Friday, November 13, 2009

What Does Royalty Free Mean And How Is This Music Used?

By Trevor Johnson

If you have found royalty-free productions that you would like to use for your own projects, then you have probably asked, "What does royalty free mean?"

Generally, when acquiring royalty-free products you will get a high quality version of the product for a specific price. At times, you can get royalty-free music for free, but there can still be conditions that apply to its use. No matter what the situation is, the person or company that distributes the royalty-free music retains the rights.

What you're paying for is an allowance to use the tune in any way you feel fit while still following the terms and conditions that apply to the product you obtain. Usually the licence doesn't allow you to sell the music on without adding something to it, so you can use it as a background for your voice but not as an unedited tune but check the licence before you buy for the precise conditions.

Royalty-free music differs from public domain products, because there are terms of use that apply to the distribution of the music. Public domain products are free to use by anyone and have no legal or rightful owners who can restrict the use of the product.

Public domain music is free to use as long as they were not altered in any way by somebody else who claims rights to the alterations. Royalty-free items have a copyright owner and these owners generally apply terms of usage to their products that must be followed by anybody who wishes to use what they distribute. There is often a rule that you cannot make money by redistributing what you get. There are many other rules, but this is based largely on individual music and the terms of service that apply.

Even though there are restrictions on royalty-free songs, you can usually use them as many times as you want for different purposes as long as you still work within the guidelines of the restrictions. If you read the licensing agreement of the music, you will know what limitations you have as well as the freedoms that are available to you.

Many people use royalty-free music in place of licensed products because it can be cheaper to pay for access to the item once rather than paying for every time the product is used. Licensed agreements charge for every use, while royalty-free products are generally one-time fees that give unlimited use capabilities to the purchaser.

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