Marcus.... the "Big Three" companies making music software specifically for film makers which is "Buy it Once, Use it Forever, no further fees, costs, hassles, etc", are SONY Cineform, SmartSound (Sonic Fire Pro) and Digital Juice. There are other sites where you can get sound FX, and individual pieces of music, sometimes for free, sometimes "free" but with a licensing requirement ($$) for use in a film (it may be free to download but has usage restrictions). I use a mix of all of them. It's ideally not a you can only have one... one size does not fit every need here.

Digital Juice Stacktracks are probably the easiest to use and the least "customable" of the big 3. They have an extensive selection though. Used to be one of the best pricing wise, but SONY and SmartSound have started marketing better and now DJ MAY be more expensive, especially in light of the lack of customizable features.

SmartSound is a very good product, and they are making it better. It takes a little to learn, but not terribly difficult. Good selection of tunes. Highly customizable.

SONY Cineform may be the best of all, though it has a somewhat restricted library content wise at the moment and until recently was expensive. Now with this sale it is one of the best price wise. Has more fetures than SmartSound, but also lacks a few they DO have that I like.

I'd make the following analogy - DJ is akin to Microsoft Movie Maker, while SmartSound and Cineform are closer to VAGAS/CS4/Premier/Avid. More work to learn and use, but WAY more flexible.

Depends on what you want out and more importantly need of your music. In many instances a DJ track has been "PERFECT". Sometimes I need more flexibility to tailor the length and sound of the music to fit.

With SONY and SmartSound you can manipulate the music and "sort of" do you own scoring. (Apologies to musicians, I know that is not what you would consider writing a score).

All 3 of the "Big Three" have websites where you can experience what they have to offer. Check em out.

I give a more detailed analysis in an earlier post in this thread.

Chris S.

ps. The idea of licensing music is not outrageous,and if you find something you like don't be shy about asking for a rate quote. I have even found music I liked and when asked, gotten permission for free non-commerical usage, with a proviso that it did not include commecial usage, which would have a fee attached.

pps. I cannot recommend one over the other. If you can only have one, it really would depend on your needs and how what they have to offer fits those needs and only you can know that. They are NOT expensive and I cannot imagine not having all 3.

Tune Society
 

A new stock music web site with royalty free music is Tune Society.

Tune Society: Production & Media Music Community - Royalty-free

I found the music to be top notch stuff. Of course, because any musician who wishes can upload their tunes, not everything is going to be something you like. But the pricing is very reasonable, you download the tunes right there, and you get some very quality music.

Hope this helps,

Jim

That should be: Sony Cinescore :)

Thanks guys: so i'll buy tomorrow CINESCORE!

I was wondering if anybody of u has ever bought song from jamendo, they r very cheap!
But i was wondering if there's something hidden i don't know when i purchase...for example if they have some kind of right once you buy their music for your own movies...i don't know?Anybodu out there have experience in that?

thx

Does anyone use SmartSound tracks for web?
 

If you publish to the web I take it that means you need additional licensing if your hit counter goes above 10,000?

Looking at Sony Cinescore's theme licenses I don't see any mention of such a restriction. Is my understanding correct?

Take a close look at that license part you quoted. It's referring to making physical copies of a hardware distribution medium such as CD or DVD. Nowhere does it mention web posting or distribution by download at all. A license is something that says what you can do. If it's not explicitly permitted, it's prohibited. Unless there's a specific phrase somewhere else in the license that contradicts, I would interpret it to mean that any form of web publication is not licensed and thus prohibited. You could use the song in a DVD you're making of a wedding for the bride and groom and you could sell them ten copies for them to give to familiy and friends but you could NOT post the video on YouTube (according to what you posted - I haven't read the Jamendo license and have no idea what else it might say).

Ouch, have to read these licenses more carefully. Thanks Steve.

I wish these were easier to interpret, take the Cinescore Theme Pack EULA

http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/...aries/eula.asp
Seems to say I can use the Theme Pack on one computer (I get one copy). But I can integrate it into my video.

... a few aspirins later ...

(b) says I can't lend out the Cinescore theme itself on any media ... which appears counter to the point if I take it literally as it doesn't distinguish between the Theme Pack and the generated work when it back tracks in (c) . Ah, the intricacies of legalese. It's got me in a tangle, hire a lawyer to interpret what it says or bang out my own tunes with some twigs and empty cans.

