Royalty-free music for DVD videos ?

[ChrisA]

Google on "Creative Commons" or just go to http://creativecommons.org/ Many people publish their work under the creative commons license which allows others to use the work in thier own provided they do the same. More info at the web site. Lots of stuff there.

You may want to publish your video there too. Let others use your clips for non-comercial work.

The other way to get free music is to make your own. I have zero talent and I've been able to make some music-like sounds using Apple's "Garage Band". It's nothing you'd want to listen to but OK if you need something to go under some other audio tracks. Keep the bubble sound. keep it low. For voice over sound, ask people what they saw or "how hwas it" do short interviews and mostly toss out the video

 

[Scuba Ramon]

Does anyone know of a good website or other source that provides free music that one can legally download or copy, and include in video DVD projects, without committing copyright infringement? (Music is a good alternative to listening to bubbles, or to silence.)

I'm replying to my own original post, now a month later, to emphasize my original concern and to report my findings. Thanks for your help!

First: Copyright applies to almost any work made in the last 3/4 century or more--naturally it's complicated. If you copy something that is still under copyright, and do without the copyright owner's express or implied permission, then it is copyright infringement, with limited exceptions that don't apply to our situation. Significantly, there is no need for you to sell the video DVD in order to infringe. It's the very act of copying that infringes.

So, we look for where to find music with that "express or implied permission". This permission comes in the form of a license. Among the best advice I received in these posts was to look at archive.org (with somewhat slow downloads) and creativecommons.org (which points you to various websites of varying speed downloads; I liked Magnatune and Soundclick). (What you get from a stranger on a peer-to-peer operation on the Internet, uh, may not have a license from the copyright owner--that's why some sites were shut down.)

You have to read each license, whichin the above websites is summarized in non-legalese. Generally, these artists license their work on reasonable conditions:
*non-commercial use;
*you must attribute it (give credit) to the original artist (e.g., by putting credits at the end);
*you must ensure that anyone who receives your DVD understands (or your DVD states) that any re-distribution or re-use is under these same conditions,
*etc.
And it's free or extremely reasonable. Sounds great for my purposes!

Other sites like musicbakery.com have little or no limitation re non-commercial use, but they are in my view and for my purposes not cheap--often twenty+ bucks for a single song, or hundreds of bucks for an album or collection.

Many of these artists are early in their careers and simply want to share their work or hope to be discovered through free distribution. Some are prodigies (and some are awful), but after patient searching you will find excellent tracks to use as "background" for scuba videos without worrying about the Copyright Cops.

Thanks again for your posts!

 

[Sideband]

My work is no where near good enough to package a DVD and sell. I know a few members here are selling their work. I'm sure it's quality footage and editing, but how can it compete with a professionally shot, edited and produced Blue Planet DVD ?

It would be easy if it's footage of a place that is of interest to the target audience. Surely the Blue Planet DVD doesn't cover every dive site in the world. Also, If I'm considering buying I could easily be swayed by actually being in the movie.

 

[ronrosa]

...... Also, If I'm considering buying I could easily be swayed by actually being in the movie.

Must be just me. Whenever I go on a dive vacation, I always offer to send a copy of my video to my fellow boat mates for FREE. I take a week long dive trip twice a year, for the past 4 years. I've been taken up my free video offer from only 3 divers. Go figure.

I got frustrated at not being able to share or show my work to people other than my family so I now put my videos on my website for free downloading and usually post on boards like this when I make a new video.

 

[sharksdelight]

Don't know whether you are on a Mac or PC. If a Mac, then you should have Soundtrack Pro, a great program for you to make your own, thus copyright free music. Another excellent program for either Mac or Pc is the Sonic Fire Pro software for creating music to fit most any theme. Many use the Acid program as well. Music Bakery and Riverside also have a great many copyright free pieces as well.
Steve

 

[Mike Veitch]

Yer killing me ROn!!!! My soul source of income is making videos for people who come to the resort.....

Most "group leaders" who take videos for their groups often take 6 months to a year to deliver the dvd to their fellow travellers. Most people don't mind spending a little extra money to have it pretty much straight away. Not saying you do that but having been in this business for 7 years i have found about 90% do take that long. Rather humourous when the group leader tells the videographer on a liveaboard not to bother taking video, and of course we did anyway, and then everyone buys it and tells you they won't see his for 10 months..

i also use Music Bakery as someone earlier mentioned, the other one i use is Unique Tracks. Just google on Royalty Free Music and you can find many sites that way. Most have snippets you can sample on site and download or order a cd

 

[ronrosa]

Hey Mike. Videographer's don't have to worry about me. I am very conscious not to step on any toes. In the past, my offer of a free video was always done at the end of the trip after people have already decided whether or not to buy the resort video. Now a days I don't even mention it since so few have taken me up on my offer.

I guess having videos on my website for free downloading may potentially affect a resort video sale, but most paying customers will want to see themselves more than what my low resolution internet videos show.

 

[Barracuda2]

Let me give you the real picture (not legal, but real) of using "others" music as background to videos. I have produced some speciality videos that went national and even international in special arenas; ie. specialized safety videos for corporations; company enhancement videos for nationwide companies. (all of which you have never heard--they're big co., not "famous" co.) When I produce this type of video, it's orginal or copyright free music, or "with permission" all the way. Why? Because in this arena we have companies with tantalizing assets--$$$. And if caught using music that is not original, or copyright free or without the permission of the artists, the legal sharks will swoop in and sue everybody connected with the production: me, my associates, the company-client, and any other sub-contractors connected to the production because that action will produce some big bucks for the plaintiff. On the other hand, I have produced many videos for consumers and for "local-use-only" viewing. I did a "spoof" video for the local Rotary for their big annual meeting and used many forms of copyright music for the production. It was shown at the meeting, on local cable, and I sold copies to people who wanted one. Legal? No! Am I worried about getting caught and sued? No. Why not? First, the chances of being "caught" are pretty slim. I had a lawyer who specializes in this type of action tell me that I have a better chance of being bit by a shark than being caught using music for productions that will never see my county line. Second, I'm a very small fish to come after. I don't have the resources or assets that attract attention. I am not Disney or Ken Burns or National Geographic, or even a big production house that you might find in a small city. These are the people that cannot infringe on the copyright laws because it would cost them dearly. It would cost the plaintiff much more to come after a little fish like me and sue me for the little I have. It wouldn't even be worth it to "punish" me for using his work. I have done dive videos and made money from them and used copyright music to back them, but these videos will never be in the eyes of the national or international viewing public or in Discovery stores, etc. I have made hundreds of memory productions for private consumers using photos, 8mm film, slides, home videos, and backed them with copyright music. Legal? absolutly not! Am I worried? No. On the other hand, when I create a production for general consumer sale, and it is meant to go state or nation wide, the music will be original, copyright free, or have the permission of the artists or publisher. My $.02

 

[meekal]

schweet.... very interesting.....

 

[stretchweider]

im with barracuda on that,
worked as resort videographer for last 4 years,freelance and with video businesses,
sold lots of dvd's using copyright music and never had any comebacks,know a lot resort videographers and skydive videographers who also use copyright music and never heard of any one getting their wrist slapped,so far!