Tribute Music Now Available at RoyaltyFreeMusic.com

Performing a well known song at a funeral or memorial service is perfectly legal and within compliance of copyright laws. However, synchronizing that music with a video requires permission from the publisher known as a "sync license." Posting that video to the web requires a "performance license" and sending DVDs to friends and family requires a "mechanical license." Too much to worry about at a time like this? We think so too.

Music Ministry (#RFM1668), our brand new CD of 10 classic hymns recorded in a modern acoustic style and Relaxing Piano Classics (#RFM1669) each provide a slow, tender familiarity to any worship DVD or tribute video. Your audience will know these songs for sure.

Download these tracks today for fresh, well-known royalty-free-music and commemorate your loved ones with timeless classics.

Coming Next Month: "Big Ensemble Classics:" Stellar performances by big bands, choirs, classical ensembles and more.

The Easiest Video to Make

Your best corporate client just called. They need a "feel-good" branding video by the week's end. Aren't you glad you can download stock music from your annual RoyaltyFreeMusic.com subscription by the pound? Let's be honest – your other resources are limited. The office workers, company executives and factory workers in your B-roll were nervous during the shoot and couldn't "keep it real." They're waving and smiling as if they're on a parade float.

Then there's the copy. Your client dumped every company brochure and print ad they could find into your lap and asked you to "use it for inspiration." But jamming all those words onto the screen will make your video about as mind numbing as the FBI warning screens on your DVDs. What you really need is 12 inspiring words ("Integrity," "Service," "Communication," "Moldy Refrigerators," etc.) that can slowly float across the screen without pissing off legal or marketing. The 12 words you need, however happen to be the same 12 words used in every company video ever made since the Nixon era.

So what's really gonna make your video sing? Hit 'em with slow electric twang: http://www.royaltyfreemusic.com/music-search.cgi?keyword=restless+soul+full

Or try any of the other 30 tracks you can download each month with your RoyaltyFreeMusic subscription ($699). Great music subscriptions like this give you the creative freedom to try anything. Subscribe today.

Black Box Monies Explained

Last month I spoke at a Final Cut User Group meeting in South Florida. As I was explaining how the proper filing of cue sheets helps our musicians earn a living, one knowledgeable attendee remarked, "Because if we DON'T submit those cue sheets, the money goes to Celine Dion."

And he's absolutely right (actually her songwriters, but the point still stands). He's referring to what is called Black Box Monies. This is when ASCAP can't make heads or tails of exactly what production music songs were played when, so they simply pay any leftover royalties to their top-performing songwriters and publishers.

Every year, TV networks pay hundreds of millions of dollars in license fees to ASCAP for the right to "perform" music written by ASCAP composers. When you, dear customer, use our stock music in your on-air spot and properly fill out a cue sheet, our ASCAP composers can qualify for their tiny slice of those fees.

And most of all, you play an important role in the extinction of that "Titanic" theme song.

-Mike Bielenberg

Small Business vs. ASCAP = David vs. Goliath

In 2007, the American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers (ASCAP) sued more than 200 small businesses for "publicly performing" their catalog without authorization. Business owners like Marc Mongelluzzo of Brookside's Bar & Grill likely had no idea that hosting a Karaoke contest requires annual fees to be paid to both ASCAP and BMI. While ASCAP has every legal right to require these fees, we believe it's important for small business owners to know there's an alternative. Our newest CD of retail music, Modern Retail (#SCPOP13) features modern, edgy retail music perfect for any business environment. The best part? Using this high-quality music in your bar, store or as restaurant music requires no on-going fees. Pay only once and your usage is covered. As the sole copyright owner of all 8,000 music tracks in our production music, RoyaltyFreeMusic is proud to offer high quality background music to cost-conscious businesses.

Micro Who?

A hot type of product emerged in the stock image world several years ago and it's finally landed in the stock music world: Micropayment (also known as microstock). Though still in the infantile stage, I think we'll see some amazing things come from this new kind of production music that would have inconceivable before the internet age.

How does it work?

It starts with a musician who's tired of feeling powerless against the music industry. That musician has either spent a great deal of money in the studio or, more likely, spent countless hours at a computer pushing out music tracks for no other reason than they had to come out.

That person may not work at a recording studio, but with all the cool music software out there, who really cares? It matters not. Curious, creative and musical minds have more sonic options open to them than ever if they're willing to experiment with technology.
That person may not have attended every L.A. social event or New York awards show or Miami music festival. But with the Internet, who really cares? With micropayment, there are less boundaries than ever before between an artist who has crafted a unique sound and media producers looking for unique sounds.

Artists upload their tracks to a website which are approved or disapproved within 24 to 48 hours. That in itself is historic. Then, multi-media producers (feature films, corporate video, web video etc.) fill their account with credits (at roughly $1 each) and download tracks submitted by artists.

The musicians are paid a hefty chunk of the proceeds and always maintain complete control of their inventory. If they wish to no longer sell that song on the micropayment site, all they do is email the administrator and off it comes (of course, licenses sold for that track while it WAS online are still fully honored).

I'll be honest. If something like this had been around 10 years ago, I probably wouldn't be a suit, but rather uploading royalty free music tracks all day long and quickly putting them out on the market while still in control of my copyrights. Wow.

Stay tuned for more on this ...

Royalty Free Music Subscriptions Are Better Than Ever!

There has never been a better time, in all human history, to be a RoyaltyFreeMusic.com subscriber. Last week we announced 39 new CDs of copyright free music freshly loaded and available online. As a subscriber, you can download any 30 tracks each month along with any 300 sound effects.
We always brag about constantly adding new content to the site, but this week I think we've outdone ourselves with the 3 brand new CD releases now available online.

