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Royalty Free Music explained
ABOUT 'ROYALTY FREE MUSIC'
'Royalty free music' is undoubtedly one of the most misunderstood terms in the music industry, and for very good reason.
First off, royalty free music doesn't mean 'free music'. Simply put, royalty free means the user of the music is literally free from having to pay royalties to the original creator of the music, for using their property within their own productions. Instead, a one-time license is purchased and there is no further obligation to pay the musician each time that music is used. So for example, the user could use the music on a series of YouTube videos and just one license would cover it.
Traditionally, before royalty free music was a thing, users of music would have to pay composers (often via their music libraries or agencies) hefty licensing fees, a proportion of which the composer would receive as 'royalties'. And this mostly depended on how often it would be played, where it would be played (such as TV, Radio, movies, etc) and how many listeners it would reach and would often involve lots of paperwork and administration. It was generally reserved for professional uses and not an accessible option to most of the general public.
But with the advent of the internet age, platforms such as YouTube and Vimeo popped up and suddenly the world needed music for their videos! 'Royalty free' libraries and online marketplaces soon came into play, to fill the demand and provide everyday folk, small and independent producers access to music.
First off, royalty free music doesn't mean 'free music'. Simply put, royalty free means the user of the music is literally free from having to pay royalties to the original creator of the music, for using their property within their own productions. Instead, a one-time license is purchased and there is no further obligation to pay the musician each time that music is used. So for example, the user could use the music on a series of YouTube videos and just one license would cover it.
Traditionally, before royalty free music was a thing, users of music would have to pay composers (often via their music libraries or agencies) hefty licensing fees, a proportion of which the composer would receive as 'royalties'. And this mostly depended on how often it would be played, where it would be played (such as TV, Radio, movies, etc) and how many listeners it would reach and would often involve lots of paperwork and administration. It was generally reserved for professional uses and not an accessible option to most of the general public.
But with the advent of the internet age, platforms such as YouTube and Vimeo popped up and suddenly the world needed music for their videos! 'Royalty free' libraries and online marketplaces soon came into play, to fill the demand and provide everyday folk, small and independent producers access to music.
BUT ISN'T 'ROYALTY FREE MUSIC' ...... FREE?!?
In the real world, maybe the term 'royalty free' isn't the best choice of words, as it's often the word 'free' that throws most people off and unfortunately leads them to believe the music is just plain free. This just isn't the case however, and often adds to the confusion of users looking to use music in their videos or productions. It's worth remembering that music, like any other property, belongs to the copyright holder and licensing music is really just a way of 'renting' it to use on and enhance your own productions.
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