The right music is essential for making a great film, but legal rights to music can be tricky to navigate as a filmmaker. That’s why Universal Production Music’s flexible licensing solutions help streamline the process. Here’s a rundown of how music licensing works in the movie industry.

The basics of licensing music for film

Filmmakers understand how important it is to pay and credit artists for their work. That principle is why, by law, every piece of music used in a film needs to be licensed. At its most basic level, music licensing for films is easy to understand: the people who wrote and recorded a song have the rights to it, and you need their permission before you put it in your film.

If you want to use a song in your film, here’s what you have to do:

1. First, find out who holds the rights. It can often be multiple people or companies.

2. Next, you’ll need to submit a brief on your film and what your budget is for the song. You’ll have to let them know where in your film you’ll be using the song.

3. Negotiate the cost. Industry standards influence the price. For example, songs played during credits can be more than double the price of songs used as background at other points in the movie.

This process requires a lot of steps for each piece of music used in a project, especially a feature-length film. That’s why many creatives choose an easier, more cost-effective route to find the bulk of the music for their soundtrack: music licensing libraries.

Universal Production Music’s library of tracks are pre-cleared for use in media and organized in inspiring, easy-to-navigate playlists. It’s simple to find the sound you’re looking for to complete your next film.

Types of licenses you need

If you’re using a piece of music in your film, you need to make sure you have negotiated the legal rights to use it in full. The following are the four types of rights you need:

1. Synchronization (sync) license: This is the right to synchronize a piece of music with a visual image in a motion picture. This is a custom-negotiated agreement made between the music user and the owner of the copyright to the song’s composition and/or lyrics, which might be the songwriter or the music publisher.

2. Master use license: This covers the specific recording of the song you plan to use in your film. The copyright owner in this case is typically a record label or the artist themselves.

3. Mechanical license: This refers to the rights to reproduce a song onto a physical recording medium. For example, if the music is being reproduced as part of a soundtrack album, then mechanical licenses might be necessary.

4. Performance rights: If your film is going to air on TV or be posted online, you’ll need to make sure you have this type of music license.

What about ‘fair use’ of music in film?

There is a common myth that using 30 seconds or less of copyrighted music qualifies as “fair use” and you do not need to credit the song or have a license. This is false. Even “incidental” or background music must all be licensed when making a film.

Universal Production Music curates tracks with transparent, easy-to-understand licensing. If you have questions about a mechanical music license or any other nuance of film music licensing, we can help simplify the logistics of your process.

Licensing music for film festivals

New filmmakers can be pulled out of obscurity in an instant when their film makes a splash at a film festival. These are the Cinderella stories of the entertainment industry – but you don’t want your big moment to be overshadowed by a music licensing mix-up.

Many young filmmakers have made the mistake of thinking that a film festival isn’t a “real” theatrical debut, so they don’t need a license for the music yet. In fact, this slip-up might get you disqualified from a festival. The only time you don’t need a license to use music is for a video that’s made exclusively for private use, never to be seen by anyone else or uploaded onto the internet.

In short, the general rules described in this blog about licensing apply to film festival screenings.

If you’re new to navigating the legal side of filmmaking, check out the importance of licensing a song and find out more about the process. Universal Production Music’s licensing solutions give you access to a full spectrum of soundtrack music. Discover the perfect song for your next film with a few simple clicks.

Build an incredible film soundtrack with Universal Production Music

You’ll probably need a range of music for your film, whether it’s feature length or a short. From tense thriller background music to reflective mood music for a drama, from a soaring orchestra for a sports movie triumph to feel-good pop and hip hop tracks for a rom-com, find sounds from our library that will be at home in the world of your film, with no headaches about figuring out the rights. Register to find your next sound and expand your creative boundaries on a budget.