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Keith Kyker and Christopher Curchy
Music for Video Production
“Can I use that song from the radio in my video production?”
That question is asked at just about every workshop that we conduct, and every conference that we attend. Media educators are always interested in learning about the legal use of music in their school video productions.
Usually that request for information, verification, or validation represents a true desire to comply with the law. Most of us know that we can’t audio dub our entire video yearbook with Kenny G’s Greatest Hits, but we stop short of a thorough understanding of music and copyright law.
And that’s understandable. Several interpretations have trickled down the information pipeline over the past few years. Very few souls are brave enough to put their interpretations in writing. In fact, our friend and fellow Florida Media Quarterly columnist Gary Becker has taken his fair share of criticism for his interpretations, which some see as overly strict. But can you name another media professional who knows as much as he does, and isn’t afraid to talk and write about it? We surely don’t!
If you have your heart set on dubbing The Beatles’ “Yesterday” onto your graduation video, you’ll either pay a small fortune for the rights, or spend the next few years worrying about it. Sure, the song would sound cool, but is it worth risking your job? Of course not!
This Video Viewfinder column isn’t about Kenny G or Gary B or a million-dollar lawsuit (oops!) Your favorite Video Guys wouldn’t start this conversation without providing a reasonable solution. Professionally produced production music is your best alternative. It’s not Kenny G or Paul McCartney, but it’s not the unemployment line either.
What is Production Music?
Production music is professional sounding music designed for use in audio and video production. Dozens of companies are in this business. Writers and musicians compose and record a wide-variety of production music, and sell it to schools, corporations, advertising agencies, TV stations – anyone who has a use for good music, but can’t afford to pay astronomical royalty fees. Almost all television stations own a nice library of this music and use it regularly. If your school hasn’t joined this trend, it’s time you look into it.
When you buy a CD of production music, you are also buying the rights to use that music in your video productions. In most cases you can use the music as a soundtrack and duplicate, perform (show it to an audience), broadcast, and even sell the video program. You are paying the royalties once and for all for every song on the CD for use in a single location – your school! That’s why production music is frequently called “Buy-Out Music.” (For this article, we’re going to use the term “production music” and trust you to remember the “buy-out” part.)
One of the few things you can’t do is make copies of the CD and sell it or give it away! That wouldn’t be quite fair, would it?
So what’s the catch? (There’s always a catch isn’t there?) The catch is the price. You can expect to pay from $50 to $75 for a compact disc full of production music. That may seem expensive, but remember what you’re buying. Usually, you’re buying the right to use that music in your video productions without having to obtain any additional permissions or paying any additional royalties.
Buying Production Music
As you’ve probably figured, production music isn’t available through traditional music or discount stores. The Internet is a great place to shop for production music. In fact, our web site SCHOOLTV.COM (http://www.schooltv.com) has special deals created just for school media specialists. You can download song samples at most production music company web-sites. This is a great tool for helping you select production music that meets your needs. You can also find a list of production music companies in this article’s side-bar.
Another way to “try before you buy” is to request a sample compact disc. Most production music companies will be happy to send you their latest demo disc featuring music from several of their collections. Just call the toll-free number, or fill out the request on-line, and you’ll have a demo disc (or two, or three) in your mailbox.
As you begin listening to production music, you will probably be surprised by the quality of the music that you hear, and the diversity that it represents. Most companies use “live” instruments (guitars, drums, horns) and others use only synthesizers. Some music could easily fit in a rock radio station format, while other tunes are strictly for the elevator or the dentist’s office. That’s the advantage of the demo discs. You can buy what you like and need.
You will also notice differences in the way that songs and collections are presented. Some production music companies will present a wide-variety of music on a single CD. One of our favorite companies, The Music Bakery, does this. On a single CD, you might find jazz, rock, and internationally-flavored music, as well as music that would sound great with a sports highlight segment or a corporate motivational video. With so many styles on a single CD, a school could quickly build a library with a wide variety of music.
Other production music companies will put only one type of music on a CD. For example, you might buy a production music CD titled “Sports Music” or “International Themes.” Depending on your need for music, this could also be a good purchase.
Many companies also offer each song in several different lengths. There will be a full-length version that’s about four or five minutes long, designed for orientation tapes and documentaries. The same song will appear on the CD in a one-minute version, a 30-second version (for commercials), and even a 10-second version (quick intros and exits.) So, there might be 10 different tunes on your production music CD, and each tune has four versions, resulting in 40 tracks on the CD. Realize that not all companies provide these different lengths, so ask before you buy.
Here are some tips for buying and using production music.
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Plan to buy one or two volumes of production music each year. This will allow you to build a library at a reasonable pace without breaking your budget. Shop around, and buy what you like.
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Beware of needle-drop fees. Back in the “old days” (the 1970’s and 80’s) some production music companies would send you a dozen volumes of production music and charge you each time you used a song! You would have to report each usage, and the company would send you a bill. As you can imagine, this process was burdensome and expensive. You’re looking for “buy-out,” not “needle-drop” agreements.
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Know exactly what you’re buying. If you have any questions about your rights to use the music, ask before you buy. Don’t assume anything.
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Keep your production music CDs in a safe place. They represent a substantial investment.
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Maintain a file folder of your production music invoices and purchase orders. In most cases, this is your proof of copyright. Video contests might also request a copy with your entry.
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Let your students become familiar with the music. If you teach a video production class, play the music while students are writing scripts or drawing storyboards. When they hear a song they would like to use, tell them the CD name and the track number.
Advantages to Using Production Music
Aside from the obvious copyright compliance factor, there are several reasons to use production music.
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Production music allows your viewers to focus on the video, and not be distracted by the audio. Your audience might perk-up when they hear a Top 10 song, but it generally detracts from your video message. Using production music makes you a video producer. Using the Top 10 song makes you a jukebox.
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Many “popular” songs carry emotional baggage that detracts from a video. Using a popular song in a school orientation video will make one audience member think of her summer vacation, and another think of his lost love. At that point, no one is thinking about “Welcome to our school….”
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Production music sits in the background. It is designed for use with narration, and usually doesn’t intrude on the message of your video.
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Using production music creates a professional atmosphere in your production studio. The audio technician doesn’t have to deal with “special requests” from his friends. And production music is never profane, suggestive, or violent.
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Production music allows for theme building. Recent regular features on our school news show included “Reading Has Its Rewards,” “African-Americans of Achievement,” and “Athlete of the Week.” The student audio technician plays the “theme song” each time that segment is featured. The audience hears the music, and knows what to expect.
As you can tell, using production music adds a real professional touch to your school video productions. Why not hop on the web, make a few phone calls, and learn about this important resource?
And let’s face it – you could use the peace of mind, and the extra sleep!
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