I have long urged videomakers to stay legal and not use copywritten music, but rather use royalty-free music in their videos. Some you pay for a license, others are free, provided you follow the author’s rules for use. i.e. credited a certain way etc.
One of the free sites I have suggested is Kevin MacLeod’s Incompetech.com. I read his blog and found this Post(click here to visit his site) where he details issues he has uncovered with companies laying claim to Public Domain compositions, not recordings which would or could still be under copyright, but compositions, some hundreds of years old.
He explains it in more detail, so check it out.
So if you use Public Domain music, that is copyright free, and get flagged by Youtube for copyright infringement, dispute it. It seems some companies are laying claim to these pieces, getting ad profits from Youtube on music they do not own. Nice work if you can get it. So don’t let them get away with it. If you are snagged, let Kevin MacLeod know, he is building a database to try to battle this infestation. And remember, Stay Legal!
2 responses so far ↓
1 Carl // Jan 7, 2013 at 2:38 am
Thanks for the advice Bill. In Australia we’ve even come across situation where legally purchased royalty free music which is totally fine to use on radio, tv and similar productions, wasn’t covered for on hold message use. Things got messy with the rights body here chasing things up. So this may be good to keep an ear out for too especially down under.
2 admin // Jan 7, 2013 at 10:56 am
It can be a minefield that is for sure. Mix in the fact that something that is free to use today, if it goes viral, the copyright holder may change their mind and then you have to go around proving when you got it, where, and that it was royalty free at that time.
Leave a Comment