All About Indie Music Licensing

Step by Step Guide on How Music Licensing Works for Indie Artists

What is music licensing? How much does music licensing cost? Who does music license piece of work for? How to license your music? Who benefits off of the music license? These are all common and important questions many artists ask when music licensing is mentioned. These are all excellent questions one should ask peculiarly if you lot accept involvement in ownership of your music. These are definitely of import questions that should be answered for independent artists. If y'all are an contained artist who wants full control or as much ownership of your works as possible music licensing is a topic you should be interested in. If you lot are an independent creative person that don't have a major corporation financially bankroll y'all, than you certainly should know all about music licensing. Afterward all it'due south one of the major avenues you can used to get paid off of your music.

What is music licensing?

In lodge to understand all of the aspects and factors that come into place with music licensing you first demand to know what music licensing is. Music licensing is the permission to use music that is copyrighted. The intention of a music license is to make certain all owners of the copyright on a musical work or sound recording are paid for the use of their creation. Similar any other license the party who is interested in having permission granted to use the musical works have to go through a process earlier the license is completed and granted to him or her. A music license tin can cover a song (composition) or a recording (primary). As I've explained in earlier posts there are a difference betwixt a vocal and a recording. A song aka a composition covers the lyrics and melody of a music piece of work. A audio recording or recording aka the principal covers the actually recording of the vocals of a musical work.

Television receiver and moving picture are some of the most popular music licensing media around.

Song (Composition) = Lyrics and Melody

Sound Recording (Chief) = Official version of vocals or vocalization recording

Both of these entities concern your musical piece of work and depending on which one of these entities the party wants to use the music license would have to go through either the music publisher, artist, tape label or sound recording possessor. This is considering both the song and audio recording are each owned separately past a dissimilar party. Both of these elements can be owned past the aforementioned party, just in social club for that to happen the creative person or creator of the music piece would take to take washed everything environs the music by himself or herself. Let me explain in further details step by step.

1. The song (composition) is endemic by the songwriter (sometimes the creative person if he or she writes their ain song) and the music publisher. If yous're the artist and haven't signed with a music publisher than you are your own publisher. Meaning you every bit the artist owns the 100% of the vocal. (50% as the songwriter as long as you've written the vocal yourself and 50% as the publisher). However, if y'all signed with a publisher you only ain 50% of your song. Also if you had someone write the vocal for you that songwriter owns the other fifty% of the vocal. If you are an artist especially an indie artist and want to own 100% of your song and then brand certain you write the song yourself and don't sign with a music publisher.
2. The audio recording (master) is typically owned past the record label and artist singing or rapping the official recording of the song. Once once more if you are the artist and want 100% of the ownership of the sound recording make sure you recording the vocals to your song and make certain you lot're an independent artist who isn't signed to a label. If you are simply a songwriter and don't play on recording the vocals to the song for commercial release than l% of the sound recording buying goes to whoever records the vocals for the song for commercial use. The remaining fifty% goes to whatsoever label the creative person you sell the song to is on. If the artist you sold the song to is independent and doesn't have a label you as the songwriter of the song now have the other 50% of ownership to the sound recording.

Now that you know what a music license is, the 2 music entities it tin utilize to and who has ownership of those entities information technology will now be easier for me to explain how to license your music peculiarly as an indie artist.

How to license your music as an indie artist

If you are similar most independent artists you are doing absolutely everything chemical element of your music career by yourself. Some artists are semi-independent significant they're contained but signed to a indie label or independent only take an agreement where they get distribution. Withal, if y'all are an solely indie artist yous have no type of financial support or corporate backing, meaning you have to do everything yourself. This can be a gift and a expletive but you can guarantee it's a gift equally long every bit yous cross all your music business t's and dot your i's. In order to capitalize off licensing your music for movies looking for music, music supervisors looking for songs and more the start matter y'all need to do is brand certain your songs are protected. Some of these stuffs you may have already completed  only assuming you are starting from the very beginning here's a step by step process on prepping your songs to exist prepared for music licensing.

