August 24th, 2007

On Hold Music Options from RoyaltyFreeMusic.com

The quick advancement of technology in the recording industry and most particularly the growth of the Internet's capabilities have brought about major changes in the way professionals choose and use background music to enhance projects, productions and the daily business operations within their respective industries. As technology has evolved, Copyright Law and music licensing has become dramatically different and policies hard to follow. Most professionals in the entertainment industry, such as film and television producers and directors have been forced to conform to changes in the way they use background music because of the wide release of their projects and the procedures within their industry required to get proper licenses for the particular songs they use from music providers. To save money while maintaining quality, many have sought out high quality royalty free music companies such as RoyaltyFreeMusic.com to complete their endeavors. And the on hold music they use in their business offices and their music on hold systems that help create a unified image for their company and showcase its uniqueness have often followed suit because they've been able (and have been forced) to keep up with the changing rules.

But what about professionals in other industries - such as restaurateurs, boutique owners, lawyers in big law firms, doctors with their own practices and others -- that don't have their finger on the pulse of every happening in the music industry? If you are a professional within any of these industries that either uses unlicensed music as background music or on hold music, you may not even know it. If you are not using royalty free music or paying on-going fees to major music providers to use your music on hold or background music (and even sometimes if you are!) you may not be safe from copyright infringement. In the past few years, even big-time celebrities like Dennis Rodman that run restaurants, stores and other businesses across the United States and abroad have made the news because they fell victim to careless, improper use of licensed background music and on hold music. Even small-time business owners in middle America and in small towns throughout the world have not been immune to making the news for using music improperly in their bars, restaurants or shops for a variety of reasons, whether because they downloaded the music illegally off the Internet or simply did not read the fine print telling them how, where and when they could use their on hold music and background music.

So how do you know whether or not the on hold music you use is legal? The following is a "Top 5" list of why the music on hold you may already be using might not be totally legal.

1. Your equipment supplier didn't have permission to sell you the music in the first place: Ask yourself, "How well do I know the person that supplies me with my music on hold?" You may have been working with a company for years to fulfill background music needs … but have you ever checked to see that this company knows what it's doing when it comes to music licensing? Does the company know about copyright law? Do you have a detailed contract?

2. Your music license isn't a "Direct Performance License." This is a definite red flag to tell you that you are probably not dealing with totally legal on hold music. A direct performance license is the only acceptable alternative to the public performance licenses that normally require regular payments to performing rights societies such as BMI or ASCAP. One of these licenses is necessary whenever people inside or outside your company hear music as part of your phone system.

3. You're supposed to be paying BMI or ASCAP: These two non-profit organizations administer public performance royalties to virtually every piece of popular music (except "royalty free") ever recorded. If you are not using royalty free music as background music and music on hold and you are paying no fees, you are using your music illegally.

4. You've expanded the number of physical locations that actually use the music: Did your restaurant recently franchise itself? Did you open up a branch office for your company? Are you using the same music on hold and background music in all locations? Music licenses are very strict about where, when and how you use your music. Any time your business grows and actually develops new locations, you need a new license for any music you use. Your fees will generally increase because you are now most likely expanding the frequency of play of songs you have paid for and are actually using them in different capacities.

5. You didn't buy it from RoyaltyFreeMusic.com: If you are unsure of the answers to the above four reasons your on hold music might not be legal, and you didn't buy your music from a royalty free music provider, chances are you are already committing a form of copyright infringement. Many professionals have chosen to go with RoyaltyFreeMusic.com to fulfill their important on hold music and background music needs because of its convenience and affordability.

You need to be very careful when deciding which music to choose to enhance your music on hold systems. Chances are, you might be using your background music illegally and you don't even know it! If you are currently using unlicensed music and are afraid of the consequences or even more afraid of paying on-going fees to use the high quality music on hold that will best communicate the mission and attitude of your business, you should consider choosing royalty free music in every imaginable style from RoyaltyFreeMusic.com; royalty free music allows you to use your on hold music forever in an unlimited capacity for just a one-time, low fee and is easily downloadable. With royalty free music, you will never have to worry about expensive fees again and will have the ability to build an entire on hold music library that will grow alongside your ever-changing business.

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