How to (legally) use songs on your website, videos, or films (and Eric’s journey in the Music Industry)
Most of my songs that don’t belong to EMI, including the new album Union, can be licensed through Musicbed at THEMUSICBED.COM. I thought I would blog about music licensing and answer some common questions such as: How do you make a living doing music? What is licensing? How do I legally use songs for my website or videos? How does music licensing impact the artist?
The music industry has changed drastically over the past 20 years.
When I started making music, it was all about selling CDs. Now there are people who have never actually held a CD in their hand. It went from CD’s to mp3’s (which were grossly pirated), then to music subscriptions/streaming (Spotify, Pandora Radio, Apple Music). These changes had a huge impact on the industry and on my career as a full time musician. These were big ups and downs that affected our very livelihood.
Music Licensing was part of that change. If you don’t know a lot about music licensing, or if you just want a little bit more inside info on the industry, here it is from one musician’s standpoint:
Licensing music used to be for the big dogs.
In other words, you had to be on a record label. That record label had agents who were solely focused on getting the artists songs used on film, television, or commercials. The official term for this was “sync licensing” (which is short for synchronization). The target clients for sync licensing were major television, film, and commercial production companies. What about a small business owner who needed a song for his/her website? Sadly, they either had to use it illegally (without permission) or go through many hoops with a record label to get a song usage contract drawn up. When I was on a major label (EMI), these “small” usages never seemed worthwhile for either party to pursue, so it was rarely transacted. Months or a year could go by without a single sync usage on my songs, then all of sudden, a car commercial would license my music. For that particular month it was great, but in the long run, it was not helpful for making a living 12 months out of the year. We had to rely on touring for that.
Fast forward a couple decades, and things ARE better, especially for indie artists. We don’t need labels or sync agents to get our songs used. We don’t have to tour and be away from our families for most of the year. Our music is dispersed and licensed online and anyone around the world with an internet connection can buy on iTunes or or license it on a site like Musicbed.
Win/Win Situation
Why is this a win/win situation for consumers and artists? Consumers can now use professional music legally (and affordably) without having to negotiate with a sync agent who is irritated that you’re a small company instead of Toyota or ABC.
This is also a huge win for indie artists like me. Not only do I get to actually continue making a living as a musician, I don’t have to kiss my family goodbye for 9 months out of the year on tour to make ends meet (as much as I love playing live shows). Through the accessibility of licensing, musicians like me can live somewhat normal family lives and focus on the craft of making music.
Being part of such a huge transition in the music industry has been a roller coaster ride. I owe it to you guys that I’m here and still writing music. Thank you so much for believing in the music and for your generosity and support for all the hard-working artists out there. - Eric
