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Score music is original music that is composed specifically to accompany a film or
other audio-visual project.
If you take a section of someone else’s song and use it in your own track then you
are “sampling” their music and need a license to do so. Before submitting your
tracks to anyone you should ensure that samples are cleared.
A record label is an organisation that typically pays for or facilitates the recording
and release of a Musical Work.
If you own the publishing rights to a song then you own the rights to the composition.
The owner is usually the composer of the music.
A Musical Work or Sound Recording is in the Public Domain when the copyright has
expired. This means that the copyright is no longer controlled or owned by anyone.
For example in the UK the songwriter’s copyright lasts for 70 years after their death,
after which it is in the public domain.
Performing Rights Organizations (e.g. PRS, ASCAP, SESAC) help songwriters and
publishers get paid for the usage of their music by collecting performance royalties
on their behalf.
Production music is typically music that has been written specifically for licensing
through a music library, and can be used for many media outputs.
Some copyright owners require prior approval before allowing their music to be used
in a project.
If music is pre-cleared then all the rights to the track are cleared in advance. This
means that when someone purchases a license they automatically have permission
to use the track.
A performing right is the right to perform a musical work or sound recording. Any
time an organisation (such as a radio station, TV channel, café, hotel, etc.) wants to
perform a copyrighted work publicly, they must acquire performance rights from the
copyright owner or representative. PROs such as ...
In this case the music can be used out of context as well as in context – for example
it can be used in a specific scene (in context), as well as in a film trailer or advert
(out of context) whether or not that trailer / advert features the scene that the music
was originally licensed for.
Term used in cue sheet preparation to denote the film / TV show’s opening title
theme.
You possess a “one stop” if all the rights in a track have been cleared. This means
that both the publishing and master rights must be 100% pre-cleared. So in this
instance you would either hold both the publishing and master rights to a
composition, or guarantee that the rights you represent are fu...
This term means that every nation will be treated equally and without preference. So
with music licensing it means that all songs used in an audiovisual production are
awarded the same fee.
A mechanical right is the right to reproduce and distribute a piece of music onto
CDs, DVDs, records, tapes, ringtones, digital downloads, interactive streams, and
etc. Every time a song you’ve written is placed on a CD, downloaded as a digital file
or streamed through services like Spotify, you are...
Metadata is vital information that you add to enrich the tracks in your library or catalogue. Whilst automated metadata tagging is available, there is no substitute for
manual data entry. Metadata makes your catalogue searchable and also provides music supervisors and other users of your music with ...
The owner of the Master Rights owns the actual sound recording of the song. This
person or organization (typically a record label) is in charge of issuing any master
use licenses. If the track is being used in a visual works then a sync license is also
required.
A license is an agreement where the licensor allows the licensee to use their music,
usually in return for a fee. If you license your work to someone, you still retain the
rights to the music.
Instrumental versions of tracks are often favoured when it comes to licensing, so if
you have instrumental versions always send them along with the originals. Remixes
are also always welcome.
This means that the music can only be used “in context” – i.e. in the agreed scene
for which it has been licensed, and not in any other scene or out of context use.
