ABSTRACT
In theatres throughout the world musicians would play live music to accompany
the film. As technology evolved various methods were employed to enable
recorded material to be played in sync with motion pictures. However, it was still
necessary to hire musicians to compose and play the musical score which would
then be recorded and integrated into the sound mix of the film. Later, stock
music became available to filmmakers who couldn’t afford the expense of an
orchestra or band of session musicians. Stock music would be purchased on vinyl,
and later CD, and each track would have to be logged and accounted for as the
films were distributed or broadcast on television. Royalties would then be paid to
the composers who created the stock music. In recent years, what has become
known as royalty-free music has become available. Royalty-free music requires a
one-off purchase which would then give the purchaser unrestricted use of the
music. This cut down on the red-tape of the copyright game, enabling filmmakers
to buy a compact disc and use the music in as many productions as one wished.