1. Make certain your songs and audio recording is copyrighted. The safest and most efficient way to do this is through the U.S. Copyright Government Office.
2. The second thing to do is register yourself as a author and music publisher with one of the major 2 Performing Rights Organizations (PRO), which are ASCAP or BMI.
3. The other affair you lot need to exercise is create a master spreadsheet for all your songs. If you lot're annihilation similar me you have an entire drove of songs mixed, mastered and fix to go. Create a spreadsheet with the title, appointment of completion, writers, producers, etc. of each vocal you accept copyrighted and registered with your PRO.
4.  At present you tin start selling and promoting your songs to different parties to exist licensed. If you simply want your songs to exist used on certain media outlets so list those outlets before you contact whatsoever organizations. Depending on where your music is used volition dictate exactly who you become through to consummate the music licensing process. At that place isn't but one standard music license you result that allows other parties to use your songs or recording. If yous want your music on a TV show that requires a specific license, music licensing for YouTube requires a item license and then on. This is why it's important to know exactly where you want your music place. If you take a broad selection and want your music placed anywhere you lot can generate income and a buzz it's proficient to know how all music licenses piece of work.
5. Once y'all know how you want your music to be used it'south now time to start contacting people to make it happen. My personal advice would be to start with advertising agencies. This is a great avenue if you desire your music to be featured on a commercial, online advertisement or as a catchy visitor theme vocal. If you lot don't know where to find advertizing agencies at this link hither is a skilful place to outset. Some other fashion is simply exercise a Google search of advertising agencies in each major city (i.eastward. New York City, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago, Las Vegas, etc.). Once you lot have the agencies contact number start calling each of them ane by one. Enquire to speak to the music supervisor in the production department and explain to him or her you are interested in submitting your music every bit featured commercial advertisement music.

BMI and ASCAP are the two PRO's that y'all accept to annals with before you go through music licensing.

Learn how all music licenses work

Now that you know how to start shopping your music to be licensed you have to understand how music licenses work and what music license you would actually be using depending on what type of media your music gets used for. If y'all want your song or sound recording to be used for any type of dissemination endeavors than the party you make up one's mind to do business with will have to obtain a synchronization license that grants him or her permission to use your music. A synchronization license is a license that allows a song or audio recording to be used in a Boob tube show, pic, commercial, video game or YouTube video. Basically any type of media that falls into the visual piece category. If you come up to an agreement with any visitor that wants your music for use with whatever of these types of media a synchronization license has to exist issued to the re-create by you lot and yous have to grant your permission. A synchronization fee is besides involved that has to be paid past the party who wants to use your music to you. If you ain the song 100% by yourself and so the synchronization fee is paid solely to yourself. However, if you are sharing the ownership of the song and/or sound recording with someone else the synchronization fee has to be dissever between all music ownership parties. If y'all're wondering how much the company who wants your music for use has to pay for the license fee it truly all depends. It depends on how big the company/ organization is, what they'll be using your music for, how successful your song or record may already be. Non to mention the both of you can always do your own negotiating.

The second near popular type of music license that is needed when some other entity uses your music is a coating license. This license does autumn nether the category of licensing music for commercial utilise merely not the way you may think. A blanket license is for radio stations and broadcast companies who desire to play your music on their station, at a venue, a guild, etc. Unfortunately to apply your music for theses blazon of uses the company doesn't have to go through you personally. The radio station or broadcast company would go through your PRO (performing rights organisation) and your PRO would issue them a blanket license that allows them to play any song registered under the PRO catalog. This could include your music. However, the proficient news is y'all receive public performance royalties every time your song gets played.

My Girl recorded by legendary group The Temptations is a vocal that'southward been largely licensed for commercial use due to its popularity

Where do these music licenses come from?

Another lingering question you may have is where exactly do these music licenses come from? You at present know what they are, how they are used and who the interested party has to contact.  But where does ane actually obtain a synchronization license? The party interested in using your music or the political party you contacted would take to obtain a music license through your PRO. There should be an option on your performing rights organization website where you can download a form. If not in that location should exist a contact email where you lot can asking your desired license. If that option isn't bachelor call your PRO number and inquire to speak to someone that tin ship yous your desired license. In one case you lot have information technology y'all tin can now ship it to the company that agrees to use your music. This process would work for music licensing for film, music licensing for YouTube and and then on.

Music licensing fees and royalties chart

Arguable the most important cistron in agreement all this information near music licensing are royalties. Afterwards your song or sound recording is officially beingness used by a media or corporate visitor and the music license has been issued and went through you lot now have to look out for royalties that will come with your music being used equally a feature. For example if your song is now the background music to a pop YouTube video yous at present will generate YouTube royalties. If your song is the theme song to America'due south newest favorite commercial you now take Tv royalties you'll get paid for. Whatever avenue your song or sound recording gets used for volition generate revenue you should now get paid for. In order to ensure you're receiving proper pay make sure yous check with your PRO and any other organization yous may be signed up with to collect royalties from. Yous any call up that as an contained artist the chances of your song exist chosen by a huge company to be featured is slim to none, but the reality is anything is possible. Why not give information technology a endeavour and start now?

Learn about more than merely music licensing. Acquire the unabridged business equally an independent artist with make new mogul book here.

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Source: https://www.askmpublishing.com/learn-music-licensing-works-indie-artists/