There seems to be a general assumption that the music industry is just the latest X factor winner, or is all about people like Simon Cowell. What most people don’t realise, is that this is only about half of the music industry. The other half is made up of independent composers, artists and bands that […]
Fight those Music Pirates! Get Your Own Audio Watermark
Running a royalty free music business, I have become somewhat of an authority on the subject of music licensing. Although, having said that, this post is not directly about music licensing, it is an observation on the illegal / inconsiderate use of copyrighted material on the web and how you, as an independent composer / […]
Proving Music Copyright!
Just the other day I was having an interesting chat with somebody about protecting your Copyright in your own music. I was really surprised to hear that they had been told by a copyright advisor (sent free by their local authority) to do something that I thought would have been obsolete advice years ago. They […]
Paying to play music – where does the money go?
Today, I had a call from a lady who owns a beauty salon. She had just received a letter from a performance royalty collecting society stating that she had to make annual payments to them in order to play music in her business venue. Many people do not even realise they need a license to […]
Why DRM?
The following piece http://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughtsonmusic/ got me thinking about DRM and why it is there in the first place… I must stress, this is my personal view… Yes, DRM is there to protect music rights but I personally feel that the whole rights and royalty collecting models are a bit screwed up. I think DRM is […]
Music use, MySpace and Second Life
With the growth of online communities like MySpace and the virtual world of Second Life, which has over 1million members and its own economy, it seems that the more sophisticated the online world gets the more complicated the music royalty / copyright situation becomes. Technology is creating more opportunities for music use and the corporate […]
I am being played on local radio, I should join PRS! Right?
I have been in many discussions about the role of PRS I have been asked the following question numerous times by new composers and bands. When should I join PRS? In short I would say it is a judgement call on your part. In my experience, there are certain old school managers / music industry […]
A Question About Podcast Licensing And BMI Royalty Payments
The Question… Hello Mr. Pritchard, I read your article on Music Licensing in the latest issue of the Galaris newsletter. My concern is, I am a songwriter/publisher member with BMI. I’ve had several of my mp3 music tracks performed or featured on various podcast productions but I haven’t seen any royalty payments from those performances. […]
Part 2 – Your Options as a Licensee
Now that you have an understanding of the basics, explained in Part 1 – License Agreements, you are now ready to look at the options for licensing music. Mainstream Music It is possible to use mainstream music, but it is costly and often a convoluted process. The reason for this is that there are many […]
Part 1- License Agreements
In this digital age using music in web-based presentations, business applications, products or services has a number of legal implications for you and your business. Minimising copyright issues can be relatively simple and a little knowledge about music licensing can set you off in the right direction and keep you safe for the future. This […]
