<p>You'd be best off doing a search for CC-licensed music first. You may find something that works for you that already allows commercial use; even if you find a particular track that's "no commercial use" that would work, you can always write and ask permission - which you're much more likely to get directly from the artist.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-09-01T23:07:58.960Z
2011-09-01T23:07:58.960Z
Joe McMahon
<p>Advice on IP issues is worth what you pay for it. Here, it's free and worth every cent. (-:</p>

<p>In general, you can't use copyrighted material without the permission of the holder. Since this is for a business, you'll likely have to pay something, maybe not a lot, for the use. Only the rights holder can say for sure, but to be legal you must ask, and probably pay.</p>

<p>On the other hand, if this is for purely internal use and will never be seen outside the walls of your company, some people would play the odds. I don't recommend it, but it's certainly been done before.</p>

<p>This is not legal advice, just two people chatting.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-04-15T09:41:20.340Z
Whilst it's all free advice, some of it may just be from people who work in the field... ;-) Good point on chancing your arm if it's 100% internal - as long as OP isn't a doofus and uploads to YouTube, that should be 'get-awayable-with'.
Chris Woods
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-03-27T10:29:07.250Z
2014-03-27T10:29:07.250Z
Jim Mack
<p>The short answer? <strong>No</strong>.</p>

<p>The long answer: No, copyright law requires you to have an appropriate licence from the copyright holders (usually the record label - not the artist - if they're in a record deal!)</p>

<p>There are three distinct rights for every piece of music:</p>

<ul>
<li>Phonogram copyright (the sound recording) (symbol: ℗, "P" in a circle)</li>
<li>Composition, score, artwork, cover design, lyrics, which can all be included in one overarching copyright registration per musical work (symbol: ©, "C" in a circle)</li>
<li>The Publishing right, considered separately by some</li>
</ul>

<p>Each of these rights may be 'assigned' to a third party (e.g., a publisher or a record label) and this is what usually what happens when a track is released by a label. However you may be able to 'encourage' the artist to grant a licence for the music's use if the project is cool or they like it. Ultimately the person who has control of the sound recording copyright is the person to request a licence from.</p>

<p>You are in breach of copyright law if you use a copyrighted piece of music without a licence - moreso if you exploit that copyrighted composition for commercial gain (use it to represent the product or service, even if it's just background music). Whilst I think the current system of licensing music is crazy, that's just how it works for the time being.</p>

<p>Occasionally artists are willing to 'look the other way' if you agree a licence arrangement after the finished work using their copyrighted music is released -- this may not even be a cash payment, it may just be promotion with the band, song name and iTunes link at the bottom of the screen. However, arranging a license 'after the fact' still compromises you from a legal perspective, and you could be forced to stop using that music in your own work (and, worst case, be taken to court for copyright infringement) if the artist or label doesn't like it.</p>

<p>I concur with the other answerer's suggestion to seek Creative Commons licensed music; Jamendo is a good site to start on, and even if the initial license is CC-NC you can communicate with the artist to request a commercial use licence (or to be granted an exemption).</p>

<p>You may also wish to try sites like these to seek appropriate sync licenses for music for a reasonable cost:</p>

<ul>
<li>SongTradr (<a href="https://www.songtradr.com/licensemusic" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.songtradr.com/licensemusic</a>)</li>
<li>Getty Images, formerly iStock Audio (<a href="https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/Music" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/Music</a>)</li>
<li>Shutterstock (<a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/music/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.shutterstock.com/music/</a>)</li>
<li>AudioJungle (<a href="https://audiojungle.net/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://audiojungle.net/</a>)</li>
<li>StockMusic.net (<a href="https://stockmusic.net/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://stockmusic.net/</a>)</li>
<li>Epidemic Sound (<a href="https://www.epidemicsound.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.epidemicsound.com/</a>)</li>
<li>Music Gateway (<a href="https://www.musicgateway.com" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.musicgateway.com</a>)</li>
</ul>

