Music and copyright
Copyright laws
If you want to use a piece of music in your film you MUST get permission from the copyright owner to use it. This might involve paying a fee, and in the case of well known pieces of music this can be expensive.
Clearing music usually involves talking to two sets of people:
Publishers – these people own the rights to the words and music in written form. So if you wanted to strum your own version of a Madonna song, for example, you would need to get permission from these people.
Record Company – they own the rights to the actual performance and recording itself.
So if you want to use a clip from an actual Razorlight song (rather than singing your own version), for example, you would need to have permission from both the publishers and the record company.
Find out more here
Getting round copyright issues
Here are some useful websites which offer music for free:
and Sound Bible
If you know of any others, you can share this by letting us know here. Or why not think about composing your own soundtrack?
