Music

[o2pb]

I was wondering about music, in films.

Lets say I want to use a copyrighted song, what do i have to do to use it? How much is it gonna cost? Does it make any difference if its a non-commerical film?

[emjen]

just use it. Unless you're going to enter some kind of festival or do some profit stuff, they won't really find out or mind.

[o2pb]

ohhhh, and what if you are entering it into a festival, or distributing it on atomfilms or through some website?

Are there any non-copyrighted music? How long do copyrights last? 75 years?

[pauldrystonewall]

although emjen is right, and there is a good chance you will never be found out, i can't advocate the "just use it" policy.

i am sure you would take exception to people using your work without permission?...so don't do it to other people.

to use a copyrighted song you have to get permission from the publishers, or go to a special music clearance site...and there will be fees involved...just try googling for a while and i am sure you will find lots of information.

a lot of festivals will only accept films that have music that has been cleared for use...and of course if you start distributing the film, you have to make sure everything is above board or you are just asking for trouble.

depending on the country, copyright can expire 50 or 75 years after the authors death, unless the rights are owned by a publishing company. try a search engine and look for "public domain music". once you find music that has no copyright, you need to get someone to perform or record it for you...as performances are also covered by copyright.

alternatively you can buy non-copyright or "buy-out" music...that will come with a license allowing you to use the track for your productions....there are dozens of websites selling non-copyright music.

or another alternative, and by far the best one...get hold of a composer and get some music specifically written for your film....there are plenty of composers about who are happy to work for credit and copy....myself included (for the right project that is!)

hope this helps.

[johnhuges]

i've heard that you can use well known songs for free in festivals as long as you get festival rights from the record company. but i'm not too sure about this.

[Tard]

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