Web Site Tools: Royalty-Free Music

The use of music to accompany photo slideshows and videos is a growing feature of the PSA website. Music helps to set the pace, tone, and feeling for the photography.

PSA follows the copyright laws. For all music used on the PSA website or played at the PSA Conference, PSA requires its photographers to have permission to use the music and to give appropriate credits (Music by Artist Name).

Using royalty free music is the most convenient way to make sure the copyright law is being followed. Using music on the Internet is considered commercial use. Playing a photo show with music when the photographer is not present is commercial use. Personal use means listening at home, in the car, on an iPod, and similar.

Artists license their music for either personal or commercial use or both, for one-time use or longer, for a fee or no fee which depends on the use, and often specify how their credits should read. Therefore, it is important for the photographer to check the license for each piece of music carefully.

The only music that can be used “legally” for PSA purposes is that which is royalty free or for which the royalty has been paid and regardless of where the music was obtained. Also, the credits for the music must be included within the program, usually at the end.

Permission to use copyrighted music is NOT automatically granted

simply by buying an audio CD
simply by buying music off the Internet
simply by acquiring the music for no cost

Permission to use copyrighted music IS granted

if the music was published before 1923 and has gone into the public domain
if royalty free licensing has been granted to the music
if the royalties have been paid to the composer, performers, and publishing company
if the copyright is held by the user

Carole Kropscot, APSA, has been appointed as the Royalty Free Music Coordinator to offer assistance. The user’s responsibility is to know the music’s copyright status and to take the time to search for, listen to, and choose the music. Contact Carole if you have questions.

PSA copyright lawyer Nancy Wolff, Esq., provided the following legal opinion concerning the use of music in programs of any kind at PSA conferences, on the PSA website, or for any other PSA activities.

"Music can be a particularly difficult terrain to navigate. Once you incorporate music with images, you require a synchronization license, and if you are streaming it, you may also need a public performance license (for example, ASCAP/BMI) if the entity playing the music doesn’t have one. You need a license from all applicable music publishers for the writer or writers that wrote the song and lyrics (or from the writers themselves if there is no publisher). In addition, if you are using the original recording, as opposed to re-recording the composition itself, you need to get a license from the owner of the recording, which is often the label. The relationships and process can be very complicated, and using licensed royalty-free music can help save the time and effort that can be involved. But if you want to comply with copyright law, then you almost always need permission to use any popular music. Exceptions for personal use, noncommercial use and fair use are extremely limited and should be thoroughly reviewed by a copyright expert before relying upon them, particularly in using music in conjunction with visual works where it is very unlikely that use of the music will be considered fair use or otherwise insulated from copyright liability."

Below is the most recently updated list of suggested online sources for royalty free music.

Websites are listed in order of cost, from free to expensive.
Some websites require an account with a free sign up.
Copyright and licensing can be different for each song.
PSA requires a credit in the slideshow or video for the music source.

http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free - by Kevin MacLeod offers some of his music as royalty free and at no cost for use with a mandatory credit mention of his name.

http://www.danosongs.com – free

http://www.pacdv.com/sounds/free-music.html - free

http://www.publicdomain4u.com - includes many other links, too.

http://www.mobygratis.com - can request permission to use

iTunes.com – search for royalty free music

http://www.royaltyfreemusic.com/free-music-resources.html - free

http://sonnyboo.com/music/music.htm - free with mandatory credit mention of his song writer and performer Peter John Ross.

http://www.openmusicarchive.org - free recordings over 50 years old so their copyright has expired in the UK.

http://opsound.org - both with and without cost

http://www.jewelbeat.com/index.php - starting at 99 cents

http://www.theframelocker.com/lockersongs1.html - $1.99 to $3.99

http://www.audiomicro.com/royalty-free-music - from $4

http://square-peach.com/index.html - $6.75 per song, less per album

http://derekaudette.ottawaarts.com/download-music.php - free package of 100 songs for $25.

http://www.1musicpack.com - a royalty free package of 75 songs for $27.

http://www.jamendo.com/en/ - $58 per year and up

http://www.partnersinrhyme.com - starting at $99 for a package of songs.

http://www.pianobrothers.com - piano music by the O’Neil Brothers, 400+ songs for $247.

http://www.videoblocks.com – 7 days of free downloads, then $49-79 per month

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