For many years now we have had regular inquiries from business owners who are surprised to be contacted by PRS and other PROs (Performance Rights Organizations) regarding the music they are playing in their shop, restaurant, cafe, gym, medical practice etc. These are not all new businesses, sometimes they have just not been contacted previously and did not understand that they … [Read more...]
What is a Fair Royalty-free Music License Fee?
It’s a tricky question of judgment and fairness with no definitive answer. Getting the right balance and charging the right royalty-free music license fee can be difficult. Make it too low, you upset composers, but make it too high, you upset clients. It is competitive out there so the temptation is to create a low one-size-fits-all music license fee. Also, there are no … [Read more...]
Professional Music Buyers Guide: Understanding Music Royalties
What are the different types of music royalties and how do they work? Conventional music royalties can be a complicated subject. However, in order to keep this piece short and to the point we are going to generalise and cover the 3 most relevant aspects for a professional music buyer. These are: - Sync (or Synchronisation) Sync is the license required to add a piece of music … [Read more...]
I have been given some royalty free music. Can I use it in my audio-visual project?
As an audio producer, I am sometimes given music from clients to mix with their project, for example, a voice over with background music. When I ask if they have the appropriate license, they sometimes reply “I found it on the web”, “it was given to me by a friend”, “it’s free to use because it’s royalty free music” etc. My reply is just because someone gives you a piece … [Read more...]
9 Common Q&A’s About Using Royalty Free Background Music in a Public Venue
Every week, my royalty free music business gets at least one call asking about using royalty free music as background music in public venues. Here you will find the answers to some of our most frequently asked questions. If you are a business already using or considering using background music, this will help you understand the issues surrounding playing music in … [Read more...]