Are your ears in sync with a good track, and you wonder how to get the rights to use a song? There can be many reasons for using a song. They can vary from commercial use to educational elements! But before you use their songs, you must get a few things straight, such as copyright issues! YouTube’s laws are pretty strict in maintaining the rules and policies to exploit none of their creators. These steps work as a barrier between impersonating someone’s hard work as theirs and creating a stable atmosphere on the net! So, without further delay, let us take a sneak peek into how to get the rights to use a song!
What Is Music Licensing?
Before we tell you how to get the rights to use a song, let us first understand what music licensing is. To avoid any potential legal issues, here are a few types of licenses you must know of.
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Copyright Ownership
To protect the music laws, the first thing is that the song’s singer, the songwriter, and the label will have exclusive rights to the music. The said individuals will have the song’s ownership. The copyright owners can perform, distribute, publicly use, and reproduce the song.
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Master License
This license type can be obtained from the copyright holder or the owner. So, the music label or the singer can grant permission to use a specific recorded song version.
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Sync License
This license allows the YouTuber to use the music in sync with the visual elements in a video.
What are the Ways To Get Permission To Use Copyrighted Music?
Let us go through the steps to get permission for the music:
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Look for the Copyright Owner
The first step is to find the copyright owner. You can contact the music owner or artist of the song that you want to use in the video. So, contact the musicians and the singers directly. Another way is to get in touch with music licensing companies.
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Agreement Discussions
Once you have contacted the person concerned about the audio track, the next step is negotiating the contract terms for the song’s use. For non-copyright permission of the song, the agreement should include the following:
- Title of the song
- Use of the song on TV or YouTube
- The song’s duration or which part of the song precisely
- Particulars about your YouTube channel and information about yourself
- Purpose of the license (commercial or nonprofit)
- Number of views expected
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Written Agreement
Once the terms of the agreement are finalized, please ensure that you obtain a written agreement to use the rights of the song. A written binding agreement will help you avoid any potential disputes or confusion in the future. You can obtain the deal via email.
What Does it Cost to Get Permission to Use a Song?
Before discussing the cost, let’s get you straight with the meaning of licensing. The term is nothing but an amount you will pay the original creator for using their content. You can actually get the license for $50-$150!
The music licensing costs vary depending on the artist and music recording companies. Some agreements include a part of YouTube revenue sharing from the video, whereas some agreements will have solo forms of permission payments.
Ways to Check if the Music Track is Copyrighted
There is a difference between copyrighted music and royalty-free music. Royalty-free music will always be marked as safe to use without infringement issues. It will be mentioned. There are several ways to check if the music is copyrighted or not.
- Video Description: The first thing to check is the video’s description. The details of the copyright will be mentioned during the download. This will help you identify if the music is free to use or not.
- Upload as Private or Unlisted Video: If you are unsure, first upload the video as a private or an unlisted video. The content ID claim will let you know if there are any restrictions. You will receive a notification or an alert if the music is copyrighted.
What Actions are taken When you Upload Copyrighted Music on YouTube?
YouTube has its own way of detecting and managing copyrighted content. There are two ways to detect:
- Content ID: The YT system will scan and match the uploaded videos against the copyrighted content database.
- Manual Claims: The second method is when someone manually reports unauthorized use.
When content is used without permission, YouTube has the following rights.
- The copyright owner can take all the revenue generated from the ads.
- YouTube can request that you take down the video in question.
- The copyright owner can block or restrict the video in some regions.
- Repeated violations and three copyright strikes can lead to channel termination.
What happens when AI-generated music is uploaded to YouTube?
To stay compliant, YouTube’s latest policies on AI-generated content must always be reviewed before uploading. While YouTube supports AI-generated tools and content, creators must clearly disclose when their content is AI-generated, especially if it looks realistic. This includes background music, voice cloning, or any AI-enhanced elements.
If not correctly disclosed, YouTube may label the video as “synthetic or altered content.” This won’t affect monetization, but repeated violations can lead to content removal or account suspension. Transparency is key to avoiding issues!
But there are ways to learn how most YouTubers use copyrighted music! Something called YouTube music royalty does the licensing work for you. All they do is get in touch with your artist, buy the music, and hand it to you at a comparatively lower price! Sweet, isn’t it.
Conclusion
With all the information you have provided at your convenience, we hope the process of getting the right to use a song is clear! For more information on copyrights, check about YouTube Royalty Music too!
Frequently asked questions
Q1. How do I get the rights to use a song in a video?
You can contact the owner directly to get their permission. Other than that, you can try contacting the companies that provide licensed music at an affordable price.
Q2. Do you need permission to use a song?
Yes! It is also advisable that you take due permission of the artist before you use their song. This rule is not applicable if you are just using the 10 seconds of the video
Q3. Can you go to jail for copyright on YouTube?
You won’t go to jail, but you can get strike on your channel. When you exceed more than 3 strikes, your channel is taken down.
Q4. How Much Of A Song Can You Use Without Copyright?
Well, this may get a little tricky. We hope that you have heard about the fair use policy. This means you can use the first 30 seconds of copyrighted music without any issues!
Q5. How To Buy Music Rights For YouTube?
You can actually make the above-stated statement in a pretty sorted manner. All you need to do is follow our lead as we guide you to the perfect solution!
Figure out whether the song is copyrighted or can be used for free.
A famous song can be copyrighted, but there are some exceptions. Take a look!
- You can use the music 70 years after the author’s death
- 120 years after the creation of the masterpiece
- 95 years after the publication
- Contact the owner and discuss the intention of using the content one-on-one.
- Negotiate to the limit where the owner won’t suffer any losses.
- Sign the documents.
Q6. Can You Use Copyrighted Music On YouTube If You Don’t Monetize?
The monetization does not matter. The only thing that holds importance is that you have permission from the author to use content.
