the paperwork, calculating of
fees, and check writing associated with standard music
licensing.
The other big misconception about royalty free music pertains to
broadcasting of the music on television, cable, radio, etc.
Television broadcasters pay annual royalties to the Performing
Rights Societies for the right to broadcast music on their
shows. When music is broadcast on television or cable TV, it is
tracked by something called a Cue Sheet. This is precisely where
the term Royalty Free does NOT apply. Cue sheets determine where
the royalties previously paid by the broadcaster get dispersed.
There are no costs associated with cue sheets, however most
Royalty Free music libraries require that cue sheets be properly
filled out when the music is for broadcast use. A cue sheet is
merely a paper trail to ensure writers get paid what is due to
them out of the money that has been previously paid by the
television stations and broadcasting entities.
To summarize, a Royalty Free License means that you do not
continually pay a “synchronization royalty” each time you use a
given piece of music. You pay only one time. It does NOT mean
that a writer is forfeiting the performance royalty, or
broadcast royalty, due him when his music is aired. This royalty
has already been paid by the broadcaster and should be dispersed
appropriately through the filling out and submission of cue
sheets.
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