The basics of music licensing

Music licensing consists of giving permission to someone else to use your music or parts of your music. In today’s market there are so many places that your music can find a home beyond CDs, digital downloads, and the stages of the world.

Entering the world of music licensing can open up new ways for you and your band to make money doing something you enjoy – making music. With an ever-expanding cable TV universe, a huge onrush of independent filmmakers, a commercial world, and the internet, music is needed to help these projects convey their messages.

There are four basic types of licensing you should be familiar with:

• Master License – gives permission to someone to use a full song (one song at a time) from your original recording in their project
• Synchronization license – this license is specifically permission to use your song together with a visual image
• Mechanical license – permission to duplicate and sell your audio recording
• Compulsory license – permission to “cover” a song and record, duplicate, and sell it

It is very important to keep track of your music copyrights, who controls the master recording rights, and any licensing you have out on your music. Though these four types of licenses give the basics of what is available, there are many nuances to licensing that go beyond the basics; such as digital uses, ringtones, or importing.

These licenses can bring with them terms of exclusivity or non-exclusivity. Exclusive agreements mean that you cannot offer licenses for that song to anyone else during the term of the license. Non-exclusive agreements will specify if and where you can license your songs to someone else while still under other licensing terms.

With all of these types of licenses floating around, hopefully you can see how important it is to keep track of everything. Signing with a publishing company can help. Being associated with a Professional Rights Organization (PRO) such as ASCAP or BMI will assist in making sure you are paid your royalties if your agreement specifies those types of payments.

The world of music licensing offers your music a larger arena to be heard from. There are a number of resources on the internet that can also help guide you in the right direction if you are seeking to license your music. Sites such as www.filmmusic.com offer lists of classified ads where you can submit songs for films needing music. You can go to agencies like the Harry Fox Agency (www.harryfox.com) for all sorts of licensing needs. Good music business lawyers can find you licensing opportunities, as well as work the contracts for you. However, music licensing (if not done by you) will generally be done by your music publisher.