Last week we went over 3 sites that allowed you to publish and license your music online. Today we’re going to discover quite a few others. There are lots out there to be honest, most of which are fairly new and up-coming, and we should be expecting more to appear as internet is slowly (well actually rather rapidly) transforming itself into the main platform for the music industry’s new business model.
These sites deliver what is called royalty-free music, meaning the buyer doesn’t have to pay royalties for any commercial use of the music. We also call this pre-cleared music because the provider of the music granted in advance the rights to use the master recording. Both pre-cleared and royalty-free go hand in hand. Most these sites all function with the same model: non-exclusive deals (exclusivity referring to not being able to place your tracks on another site), site takes 50% of earnings, site supposedly has contacts in all major media conglomerates and so on. For the sake of not making this post boring, I am just going to list the sites that are the most relevant to musicians:
These site are made to sell music more then to promote the musicians but they can represent a an income stream. It’s browsing through such websites that one realizes the true competition out there. Here I only displayed those who allow you to upload your music, or who make it clear that this is possible. There are much more royalty-free ’stores’ selling pre-cleared music out there but who have their own roster of composers. The music quality is good and the prices are going down due to competition. This is great for content creators and not so much for artists. Nonetheless, these sites represent opportunity to sell your music and get recognition, so even if it can’t guarantee results, going down the music licensing path is worth a shot.
Very good information here for indie artists and music composers! This is a really clear and consise article breaking down the legal jargon for those of us that are not music business attorneys.
We ourselves have been approached over the past six months by a dozen online licensing and placement companies, and have been given various offers for non-exclusive publishing deals, licensing opportunities, tip sheets, etc. All this is fine and good, but I am very cautious of companies that promise a spin of our song on the O.C. and after some deeper research, seem to only be collecting monthly “membership fees” from thousands of bands.. or a huge upfront fee ($300, $500 and up) for “pitching your music”….it seems like just one big band lottery ticket. Most of these companies are legit, I’m sure, but some are better than others. They may pray on the hopes and dreams of young bands who have just got the word ” your song has just been selected”, only to find out the comany is only selecting their Credit card for membership to join their “list”.
Some collect different fees, while others try to dip in the front AND the back end of a “deal” they offer. As a young independent artist, singer, and songwriter, I am very interested in learning more in the business of music. I own my own music publishing, and protect my songs in every way possible.
If there are others out there, that have similar concerns,
or may have some solid sources on this subject, I like to discuss ideas, trade notes, and compare agencies (good and not so good), websites and current trends in music licensing and music libraries worldwide. Perhaps we can all learn and grow together in these exciting times for independent artists, who are now more in control of the music business and their own destiny than ever before. Anyone who feels strongly about this, or may wish to team up with an aggresive team of talented indie artists, musicians and songwriters, we’d love to hear from you. Please feel free to e-mail.
or visit our page of music & friends at http://www.myspace.com/autodef
Bradley B.
independent artist/ visionary
[...] Why bands should consider online music licensing (2) [...]
Hi Bradley,
first of all I’d like to say that I visited your myspace page, and I love your music. you’re really doing some good work :)
I totally get what you’re saying about today’s opportunities on the www. from one hand, it increases your exposure. from the other- it increases the exposure of billion others. Sometimes I’m feeling the faith in my success starting to fade. There are so many talented musicians. and it is frustrating to get that message that somebody important liked your song, and then to understand they only care about your money. And surely enough, I don’t want to fall into a scam. So I decided to trust my brains when it comes to these sites. You have to see if they’re fair. If their fees are fair and relative to what they offer you. and if i’m still not sure, I write them an email through that ‘contact us’ thing they always have. than you get answer from a real person, and you can understand better the spirit behind the site. of course, they want to make money. just like I want to make money. it’s business. what i’m trying to find out is if they’re fair. And if they mean well. and if they’re honest. I once wrote an email like that to Youlicense.com, asking them some more details about the site, and my chances to get my songs licensed, and they were so nice. they didn’t promise me the world, but they explained how the site works and everything, and it really seemed like a great way to promote my music. So I gave it a try. (still no luck, but at least my songs are there waiting for the opportunity..). Do you have some promoting strategies you would like to share? keep up the good work!
Jenn,
hi and thx for checking out the blog
do you have a myspace?
I think most website set out to help bands have good intentions. They all need their business models to run smoothly so sometimes their strategies can be a bit dodgy. A service is only worth paying for if it’ll fill-up a gap.
I too sent a mail to Youlicense. They answered me quickly.
I would like to have the possibility of contacting directly the company posting the ad. Would be nice to have a clear pitch of what they really want.
Bradley,
These sites are great, and they are certainly making way for the future of licensing, but still, it all comes down to who you’re plugged with. Music licensing is a very closed business only.
A few more resources to add your list of online music licensing services should also include:
http://www.magnatune.com (very selective, but great if you can get in!)
http://www.youlicense.com (a DIY music licensing marketplace which takes only a 9% commission)
http://www.licensequote.com (a DIY music licensing solution for all size music publishers to sell from their own websites. The basic calculator widget is free and premium private label service is being planned)
http://www.musicpalforum.com (This a the forum for the Music Publishing And Licensing group on LinkedIN. Membership is free and industry members are encouraged to join)
Best regards,
Michael Borges – Music PAL group owner/manager
[...] royalties from social networks for their songs Why bands should consider online music licensing (1) Why bands should consider online music licensing (2) Social Record-Labels: How bands can fund their next [...]