How to Find the Best Copyright-Free Music
When it comes to production music, or music that is used for projects such as films, apps, websites and video games, you will often hear the word “free” being thrown around.
“Royalty-free” and “copyright-free” are often used interchangeably to describe music that is purchased by a particular licensing scheme. The type of music that would fall under these categories is usually used in the production of various media projects; as background music for television shows or films, as video game background music, or even background music for Internet videos. If you want to find some excellent music for your project at a great price, you should look into copyright-free music.
So what is the difference between “royalty-free” music and “copyright-free” music? There isn’t a difference. Actually, “copyright-free” is a misnomer, because regardless of how music is licensed, the creator always retains his or her copyright on the material. “Royalty-free” is the preferred term, but when you hear someone say “copyright-free,” this is almost always what they mean. In addition, don’t take the terms “royalty-free” or “copyright-free” to mean that this music isn’t charged for. These terms simply refer to the fact that, collectively, this type of music falls under a specific type of music licensing arrangement that only requires a single up-front payment in order to secure the rights for use, regardless of how many people are going to see, hear or buy the project in which the music is used.
So how does this differ from other types of music licensing? Simply, copyright-free music offers you the benefit of not having to pay royalties every time a song is used. Many people don’t realize that popular music is often licensed on a “rights managed” basis, meaning that the user is required to pay royalties every time a song is used, and the larger the audience for your project that is using the song, the larger amount of royalties you will be subject to pay. Royalty-free music is different in that once you’ve paid the licensing fee, you’re free to use the music as often as you like, and regardless of how large your audience is, you’ll never have to pay additional royalties.
Does this mean that all copyright-free music carries a licensing fee? Not necessarily, there are actually completely free songs out there available for use. Most experts in the media field however, would likely advise against using songs from the free download sites out there. Generally, they are of much lower quality than what you will find on a premium royalty-free music site like Premiumbeat.com. You may find a good track here and there, but the amount of time you’ll spend browsing through thousands of poorly recorded tracks compared with the very reasonable licensing fees you’d have paid otherwise make it a poor deal for any serious media professional. After all, your time is valuable.
The free sites offering copyright-free music are generally not policed, and hence carry a high percentage of not only poorly-made songs, but songs that are reproductions of popular tracks and could land you in legal trouble. This is not necessarily the fault of the websites, but of unscrupulous music producers that are hoping to make money selling knock-off tracks. Recently, Audi AG was sued by rapper Eminem for using production music in a promotional video that sounded strikingly similar to his 2002 hit song “Lose Yourself.” While this may have been unintentional, it goes to show that even huge companies like Audi can be subject to legal action if they’re not careful to use good royalty-free music.
You’ll save an incredible amount of time and end up with much better copyright-free music by instead visiting a reputable music site like Premiumbeat.com. Unlike many other music sites, Premiumbeat’s music is hand-selected by real people and organized by genre, rather than simply an unorganized and cluttered mess of tracks. The downloads are all top-quality, and you’ll be sure to get great original music at an excellent price.
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