Royalty Free Music Licensing

Royalty Free Music Music Licensing

The term royalty free music, also known as buyout music or buy-out music, is frequently a source of confusion. Some believe that it means there is no cost associated with the music. Others believe that the music is "copyright free", or that there is no copyright associated with the music. Each music library license will vary to a certain degree, however, as a general rule royalty free music simply means that you have purchased a "lifetime synchronization license" for a give song or group of songs. In other words, you have the right to synchronize the music with your audio and/or video productions an unlimited number of times without incurring any additional expense.

Other types of production music licenses include "Needle Drop" where the user pays a fee each time they synchronize a piece of music, and "Blanket Licensing" where the user leases a group of music or Cds, and can use the music for a specified set of uses during the term of the lease (typically a one, two, or three year commitment). Each of these licenses are a bit more like renting the music than buying. While you don't actually own the music with a buyout library, you do own a lifetime license to synchronize the music with your productions.

A buyout library like Studio Cutz Music Library does away with much of the complication of typical music licensing and allows the user to pay a one time licensing fee, and then use it as much as they want. Not only is this a more affordable option, but it is more convenient as well because it eliminates much of the paperwork, calculating of fees, and check writing associated with standard music licensing.

The other big misconception about royalty free music pertains to broadcasting of the music on television, cable, radio, etc. Television broadcasters pay annual royalties to the Performing Rights Societies for the right to broadcast music on their shows. When music is broadcast on television or cable TV, it is tracked by something called a Cue Sheet. This is precisely where the term Royalty Free does NOT apply. Cue sheets determine where the royalties previously paid by the broadcaster get dispersed. There are no costs associated with cue sheets, however most Royalty Free music libraries require that cue sheets be properly filled out when the music is for broadcast use. A cue sheet is merely a paper trail to ensure writers get paid what is due to them out of the money that has been previously paid by the television stations and broadcasting entities.

To summarize, a Royalty Free License means that you do not continually pay a "synchronization royalty" each time you use a given piece of music. You pay only one time. It does NOT mean that a writer is forfeiting the performance royalty, or broadcast royalty, due him when his music is aired. This royalty has already been paid by the broadcaster and should be dispersed appropriately through the filling out and submission of cue sheets.
About the Author

Scott Meath is one of the founders of Mediatone Music, Inc. and publisher of the Studio Cutz Music Library. For more information, please visit www.studiocutz.com