<p>Things are moving to subscription-based for licensees, so you may find over time, if you want to licence a track, contacting a musician direct is a better choice. (Or consider one of the YouTube Library tracks...)</p>

<p>Rob Hardy on FilmmakerFreedom has a good writeup of some other 2019 options: <a href="https://filmmakerfreedom.com/blog/stock-music-showdown-2019" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://filmmakerfreedom.com/blog/stock-music-showdown-2019</a></p>

<p>This older post from NoiseCreators has a list of other outlets and licensing sites, some of which may be defunct but may help on a sync quest. <a href="http://noisecreators.com/2016/06/21/a-list-of-40-sites-that-will-help-you-license-your-music/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://noisecreators.com/2016/06/21/a-list-of-40-sites-that-will-help-you-license-your-music/</a></p>

<p>Also have a read around and decide who you may wish to deal with from an ethical or business stance.
<a href="https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2019/03/21/songtradr-12-million-funding/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2019/03/21/songtradr-12-million-funding/</a>
<a href="https://www.gearslutz.com/board/music-for-picture/1194031-quot-music-wanted-quot-libraries-like-songtradr-taxi-etc.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.gearslutz.com/board/music-for-picture/1194031-quot-music-wanted-quot-libraries-like-songtradr-taxi-etc.html</a></p>

<p>(I initially recommended YouLicense.com but they closed down mid-2018.) </p>

<p>Sync is big money. As the rise of digital msuic and streaming has increased, so has global sync revenue. I'd suggest you read <a href="https://www.synchtank.com/blog/sync-licensing-in-2017-a-look-at-the-trends-and-figures/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.synchtank.com/blog/sync-licensing-in-2017-a-look-at-the-trends-and-figures/</a> and <a href="https://musicindustryblog.wordpress.com/2019/05/03/music-sync-a-market-ripe-for-change/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://musicindustryblog.wordpress.com/2019/05/03/music-sync-a-market-ripe-for-change/</a> if you're unfamiliar with the market.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-18T10:32:10.937Z
The link "YouLicense.com" redirects to an irrelevant site.
mooie
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-18T11:38:17.623Z
Thanks, seems they closed mid 2018. Will edit my response.
Chris Woods
CC BY-SA 4.0
2011-09-06T18:41:53.350Z
2019-06-18T11:54:44.133Z
2019-06-18T11:54:44.133Z
Chris Woods
<p>I'm shooting a 1 min. promo video for an iPhone app startup. Can I use unlicensed music as long as I mention the artists on the closing credits? Are there any other resources available to help understand how copyright applies here?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-04-25T13:55:34.223Z
I altered the title for this since the advice applies equally for both commercial and non-commercial.  Most copyright law doesn't differentiate between the two, only certain license agreements differentiate.
AJ Henderson
<copyright>
Can I use unlicensed music as soundtrack for a video?
João
# Can I use unlicensed music as soundtrack for a video?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2011-08-31)

I'm shooting a 1 min. promo video for an iPhone app startup. Can I use unlicensed music as long as I mention the artists on the closing credits? Are there any other resources available to help understand how copyright applies here?

**Tags:** copyright

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I altered the title for this since the advice applies equally for both commercial and non-commercial.  Most copyright law doesn't differentiate between the two, only certain license agreements differentiate.  

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2011-09-06. Score: 12 | Accepted answer

The short answer? **No**.

The long answer: No, copyright law requires you to have an appropriate licence from the copyright holders (usually the record label - not the artist - if they're in a record deal!)

There are three distinct rights for every piece of music:

* Phonogram copyright (the sound recording) (symbol: ℗, "P" in a circle)
* Composition, score, artwork, cover design, lyrics, which can all be included in one overarching copyright registration per musical work (symbol: ©, "C" in a circle)
* The Publishing right, considered separately by some

Each of these rights may be 'assigned' to a third party (e.g., a publisher or a record label) and this is what usually what happens when a track is released by a label. However you may be able to 'encourage' the artist to grant a licence for the music's use if the project is cool or they like it. Ultimately the person who has control of the sound recording copyright is the person to request a licence from.

