10 Myths and Misconceptions about using music in YouTube videos

[thebeatsuite]

Howdy all. Wanted to share an article we've written that highlights various views and takes on using music in your videos that get posted to YouTube. Some may have experienced videos being slapped with a copyright claim from third parties etc or found when using a free music track they're not able to gain any advertising revenue etc. We've written a piece that looks at 10 common thoughts about using music on YouTube and explained the ins and outs of it.

View the article here.

Good old topics like "I gave credit in my video to the musician/artist therefore I'm legally allowed to use the music track in my project" and giving further explanation to the terms "copyright free music" and "royalty free music".

Hope you find it useful, and we welcome any comments/replies. If you know people who might benefit from having a read, we've shared it on Facebook too.

[TimAndrews]

I am curious. The list did not appear to specifically refer to music which the composer has created and recorded; is happy for anyone to use in whatever manner they want; and who has no wish to maintain any future rights or apply any licencing.

[thebeatsuite]

Good response Tim. In that scenario, that would be fine. However, the potential issue further down the is that if the composer signs with a library, and they then publish their content you may run into difficulties where they look to recoup revenue from existing material online, and unless you have a contract with that composer granting you the rights to use it, freely as you wish you could run into trouble.

Remember, in most instances where something is given away free, it's to gain exposure and recognition and many composers will provide soundtracks in exchange for a credit and exposure to lift them onto the stage to be signed.

[Midnight Blue]

Interesting point that I hadn't considered.

[XXLRay]

A bit too focused on your service for my taste. There are actually some reputable artists like Josh Woodward, Kevin MacLeod or teknoAXE who offer music free of charge (but require to credit them). Furthermore does public domain music exist like e.g. pieces performed by the US army band. The taste of your article is "There is no free lunch" although there indeed is if you select carefully.

[Rob1]

I think that the author was trying to represent what it would be like in most cases. Even though they are not covering ever base, I think that the article was still interesting enough and added a lot of information for people interested in YouTube videos and are considering music.

[TimStannard]

Good response Tim. In that scenario, that would be fine. However, the potential issue further down the is that if the composer signs with a library, and they then publish their content you may run into difficulties where they look to recoup revenue from existing material online, and unless you have a contract with that composer granting you the rights to use it, freely as you wish you could run into trouble.

Interesting scenario. I suspect that if I had an agreement with composer/artist x who later signed with a library, I could legitimately dispute that composer's right to sign an exclusive deal with that library (unless, of course the agreement said he could retract it later). Again it's a win for the lawyers. But realistically most of us aren't going to get into that situation.

Your points are a good starting point for anyone interested in learning about such things and are exactly WHY we should use Smartsound (or even beatsuite), our own recordings of our own or out of copyright material, PD recordings or Creative Commons stuff.

You also neglect to mention the licences that exist (at least in the UK) for limited manufacture of DVDs/BluRays of commercially available music for (eg) Weddings etc.

Also it is possible through certain organizations (eg www.theiac.org) to buy licenses that allow one to use commercial recordings (within strict circumstances) in non-commercial films (eg film festivals and extremely limited distribution).

[zamiotana]

You are promoting your music - I believe there is a different forum section for this

[Marc Peters]

You are promoting your music - I believe there is a different forum section for this

It's cool, I invited these guys to post a few articles after some of the confusion over copyright law.

[thebeatsuite]

Hey folks, as a music library who offer music licensing to video producers and digital content creators we wanted to speak from our position, with our experience and knowledge in this field. Naturally our service comes to light in this piece, but it's through our offering our music licensing services we can commentate on this area and offer seasoned advice and insight. It's great to see the topic be picked up and discussed by the community, and spark a debate.

An interesting note mentioned was the perception of "There is no free lunch", but if you look carefully, there can be. In our industry, and throughout the industry of video professionals, there has to be an attached quality to the content you're using, whether it's equipment, labour or stock music/images etc. There is still some stigma attached to paying for music, and some professionals will put a lot of effort into getting something for free, or choosing the cheapest possible option. Our approach to that is, how does that effect your project and what does it say about your standards if you're looking to acquire free-to-use content for professional projects you produce for clients?

Music licensing is not only something that should be pursued correctly, but working with a reliable supplier/library will prove beneficial for both the legal side of things, and the standard of quality you're applying to your projects.