How Can I License Music for Use in Film or TV?

When you create a film or TV production, music can play a vital role in shaping your scenes’ tone and ambiance, however, as you most likely know, music is not free to use as you please. Before including another person’s music in a scene, you must secure proper authorization and compensate the music owners accordingly. This legal and financial undertaking is referred to as music licensing. Music licensing entails acquiring permission to utilize a musical piece in a particular manner, such as for a film, TV show, advertisement, video game, or podcast. Music licensing can be complicated, as various kinds of rights and licenses apply, depending on the music’s origin and characteristics. If you wish to license music, you need to have an in-depth understanding of your rights and obligations. Read on and reach out to a seasoned Orleans Parish, Louisiana intellectual property lawyer to learn more. Here are some of the questions you may have:

What are the different types of music rights?

If you’re looking to license music for your television or film project, you should first understand the different types of music rights. Music rights are divided into two main categories: composition rights and sound recording rights. They can be defined as follows:

• Composition rights: These are the rights to the musical creation itself, such as the tune, lyrics, chords, and orchestration. Composition rights belong to the songwriter or composer who created the music, or their publisher if they have transferred their rights to them. Composition rights are also commonly referred to as publishing rights or mechanical rights.
• Sound recording rights: These are the rights to the specific rendition and production of the music, such as the vocals, instrumentation, sound effects, and mixing. Sound recording rights belong to the artist who performed the music, or their record label if they have one. Sound recording rights are also commonly referred to as master rights or phonographic rights.

To utilize a piece of music in your film or TV project, you need to acquire both composition rights and sound recording rights from their respective owners. Lemler IP can walk you through this process.

What type of music license is right for me?

A music license is a legal agreement that grants you permission to use a piece of music in a specific way for a limited period of time and scope. Some of the most common music licenses include synchronization licenses, master licenses, blanket licenses, and royalty-free licenses. In most cases, obtaining these licenses will involve negotiations with composers, publishers, record companies, or other parties, so it’s important you have a seasoned IP licensing lawyer in your corner who can streamline the process and protect your rights.

Lemler IP has years of experience in the field of IP licensing, so if you have any questions about licensing music or need a hand in doing so, simply contact the firm today.