Videos of just about any kind are made that much better with the addition of suitable music. Not just any music, but music that really suits the tone and mood of the message you are trying to convey in the video. Music promotes engagement, and your video will be that much better received if it has quality music.
Music licensing plays a huge role in the video world. These days finding just the right music for your project is only a mouse click away. Sure, you could create your own music, but if you don’t have the skills or the inclination to do this, then sync licensing is definitely the way to go
How To License a Song For Video
For starters we will make something clear, as this point confuses many people.
If you are making a video for private use only, then you don’t need a license to include music on the video. If, however, the video is going to be aired publicly or sold, then you will need to purchase the appropriate sync license for any music you use on the video.
I hope that’s cleared things up on that point.
You have several choices when it comes to securing a license to use a particular piece of published music in your video:
- Go it alone
- Use a licensing company
If you decide to take the hard road and chase a license on your own, you will find this is a very drawn out, painful and possibly expensive route to travel. You will first need to find a song you want, then search out who actually holds the rights to the song. Once you have established this, then you will need to make contact with the rights holders, tell them you want to license their song, then negotiate a price. Once that is agreed upon a license will need to be drawn up, stipulating what rights are being licensed, what kind of project the song will be used in and the price to pay for the license. Once the contract is agreed upon and signed, then and only then will you be free to include that song in your video.
Sounds like a real time consuming headache. Right?
Take the number two choice and make use of one of the many sync licensing companies and websites on the internet. These sites make music licensing a breeze. They host a vast array of musical talent all waiting for placements. And they handle all the legal side for you.
This frees up your time and speeds up the process exponentially, allowing you the scope to just find a song you want to use in your project, select the kind of license you require (in this case, for video), and click the buy button. You will get your license, download the track and can then put it straight into your project without a care in the world.
How does that sound? Easy, right?
I suggest you go on over to the best music licensing site there is – Songtradr. I create music for sync licensing and they are the best there is out of all the platforms I’ve used. Well worth checking out and it’s free to look and listen. You are bound to find just the right music for your video on Songtradr.
We have created a few short video clips and are involved in various video projects and the right music is as essential as the footage.
Its true that making music has gotten easier with so many digital products available nowadays, but I’ve found that relying on the professionals like songtradr are the way to go.
Hi Keith. Thanks for stopping by. Yes, sites like Songtradr and others make it so easy to find suitable music for videos and other projects these days. Really does simplify things.