We don’t know if record companies care much if you include a copyrighted song in a video of a wedding that only your family is going to watch, but if you’re going to put the video on Youtube or if your video is intended for a little wider audience, it is better not to gamble. So, what a poor director can do? Workarounds to add music in your movies On Twitter, for example, you can ask directly to the band and, by chance, you get the information from someone.īut even if you find the right people, depending on where and how you plan to use the song and the size of your audience (ie, if you use the music for commercial use, video advertising, on television or in a movie…) the cost can be prohibitive.

The Harry Fox Agency used to manage those rights until they ceased their service in the United States.īMI, ASCAP or SESAC cannot help because they do not manage synchronization rights (although you can use their sites to find information about the editor).Īs far as I know, you have to use old-fashioned ingenuity and elbow grease to work your way to the right people at the right companies in charge of the licenses you need. So how do I get the rights to use popular music? Sometimes even you can leave your Youtube video but then share the profits from advertising with the current holder of the copyright.īut why take the risk? 4. However, large websites like Youtube and Facebook have automatic algorithms to recognize copyrighted music in their videos and mute or remove them without previous notification.

Of course, in practice, the record industry is not constantly in a battle against people using songs without the necessary licenses the same way they had the legal battle against Napster, for example. You must also consult with their label record because they don’t have the right to issue the license you need. Nor does the fact of knowing someone in a band that has given you the approval to use one of his songs. Therefore, I am convinced that the artist whose song you are using appreciates the payment of $ 0.99 on iTunes for downloading it, but will not be equally happy if you use that song in your video.

The problem is not in the ownership of the song, it has to do with the artistic use of that song in another art form. Buying any song on iTunes does not give you the right to use it in a video.

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