getting music licensed: ugh

R

randomname

Well-known member
I'm trying to get an "empire of the sun" (the band, not the movie) song licensed for a short film I'm working on, but I'm having a hard time figuring out who the hell I'm supposed to contact about it. They're signed with EMI, yet EMI hardly has any contact info on their site, so how exactly am I supposed to figure this out?
 
There are a few places to look:
BMI
Harry Fox Agency
ASCAP

Depending on how you will use the recording, you will likely have to reach a agreement with one or more of the above listed licensing agents.

Spend a little time on each of the above listed agency websites, and you'll know what you need to do.

You'll need to know the number of copies you plan on distributing (in the case of web-based content there is a separate fee structure).

I've licensed music for as little as $80 and as much as $250.
 
gpforet said:
There are a few places to look:
BMI
Harry Fox Agency
ASCAP

Depending on how you will use the recording, you will likely have to reach a agreement with one or more of the above listed licensing agents.

Spend a little time on each of the above listed agency websites, and you'll know what you need to do.

You'll need to know the number of copies you plan on distributing (in the case of web-based content there is a separate fee structure).

I've licensed music for as little as $80 and as much as $250.
Click to expand...

BMI/ASCAP take 'nickels' for performance, such as radio. Harry Fox licenses for 'mechanical' rights, which is the right to reproduce the copyrighted material
and distribute as 'audio' programs. This does not cover 'synchronization' rights to include in a film. (or even still slide show...).

On the ASCAP site, they indicate that one must contact the music 'publisher' for pursuing such licensing questions.

My opinion is... if you bought music on a CD in a store, or now online, from any 'publisher' other than the band itself, getting 'synchronization' rights is too expensive for most people.

I've used:

http://www.magnatune.com/

To purchase sync rights to music in their library for short film, and 'festival' distribution, in the past. Now they have a 'membership' download, and for such activities as 'demos', etc. they have a Creative Commons type license. They still offer sync rights for other types of distributions.

I'd recoomend looking at this site and find a similar style piece of music. It will be far easier to license, than finding and eventually paying for a 'known' band of any sort.

Another site is:

http://www.jamendo.com/en/

I've not used it as of yet, but they also have a large catalog to listen to.

There is also:

http://www.mobygratis.com/film-music.html

I've also not used this site, but again, there is some indication of how a low/no budget filmmaker can get music, without paying for an army of darkness lawyers...
 
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Thanks for the clarification. The only copywrighted music I've licensed so far as been for re-recording and theatrical use.
 
There are agencies that will do all the legwork and handle the rights clearances for you, for a fee of course. A goolge on rights clearance agencies will turn up a bunch of listings.
 
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