For starters, you've got "Juiced Up (#SCROC09)," 10 glorious tracks of face-melting heavy metal sports music perfect for every high-energy montage you've ever edited together. This drop-tuned, head banging, tight leather music makes you want to eat nails for breakfast. Check out the song "Scrape (#SC101267)." Then we move onto the icy-cool techno found on Modern Retail (#SCPOP13). It's the kind of too-cool-for-my-parents retail music you hear at the Gap and American Eagle. Just listen to the burbling synth pads and drum and bass patterns on "A New Life (#RFM120586)" and try not to start frantically texting acronyms your parents don't understand. Just try.
And let's not forget your tired, company website that desperately needs friendly-yet-serious-yet-unobtrusive music. Web Music Gold (#SCBUS11) is an impeccable 10-track collection of killer music for websites. For example, we think "Trendy Wendy (#SC101242)" is like spy flick music when things are still going pretty well for the good guys. They're on a mission (using cool gadgetry of course) and things haven't started going seriously wrong yet. All systems are groovy and normal.

Become a RoyaltyFreeMusic subscriber at https://www.royaltyfreemusic.com/subscribe.cgi and get in on the action today. Annual subscriptions are $699 per year (best value!) and monthly subscriptions are $199 a month. Come on in!

Mechanical Licenses and Stock Music

Am I really allowed to record my own version of "Stairway to Heaven" and sell it on CD? How do statutory mechanical licenses really work?

Marvin, NY

The short answer is yes, Marvin. Years ago, Congress set the per-CD rate that regular folks like you and I should pay to distribute a copyrighted work in physical format such as CD or cassette (roughly $0.10 per song per distributed unit). You'd also have to pay a per song registration fee ranging between $10-$14 depending on whether you submit your paperwork through the Library of Congress or the Harry Fox Agency. We definitely recommend the Harry Fox Agency (http://www.harryfox.com) because of its easy online payment system. However, there are few thresholds you should be aware of. First, the purchase process is much easier if you're distributing less than 2,500 units. Also, your new recording of "Stairway to Heaven" must not deviate so much from the original song to constitute a "derivative work." That would require permission from the original publisher. Also, the song must be 100% represented by Harry Fox Agency. If any of the publishing ownership isn't represented by Harry Fox, you'll have to submit a Notice of Intention to Obtain Compulsory License to the original publisher. You'd still have the right to record the song, but not the convenience of paying one fee through the Harry Fox Agency.

To me, this illuminates the sheer genius behind KidsBop. The producers of those CDs didn't have to negotiate jack for the rights to use those songs. Congress already blazed that trail for them. Pretty neat!

And just to be absolutely clear, all copyright free music for sale at RoyaltyFreeMusic.com is completely devoid of this red tape. Under our standard license agreement, you're allowed to distribute up to 5,000 physical units of our music on CD, DVD, iPod, hard drive, whatever. And this also goes for the incredible royalty free production music found at StudioCutz.com as well as our cool new stock music micropayment site: eStockMusic.com.

More from Flying Hands!

Dear RoyaltyFreeMusic.com subscribers,

The entire 39 CD collection from Flying Hands Music is now online and available for download! Tons of live instruments, impeccable production quality. If you've ever used stock music downloads from this library you'll know what we mean. We'll skip the fancy album art this time and just link to some of best albums from this AMAZING collection. Please download and enjoy:

Global Village #FH3004 http://www.royaltyfreemusic.com/global-village.html
Gold Rush #FH5002 http://www.royaltyfreemusic.com/gold-rush.html
Lighten Up #FH6007 http://www.royaltyfreemusic.com/lighten-up.html
World Winds #FH4005 http://www.royaltyfreemusic.com/world-winds.html
Amplified #FH2006 http://www.royaltyfreemusic.com/amplified.html

Coming in 2 Weeks: Fresh new royalty free music CDs: "Modern Retail" (smooth techno), "Juiced Up" (heavy metal) and "Web Music Gold" (website-friendly themes)

Funding Your Footage Fetish

My client and I didn't sign any paperwork before I shot their company video and there's lots of raw footage leftover that didn't get used. Who owns that footage?

Bill, FL

Now I understand why my high school valedictorian chose a career in intellectual property law (smart bastard).

There are huge gaps with this issue between what the law technically states, how courts have historically ruled and what is considered to be standard business practice between most small businesses and independent video companies. According to research that you should NOT construe as legal advice, the answer is, "Yes," the copyrights to the footage technically belong to you. But before you start uploading the footage onto sites such as our own http://www.stockxpert.com, for example, there are other issues to consider such as model releases, trademarked logos that might be visible in the shots and -- most importantly -- your relationship with your client and crew. An upfront understanding of terms along with signed work-for-hire agreements will always put you in the strongest position all around.

Coming soon to RoyaltyFreeMusic.com customers and subscribers: 43 brand new albums of copyright-free music never before released on RFM including Modern Retail (smooth techno), Web Music Gold (website friendly corporate tracks), Juiced Up (blistering sports metal) and the ENTIRE Flying Hands collection of royalty free stock music. Stay tuned!

Cease and Resist

It's way too difficult to get the rights to use my client's favorite pop song in a business meeting. Am I seriously going to get sued just for using the track once?
-- Anonymous, MA

Years ago, my jaw dropped as an ad agency owner addressed rationalized the same thing by saying, "If we get caught using this Queen song, the band will just send a Cease and Desist letter. No biggie." I can honestly say he was dead wrong. That Cease and Desist letter would have come with a huge invoice attached.

In the long run, ethics are profitable. By taking steps to keep your video and music content "clean," you're providing your client with an invaluable service by keeping them out of trouble. That's watching your client's back. And that's priceless.

When you purchase production music from RoyaltyFreeMusic.com, you'll always receive an email copy of your license agreement proving that your client is totally covered.