You are in breach of copyright law if you use a copyrighted piece of music without a licence - moreso if you exploit that copyrighted composition for commercial gain (use it to represent the product or service, even if it's just background music). Whilst I think the current system of licensing music is crazy, that's just how it works for the time being.

Occasionally artists are willing to 'look the other way' if you agree a licence arrangement after the finished work using their copyrighted music is released -- this may not even be a cash payment, it may just be promotion with the band, song name and iTunes link at the bottom of the screen. However, arranging a license 'after the fact' still compromises you from a legal perspective, and you could be forced to stop using that music in your own work (and, worst case, be taken to court for copyright infringement) if the artist or label doesn't like it.

I concur with the other answerer's suggestion to seek Creative Commons licensed music; Jamendo is a good site to start on, and even if the initial license is CC-NC you can communicate with the artist to request a commercial use licence (or to be granted an exemption).

You may also wish to try sites like these to seek appropriate sync licenses for music for a reasonable cost:

* SongTradr (<https://www.songtradr.com/licensemusic>)
* Getty Images, formerly iStock Audio (<https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/Music>)
* Shutterstock (<https://www.shutterstock.com/music/>)
* AudioJungle (<https://audiojungle.net/>)
* StockMusic.net (<https://stockmusic.net/>)
* Epidemic Sound (<https://www.epidemicsound.com/>)
* Music Gateway (<https://www.musicgateway.com>)

Things are moving to subscription-based for licensees, so you may find over time, if you want to licence a track, contacting a musician direct is a better choice. (Or consider one of the YouTube Library tracks...)

Rob Hardy on FilmmakerFreedom has a good writeup of some other 2019 options: <https://filmmakerfreedom.com/blog/stock-music-showdown-2019>

This older post from NoiseCreators has a list of other outlets and licensing sites, some of which may be defunct but may help on a sync quest. <http://noisecreators.com/2016/06/21/a-list-of-40-sites-that-will-help-you-license-your-music/>

Also have a read around and decide who you may wish to deal with from an ethical or business stance.
<https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2019/03/21/songtradr-12-million-funding/>
<https://www.gearslutz.com/board/music-for-picture/1194031-quot-music-wanted-quot-libraries-like-songtradr-taxi-etc.html>

(I initially recommended YouLicense.com but they closed down mid-2018.)

Sync is big money. As the rise of digital msuic and streaming has increased, so has global sync revenue. I'd suggest you read <https://www.synchtank.com/blog/sync-licensing-in-2017-a-look-at-the-trends-and-figures/> and <https://musicindustryblog.wordpress.com/2019/05/03/music-sync-a-market-ripe-for-change/> if you're unfamiliar with the market.

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: The link "YouLicense.com" redirects to an irrelevant site.  
> **username_4**: Thanks, seems they closed mid 2018. Will edit my response.  

---

### Answer by username_2 on 2011-09-01. Score: 4

You'd be best off doing a search for CC-licensed music first. You may find something that works for you that already allows commercial use; even if you find a particular track that's "no commercial use" that would work, you can always write and ask permission - which you're much more likely to get directly from the artist.


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2014-03-27. Score: 1

Advice on IP issues is worth what you pay for it. Here, it's free and worth every cent. (-:

In general, you can't use copyrighted material without the permission of the holder. Since this is for a business, you'll likely have to pay something, maybe not a lot, for the use. Only the rights holder can say for sure, but to be legal you must ask, and probably pay.

On the other hand, if this is for purely internal use and will never be seen outside the walls of your company, some people would play the odds. I don't recommend it, but it's certainly been done before.

This is not legal advice, just two people chatting.

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: Whilst it's all free advice, some of it may just be from people who work in the field... ;-) Good point on chancing your arm if it's 100% internal - as long as OP isn't a doofus and uploads to YouTube, that should be 'get-awayable-with'.  

---

