ABSTRACT

This chapter addresses key considerations that pertain to the use of existing music in a project, be it instrumental music or songs. A music supervisor can oversee all the licensing needs, within established parameters. Licensing a song by a relatively unknown artist released on a small label will be cheaper than licensing a big hit. Licensing fees change, so to get an up-to-date overview of going rates it is best to liaise with experienced producers and/or a music supervisor working in the field. Even if a composer is dead or a band has split up, their music remains covered by copyright for a set duration. Different rules apply in different geographic territories regarding the duration of a copyright, commonly determined by the lifespan of the author and the date of publication. Mechanical royalties are handled by different organizations such as the Harry Fox Agency in the US and the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society in the UK.