will it be illegal to put artist music in my film? at DVinfo.net

Gavin Thomas · May 30th, 2004, 09:47 AM

hi

i would like some1 to tell me please if or if not it will be illegal to put artist music into my film, music such as from soundtracks, i just want to know if i need a licence to do it and if so where would i get 1, many thanks.

Rob Lohman · May 30th, 2004, 09:54 AM

Yes, that is "illegal". You need to license such music which I doubt
"normal" people can afford. Depends on who the artist is and how
old the song is I think.

I cannot help you futher on where to get your music. There are
lots of places with amateur/indie music makers as well that might
be interesting in allowing you to use their music in return for
credits etc.

Gavin Thomas · May 30th, 2004, 09:57 AM

thank you for clearing that up i just thought i could use it and in return just give credit, but i was wrong and thank you very much, you proberly saved me some greef, cheers,!

Douglas Spotted Eagle · May 30th, 2004, 11:01 AM

You can find a tutorial on copyrights at http://www.sundancemediagroup.com/he..._tutorials.asp

Peter Moore · May 30th, 2004, 02:14 PM

You can be sued for it, and it's a crime if you do it for commercial purposes. You need to find royalty free music, or make your own.

Gavin Thomas · May 30th, 2004, 02:24 PM

im just going to buy the rights/fee's to do it, thats not a problem

Luis Caffesse · May 30th, 2004, 03:53 PM

If you plan on securing the rights to a song, make sure you have someone with experience helping you out with that. Either a knowledgable producer, or better yet an attorney.

I worked on a film recently that required the rights to a popular song. The producer found that in order to use the version he wanted, he had to secure rights from 3 different people. One held the rights to the music, one held the rights to the lyrics, and one held the rights to the specific recording. So make sure you have all your bases covered.

-Luis

Gavin Thomas · May 30th, 2004, 06:42 PM

thanks for the pointers.

Pete Cofrancesco · June 3rd, 2004, 03:39 PM

<<<-- Originally posted by Luis Caffesse : If you plan on securing the rights to a song, make sure you have someone with experience helping you out with that. Either a knowledgable producer, or better yet an attorney.

I worked on a film recently that required the rights to a popular song. The producer found that in order to use the version he wanted, he had to secure rights from 3 different people. One held the rights to the music, one held the rights to the lyrics, and one held the rights to the specific recording. So make sure you have all your bases covered.

-Luis -->>>

I once tried to request music rights for a non-profit education video and I found how difficult it was and gave up. What angered me most is the RIAA spend millions on punitive action but, they do nothing to facilitate the legal purchase of music for those of us who want to do the right thing. They should provide a database thay allows you to be able to find and contact the copyright holders. The copyright office has a web site but it is confusing to use and once you find the holder they are impossible to reach. Most are owned by giant record companies who don't want to know you if your not part of the movie industry and provide little to no way to contact them.

Gavin Thomas · June 4th, 2004, 03:55 AM

oh i didnt relise it was that hard,

Keith Loh · June 4th, 2004, 09:36 AM

Do yourself a favour and contact local artists. They would be easier to approach and you would be helping out your local scene.

Gavin Thomas · June 4th, 2004, 09:41 AM

ok i will thanks

Peter Moore · June 4th, 2004, 12:52 PM

"What angered me most is the RIAA spend millions on punitive action but, they do nothing to facilitate the legal purchase of music for those of us who want to do the right thing. They should provide a database thay allows you to be able to find and contact the copyright holders"

The RIAA has no incentive to do this. The cost of enforcing legitimate licenses and administering this system will far exceed whatever profits they will make from it. They're only interested in high volume licensing. They couldn't care less from the average videographer.

Josh Allen · June 6th, 2004, 09:11 AM

I agree completely that it is frustrating to go through the proper legal channels to license music. Without an attorney with experience, it seems near impossible.

As someone mentioned above, I have had lots of luck with local artists. Bands that are looking for exposure are often willing to release use of their song for free with credit in the final production.

The challenge is finding a band with good music AND a good recording of it.

Best of luck.

May 30th, 2004, 09:47 AM	#1
Gavin Thomas Regular Crew Join Date: May 2004 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 64	will it be illegal to put artist music in my film? hi i would like some1 to tell me please if or if not it will be illegal to put artist music into my film, music such as from soundtracks, i just want to know if i need a licence to do it and if so where would i get 1, many thanks.