Mike, you almost seem to be TRYING to confuse yourself here.

Let's start with Digital Juice. Here is the guts of their license on this issue:

StackTraxx Uses Allowed:

You may adapt, synchronize, reproduce and distribute the Content only in conjunction with and as an integral part of multimedia works and/or multiform audio presentations as created, adapted, edited or synchronized by our customers. This includes but is not limited to distribution of your non-profit or for-profit audio-visual works distributed over web, broadcast, film, DVD, radio, public presentations, and personal or private uses.

Bottom line, use it as a soundtrack, anywhere anyhow other than stand alone. Try and package their "content" however for resale as another product designed for film-makers to use as background music (e.g. using their product as your own "stand alone" product, however, is a no no - and understandably so.) That is what these licenses are protecting, the product, not your resultant use in your own film... it is JUST THAT SIMPLE.

And SONY Cinescore (sorry about the earlier gaffe calling it Cineform), even easier:

You are free to use the Content Offering in your own original compositions without restriction.

Cinescore's EULA (end user license agreement) incidentally, is for ALL SONY software audio/video products.

What many seem to fail to grasp is the disinction between "content" (the product) and a creative work done using the product and integrating the result into that work. The interest of the Product creator/seller is that they just don't want you selling or reselling their product - in the case of SONY that means their their "Theme pack" ... which is NOT the music, it is the software which allows generation of the music. A theme pack won't play on any player anywhere, it is not music. So it is the software you cannot sell. THAT is content (product) and theirs exclusively. Now that said, if you used the content (product) to create individual songs and tried to market them as your own product - as a stand alone product - to be sold commercially to allow someone else to them adapt and use as background music in their works, THAT is also a no-no. However, and this is prettty darned simple folks, you merely need to use these in your own creative works. The music you can generate and use in a work you create using that content is YOURS... no strings attached. "No restrictions". No fees, no hidden costs.

SmartSound's license is very similar as I reacll, and the only catch I remember and that Steve pointed out was is IF you have an actual a distribution of a DVD or disk with a product run in excess of 10,000 copies. How many of you fall into THAT category? And if you do, hire a lawyer - I know of a good one on here who specializes in this stuff (not me).

In short... STOP WORRYING. Cinescore, DJ and SonicFire (SmartSound) are all royalty free music. Buy them, use them as intended in a soundtrack on a film, and forget about it. You are shopping for issues where there are none.

Chris S.

ps. And I AM a lawyer. (Not that this constitutes legal advice, merely that I am perfectly comfortble using these products as I just mentioned, and am NOT worried.)

That makes more sense
 

Thanks for that Chris, I was about to hit the trigger on Cinescore (lol, I have Cineform too) for use with video I'd post of the web. I was happened to be comparing Cinescore with SmartSound when the latter license started putting doubts in my mind about both.

Hey Chris, just cause you r a lawyer and cause you wrote me back about jamendo;i d like to know once you pay the songs i'm ok to use em as i like for my productions right?(speaking about jamendo system)
thx a lot Chris

Marcus - you have to read the terms and conditions on the site to make any determination as to restrictions on use. However, out of the curiosity you piqued, I looked at Jamendo and found the following:

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
3.2.1 Use of Works

Each Work is made available to Users pursuant to a Creative Commons license identified by an icon. By clicking on that icon, you will know the conditions under which the ARTIST and JAMENDO authorize you to use his Work.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
So, each artist who has their music there retains the ultimate control over the use of their material. That makes it even more important to read their individual terms. One may allow free and unlimited use, another may not.

I reiterate my earlier point - FREE does not automatically mean unrestricted use (and it is quite possible to violate a copyright on free material.)

There is an aspect of Cinescore that I don't understand. I know what the Theme Packs are but I noticed in Sony's description of the product that Cinescore will import a range of audio file formats. What, if anything can it do with imported audio files other than include them on the timeline?

I read somewhere recently that Sony's Cinescore is No More. Apparently they have either discontinued the product or will be due to lack of sales and sound packs or whatever they call them. So... buy wisely :)

Cinescore's end
 

Sadly, tis true. SONY has announced:

"Cinescore software and Theme Packs will no longer be available for purchase from Sony Creative Software after December 31, 2009, so take advantage of these prices now, or miss your chance to load up on a lifetime of royalty-free soundtracks!"

