Transcript Specially Composed Music

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Music can make or break a film or TV show.
 The wrong music can bring an otherwise good
piece of television down
▪ The right music can dramatically enhance your message
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Music
 creates moods,
 provides energy
 And can even tell a story
 It puts a very particular stamp on a show.
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Many iconic series are remembered mostly
by the theme track
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Legally
 ALL music that is played publicly should be
cleared for use through a Public Performing
License (PPL).
 Yes this includes music used in videos on
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Youtube,
Your blog,
Website
And more.
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Many people use music tracks on videos
▪ They upload for fun on Youtube without permission
▪ Are unlikely to get caught or slapped on the wrists
 If you are using music for your business or on a
regular basis you are advised to read on and
research music rights
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The main types of music you are likely to use
in your production are:
 Specially Composed Music:
 Commercial Music:
 Library Music:
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Specially Composed Music:
 When setting up a new show
▪ The producer and director will commission specially
composed music for the
▪ titles,
▪ credits,
▪ end and beginning of parts.
▪ They choose a composer & work with them to get the
style & mood of music they think will suit the new show.
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Commercial Music:
 Those tracks your favorite bands and artists release
▪ That get played on radio and downloaded to your ipod;
▪ That fight to get into the charts
▪ The tracks you would most like to use in your project.
▪ These are the tracks that can get you into trouble in TV
▪ If you don’t know anything about music rights!
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Library Music:
 Library music,
▪ Otherwise know as ‘production’ or ‘stock’ music
▪ Is specially recorded & designed for use in TV, films,
advertising, etc.
▪ It is safer to use than commercial music & often cheaper.
 It still needs to cleared and paid for
▪ But you don’t necessarily need to get permission in
advance to use it as you would for commercial music
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In order to use music in any production
 You need to obtain the required permission and/or
license.
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How to do this will depend on various factors
 But the main thing is to find out who administers
musical rights in your area.
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Most countries have an organization which
administers copyright licenses on behalf of
the copyright owner.
 You need to contact them and make a license
application.
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All types of media production are covered by
copyright.
 Whether you are making
▪ Your own amateur video
▪ Running a wedding video business
▪ Making a feature film
 The law still applies to you so you need to know
how your project is affected
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"Incidental" music
 Music that is playing in the background of a video
scene isn't usually subject to licensing.
▪ Only if it genuinely happens as you are shooting
▪ (for example, you're at a fair and a band can be heard in the
background).
▪ You can't add music in post-production and pretend it's
incidental.
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Music which is the feature of a shot
 Will probably be subject to copyright, for
example, a shot specifically of a band playing a
whole song
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All music eventually comes out of copyright
 Although the life of copyright protection varies
between countries and situations.
▪ Music that is older than 100 years has probably entered
the public domain
▪ But it's always prudent to check.
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Some licensing
 Allows you to use any music without getting
explicit permission from the composer
▪ You just pay a fee to the licensing agency.
 Other licensing does require such permission
▪ And you may need to submit a detailed proposal
explaining how the music will be set to pictures
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An option is to purchase royalty-free music
 Which can be used for just about any type of
production.
 Technically the music is (usually) still copyright
▪ But for a small fee you can use it without any practical
restrictions.
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The big disadvantages are that you don't
have the same selection to choose from,
 And the musical quality or originality isn't always
the same