May 30th, 2004, 09:54 AM	#2
Rob Lohman RED Code Chef Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Holland Posts: 12,514	Yes, that is "illegal". You need to license such music which I doubt "normal" people can afford. Depends on who the artist is and how old the song is I think. I cannot help you futher on where to get your music. There are lots of places with amateur/indie music makers as well that might be interesting in allowing you to use their music in return for credits etc. __________________ Rob Lohman, visuar@iname.com DV Info Wrangler & RED Code Chef Join the DV Challenge \| Lady X Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Buy from the best: DVinfo.net sponsors

May 30th, 2004, 11:01 AM	#4
Douglas Spotted Eagle VASST Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Stockton, UT Posts: 5,648	You can find a tutorial on copyrights at http://www.sundancemediagroup.com/he..._tutorials.asp __________________ Douglas Spotted Eagle/Spot Author, producer, composer Certified Sony Vegas Trainer http://www.vasst.com

June 4th, 2004, 09:36 AM	#11
Keith Loh Air China Pilot Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vancouver, B.C. Posts: 2,389	Do yourself a favour and contact local artists. They would be easier to approach and you would be helping out your local scene. __________________ -- Visit http://www.KeithLoh.com \| stuff about living in Vancouver \| My Flickr photo gallery

May 30th, 2004, 09:57 AM	#3
Gavin Thomas Regular Crew Join Date: May 2004 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 64	thank you for clearing that up i just thought i could use it and in return just give credit, but i was wrong and thank you very much, you proberly saved me some greef, cheers,!

May 30th, 2004, 02:14 PM	#5
Peter Moore Trustee Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Arlington VA Posts: 1,034	You can be sued for it, and it's a crime if you do it for commercial purposes. You need to find royalty free music, or make your own.

May 30th, 2004, 02:24 PM	#6
Gavin Thomas Regular Crew Join Date: May 2004 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 64	im just going to buy the rights/fee's to do it, thats not a problem

May 30th, 2004, 03:53 PM	#7
Luis Caffesse Major Player Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 704	If you plan on securing the rights to a song, make sure you have someone with experience helping you out with that. Either a knowledgable producer, or better yet an attorney. I worked on a film recently that required the rights to a popular song. The producer found that in order to use the version he wanted, he had to secure rights from 3 different people. One held the rights to the music, one held the rights to the lyrics, and one held the rights to the specific recording. So make sure you have all your bases covered. -Luis

May 30th, 2004, 06:42 PM	#8
Gavin Thomas Regular Crew Join Date: May 2004 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 64	thanks for the pointers.

June 3rd, 2004, 03:39 PM	#9
Pete Cofrancesco Inner Circle Join Date: May 2004 Location: USA Posts: 2,997	<<<-- Originally posted by Luis Caffesse : If you plan on securing the rights to a song, make sure you have someone with experience helping you out with that. Either a knowledgable producer, or better yet an attorney. I worked on a film recently that required the rights to a popular song. The producer found that in order to use the version he wanted, he had to secure rights from 3 different people. One held the rights to the music, one held the rights to the lyrics, and one held the rights to the specific recording. So make sure you have all your bases covered. -Luis -->>> I once tried to request music rights for a non-profit education video and I found how difficult it was and gave up. What angered me most is the RIAA spend millions on punitive action but, they do nothing to facilitate the legal purchase of music for those of us who want to do the right thing. They should provide a database thay allows you to be able to find and contact the copyright holders. The copyright office has a web site but it is confusing to use and once you find the holder they are impossible to reach. Most are owned by giant record companies who don't want to know you if your not part of the movie industry and provide little to no way to contact them.

June 4th, 2004, 03:55 AM	#10
Gavin Thomas Regular Crew Join Date: May 2004 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 64	oh i didnt relise it was that hard,

June 4th, 2004, 09:41 AM	#12
Gavin Thomas Regular Crew Join Date: May 2004 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 64	ok i will thanks

June 4th, 2004, 12:52 PM	#13
Peter Moore Trustee Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Arlington VA Posts: 1,034	"What angered me most is the RIAA spend millions on punitive action but, they do nothing to facilitate the legal purchase of music for those of us who want to do the right thing. They should provide a database thay allows you to be able to find and contact the copyright holders" The RIAA has no incentive to do this. The cost of enforcing legitimate licenses and administering this system will far exceed whatever profits they will make from it. They're only interested in high volume licensing. They couldn't care less from the average videographer.

June 6th, 2004, 09:11 AM	#14
Josh Allen Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Wildomar, CA Posts: 89	I agree completely that it is frustrating to go through the proper legal channels to license music. Without an attorney with experience, it seems near impossible. As someone mentioned above, I have had lots of luck with local artists. Bands that are looking for exposure are often willing to release use of their song for free with credit in the final production. The challenge is finding a band with good music AND a good recording of it. Best of luck.