I recall seeing something about a month or two ago about a licensing deal between SONY and SmartSound (SonjicFire Pro's parent) so maybe this was in the works.

I'm not sorry I have Cinescore, and though my libary of music for it will remain static going forward, I can still create a goodly number of soundtracks suitable for future works from it, so it will find good use.

Chris S.

Not royalty free but it is creative commons so it should be functionally equivilant for non-commerical use?

And, if I understand it correctly, there are 'attribution' based licenses which seems to be fully equivilant.

In reply to Jim Snow, several posts above, the ability to import other music doesn't allow you to do much to it you could not otherwise do... no magic... but you can bring it onto a time line with Sony stuff and render it out to the same codec. I also used Cineform recently to modify an MP3 into a WAV file, not that it would improve the quality but it also can be a vehicle to change formats.

And as to Jamendo, I should have included the modifier "necessarily" when saying "NOT Royalty Free". I again stress one needs to "READ THE LICENSE AGREEMENT."

Going back up I reread the concerns about Digital Juice and the 10,000 "copy" limit. When I replied I did not go back and re-read their license, but replied from memory. The other day I had occasion to re-read their license agreement. If you read their license that limit applies to mechanical copies only. And in another place gives unrestricted use to web apps. Yet we were asking if the 10,000 limitt meant you could not have 10,000 hits on a website before the "mechanical" limit kicked in. Careful reading will answer most questions. (No... web use has no limits, mechanical means physical copies - eg. disc dupes)

And a further clarification, mechanical's license duplication and distribution only for audio recordings - ie music CDs, vinyl, or tape - distributed as purely audio recordings. When you use a song in a video soundtrack, you move into an entirely different universe and a mechanical does not license you to broadcast or distribute copies of the video on a DVD or other medium.

Stock20 sent an email selling the production library for $189, $40 of which goes to a Haiti fund. The pricing is good until Jan 25th If you've been waiting on the sidelines this is a good chance.

I've bought in to Stock 20's music during their December 2009 and I am constantly impressed with the quality. Plus they'll toss in a donation to the Haiti appeal if you purchase during the current special.

And their usage agreement won't ever crimp your potential for success. They are totally on-side.

BTW, (forgive me for the shameless plug) they have a referral program whereby we both get a free song credit if you sign up through this link.

No synth music, all recorded with real instruments and stunning production quality. Don't just take my word for it, read what Spot has to say.

Rave, rave, rave ... I know, I know .... I just absolutely love the product. Forgive me if I have carried on too much.

Andrew

What about Sound FX that is @ digital Juice? Have anybody out there tryed it?
thx

Marcus... Digital Juice's SoundFX are foley sounds... eg. dogs barking, jet planes etc. It is NOT music. Their music offerrings are called StackTrax and are discussed at length in this thread above.

One other consideration to throw into the mix depends on your intended usage. Generally I use music as a backdrop to video, but I've recently decided to attempt a music video, adding my own lyrics to music. Since I have used Digital Juice, SmartSound and Cinescore extensively with previous video projects, I have been listening to my libraries for a piece to use. I had chosen a SmartSound song because of the versatility in editing both length and mood, but learned today in an email exchange they won't allow you to have a song over their music, whereas Digital Juice and Sony (I assume from their license agreement, waiting for an emal confirmation) do allow this. So before you decide which music to use, be sure to check the fine print of each license.

I've started using Tune Society for a lot of my music.

Great site, incredible music.

Tune Society: Production & Media Music Community - Royalty-free

I used their music on this promo: And these commercials:
It's world class music that's affordable.

The cool thing is, if you're an artist, you can upload songs to sell too!

Hope this helps.

Royalty free music
 

I have a website with orchestral royalty free music and each track can be licensed for £2. I am trying to build up a portfolio of stuff so if you can't find what you want email me and I will try to write it for you.

Alastair

About - Cameron Music

godd stuff...

After going through most of the sites suggested, I really like revostock, great quality music at a great price. The website is well designed and easy to used. Thanks for the recommendation!

you can go to Myspace, find a really good unsigned band or composer (there are thousands) and ask them and might even get it for free (have done this in the past on shorts, and is a win-win for both parties) not sure if this would work in your situation but just shootin it out there