Why you should think TWICE before using Royalty free music
Royalty free music; by the name itself allows song users to exploit the song without paying any royalties. This is the definition that music library companies or websites are promoting. It’s so good to be true, but a bear might smell something fishy behind any royalty free agreements…
It’s not that simple and can mislead you and the songwriters involved in that song. It is because; royalty free music has complex nature behind it. One of it is the copyright laws where it breeds several complex songwriter/publisher rights where “performing rights” as one of the most important songwriter/publisher rights.
For example if you are a film/TV music director looking for music online and looking for free songs so that you can avoid paying any licensing fees. Be warned, it is because if you stumble into a royalty free music website (www.musicforlicense.net is NOT a royalty free music website), they will allow you to pay a single fee to use an entire/specific artist catalog. The problem is the artist or songwriters they are affiliated with. If the songwriters/artist are affiliated with any performance right societies (which they should because of the legal right granted to them) such as ASCAP, BMI or SESAC; these societies will come after you to collect royalties. So in the end, you end up paying double. You pay for the royalty free music website use of their catalog and for the performance royalties. So this is not entirely “royalty free” as they advertised.
Now, the heart of the music business is the music publishers and the songwriters. They are the starting point of any project, WITHOUT them, no songs will be created and the whole entertainment business looks dull. And if they are NOT compensated well, these poor songwriters will shift careers in a way they can earn their daily bread. Performance right of a song is a right granted by the law to the creators of the song, so it means, it is logical for any commercial projects to pay performance royalties. It is a WIN-WIN situation, licensees can avail the songs at the lowest cost by paying only performance royalties.
So think twice before using royalty free music, make sure the creators of the song themselves are well compensated first. If you need to reduce cost as low as possible, go directly to the music publisher of the song not royalty free music libraries. Music publishers can authorize you to use songs without paying any upfront licensing fees and you only need to pay performance royalties if the song will be successfully released commercially. You then made some money on it, and then share some blessings with the songwriters/publishers also. Everyone will be happy, and it how the entertainment/music business should be (always has smile on our faces).
