Free vs. Royalty Free -- There's a difference

[soulred12]

Just wanted to share a bit of knowledge I have about "free" music. There's "free" and then there's "royalty" free.

Normally, you make a deal with the author of some music (or perhaps the music has a license agreement you have to agree to before downloading it) and either s/he lets you use it for free or you two make an agreement to do one of two things: 1) You "buy" the music by paying a lump sum for the rights to use the music for X purposes and/or under Y conditions; or 2) You don't pay anything, but agree to pay a royalty (small amount of money) each time the song you use is played.

"Royalty free" music doesn't mean you can just use it and that if Youtube challenges you on it you just have to say it's royalty free. Much of the time, websites with actual royalty free music charge for it. Just search "royalty free music" in google and you'll see. In other words, the sites do business like #1 above as opposed to #2. So if Youtube challenges you on your rights to use royalty free music, you still have to show you have the rights to the music, i.e., that either you bought it, or that it was free.

"Free" music is basically just that. Free music. "Free" means the music is distributed under a license which allows anyone to use the music for any purpose (or perhaps just for specific purposes), without having to pay the copyright owner. It's like royalty-free-plus. So if youtube challenges you on music you used that was truly "free," make sure you respond by showing them the license that gives you the right to use the music without royalties OR an up-front payment. If you DID pay for it, you might need to show them proof of that, such as a signed licensing agreement or whatever you get from one of those "royalty free" music sites (I've never actually bought anything from one).

As a final comment, always make sure you read the licensing agreements before using seemingly "free" music. Remember, it's the licensing agreement that determines whether it's actually free, and sometimes music is offered for "free" only if it's not used in a way that makes the user money, in which case the owner might demand payment. Best-case scenario would be that the agreement actually says it's okay to use for monetized videos, but even if the agreement doesn't say that, it might be vague enough that acceptability of use in monetized videos can be implied.

The moral of this wall-o-text? It's all about the license.

EDIT: Additional thoughts by Tarmack about Creative Commons licenses, which I forgot to discuss:

Also, free music is something people often think of as not having rules or licenses. This is incorrect. The most common and by far the widest used is the Creative Commons licence, specifically the more popular is the Attribution section of that license. It also makes a good search term. Essentially what the Creative Commons Attribution license says is as long as you give the artist credit in the proper way (and they have templates of how this should look), you can use the music for free or monetized purposes. There are other forms of the CC license that allow free use but not monetized use, etc. So just be careful.

 

[AzlanWake]

OMG!!! Thanks So much on this topic,now i understand how copyrighted music works...How much does it cost to buy the music..you said paying a lump sum to use it for purposes?......and how do you proof youtube that you have permision to use it...


Where can i find this music that the artist will give a agrement on using the music?....

 

[soulred12]

I'll take your post line by line:

now i understand how copyrighted music works...

Well, I couldn't possibly hope to explain all of music copyright in one post...all I wrote was a summary of the difference between two kinds of licenses.

How much does it cost to buy the music..

It depends. Different music will cost different amounts. Just check around on different sites. For music that hasn't been put up somewhere for sale, you'll have to contact (e.g., email) the copyright owner and ask his permission that way.

you said paying a lump sum to use it for purposes?

Yes, a license can allow you to use music for specific purposes. For example, a license might allow you to use the music as background, but not as the focus of the video. Or, as in my example in the first post, it might allow free noncommercial use but require payment before you're allowed to use it in monetized videos.

......and how do you proof youtube that you have permision to use it...

If you upload a video with copyrighted music and try to monetize it, youtube might ask you to provide further evidence of your right to use the song. Then you would submit to them whatever license agreement documentation you have, through their form.

Where can i find this music that the artist will give a agrement on using the music?....

Any artist could potentially agree to let you use their music. You just have to ask.

 

[AzlanWake]

I'll take your post line by line:


Well, I couldn't possibly hope to explain all of music copyright in one post...all I wrote was a summary of the difference between two kinds of licenses.


It depends. Different music will cost different amounts. Just check around on different sites. For music that hasn't been put up somewhere for sale, you'll have to contact (e.g., email) the copyright owner and ask his permission that way.


Yes, a license can allow you to use music for specific purposes. For example, a license might allow you to use the music as background, but not as the focus of the video. Or, as in my example in the first post, it might allow free noncommercial use but require payment before you're allowed to use it in monetized videos.


If you upload a video with copyrighted music and try to monetize it, youtube might ask you to provide further evidence of your right to use the song. Then you would submit to them whatever license agreement documentation you have, through their form.


Any artist could potentially agree to let you use their music. You just have to ask.

Thanks so much for your help...its really helpful

 

[DisOrd3r]

Very good info! I'm trying to find some good outro Music for my videos but haven't found one any Music that fit my taste yet so we will see! ^^

 

[WeekendGameGuy]

Great info. There are a lot of royalty-free options out there...just make sure you check the terms of the agreement.

 

[Tarmack]

Just to append to the OP who is pretty well on the money here. Sites like Audiomicro for example explicitly state that use on YouTube is valid in their license terms. This is important should a claim be filed later. I have had my intro claimed twice and this license agreement won the dispute both times.

Also, free music is something people often think of as not having rules or licenses. This is incorrect. The most common and by far the widest used is the Creative Commons licence, specifically the more popular is the Attribution section of that license. It also makes a good search term. Essentially what the Creative Commons Attribution license says is as long as you give the artist credit in the proper way (and they have templates of how this should look), you can use the music for free or monetized purposes. There are other forms of the CC license that allow free use but not monetized use, etc. So just be careful.

 

[soulred12]

Also, free music is something people often think of as not having rules or licenses. This is incorrect. The most common and by far the widest used is the Creative Commons licence, specifically the more popular is the Attribution section of that license. It also makes a good search term. Essentially what the Creative Commons Attribution license says is as long as you give the artist credit in the proper way (and they have templates of how this should look), you can use the music for free or monetized purposes. There are other forms of the CC license that allow free use but not monetized use, etc. So just be careful.

Great points. I forgot to talk about Creative Commons. Mind if I quote this part of your post in the OP? (I'll keep your name on it)

 

[Tarmack]

Sure.