Simplify Your Music Licensing
By John Adams
You’ve found it: the perfect song! This is the track you need to make your video content pop. The decision is made, the visuals match the lyrics, and every highlight hits the beat. Now that the stars have aligned, what other information do you need to collect before licensing your music? Here are FOUR tips that will help you collect your thoughts and make the process a smooth one.
#1- The correct title and artist make a HUGE difference. Double check that you not only provide the name of the song but artist as well. A link to your preferred version can make all the difference when clearing your music and matching your vibe. Just search “Yesterday” in Spotify and you’ll find over 60 versions of the song.
#2- How much of the song will you use? Many times, there is a difference when it comes to the duration of the track you need. Songs will be priced differently depending upon how much you are using. Be as specific as you can. Is your video 1:00 in length, but only requiring :45 seconds of music or is this a 3-minute video using 3 minutes of music? Share how much music your video will utilize and what portions of the track you will be using (chorus, instrumental, verses, etc).
#3- What are your start and end dates? Please, don’t ask for perpetuity. Very few labels and publishers will entertain anything without an end date. It is “best practice” to have a specific start date and end date in mind when licensing music. Anything posted to social media must be removed on the final day of your expiring license. Be aware that your social posts are easily tracked, found and many teams receive additional bills and legal notices for simply leaving social media posts online too long.
#4- Give time! Make sure you give time for proper clearance before moving forward. Music licensing can be tricky, and a little extra wiggle room can save you stress in the long and short term. We recently received a request from the Colorado Avalanche using a track for a hype video for the playoffs. The Score was able to clear that track in 1 day! On the other hand, we received a request for 2 songs for the X-Games broadcast with two weeks to clear the music. In many cases that is ample time. However, one track had an issue and was cleared with only 8 hours to spare.
These tips are here to help eliminate stress and circumvent some of the issues and pitfalls surrounding music licensing. The process becomes a lot easier when you have some parameters in place and give your project time to clear properly.
