Production Music

Why choose a royalty free production music library?

Music is an essential element of any multimedia project, and the right piece of music can really lift a production to the next level. However, licensing music can be expensive, and it can be tricky to ensure that you have the appropriate rights. Production music offers a great alternative, and it comes with a number benefits, in particular, cost and convenience. If you’re not yet convinced then read on to discover why using a royalty free production music library could be the best thing for your next creative endeavour.

What exactly is production music?

This term refers to music that is composed, recorded and produced specifically for use in films, videos, television, gaming, radio, advertising and other forms of media. It is also commonly called library music, stock music or catalogue music, and the process of obtaining the rights to use such music is technically known as music licensing, music synchronisation or sync licensing.

Unlike songs written by bands (which usually have several different writers, contributors and performers) or tracks collated by a music publisher (that will likely have multiple rights holders), music in stock and production libraries normally only has one copyright holder, and this makes the process of clearing it for use in a project much cheaper and more straightforward.

The songs and instrumentals in this royalty free music library are also available with really quick and simple licensing options that allow music to be used over and over again without incurring additional costs. That’s because the music is offered on a royalty free basis, so although it’s still subject to copyright, once licensed from Scambler Music you can continue to use the track without the worry of having to pay ongoing royalties (usage based charges).

Why use royalty free stock music?

There are a number of reasons why you might choose to use royalty free music in your next project. Firstly, it’s a lot cheaper than licensing music where royalties are due, as would be the case if music was licensed with PRS/MCPS [PDF ↗].

Secondly, it’s much simpler to clear the rights when using a royalty free stock music library – with Scambler Music you simply select the track or album, choose the relevant license – Standard for non commercial use or Premium for commercial use – then check out.

Lastly, once licensed you can use the same song or instrumental repeatedly without having to go through the hassle (and expense) of re-licensing it for each new project. The only exception to this rule is that you can’t license a track for non-commercial use then later place it in a commercial production, so make sure to pick the correct license when checking out.

How can I use library music or stock music?

Library music, stock music, royalty free music – call it what you will – can be used in a wide variety of productions, from promotional videos and presentations to TV shows, movies and games. As long as you select the correct license you can use the music in any media production. Their are some very clear examples of acceptable use shown below, and the simple rule is that if your project has been created to generate income, or promote a product that will generate income, then you need a Premium Licence to cover commercial use. If, however, you’re not sure which license you need please don’t hesitate to ask.

Can use royalty free music for any purpose?

Just because a piece of music is royalty free and has been licensed from a royalty free music library doesn’t mean that you can do whatever you like with it – the music is licensed, not sold, and it remains copyrighted. In short, you can’t:

• Claim licensed music as your own or transfer the license to another party.
• Sell, relicense, transfer, distribute, share or otherwise give away licensed music.
• Register music with YouTube CID/UGC or the Facebook Rights Manager Service.
• Register or stream licensed music on any music streaming platform.
• Sample, remix or otherwise reproduce licensed music.
• Rerelease, redistribute or otherwise republish licensed music.
• Use in Twitch streams; search “Scambler” on Pretzel to use DMCA safe music on Twitch.

Library music is made available to allow users to license it and place it within a creative project, such as a film, TV show, video game, radio trailer or even a Tiktok or Coub video. If you’re not using the music within a project and instead it’s being remixed, traded, freely shared or sold, then you’re breaking the law regardless of where the music was licensed.

Choosing the right royalty free production music library

When it comes to sourcing a genuinely independent royalty free production music library, quality and originality are important. There are lots of sites that offer cheap or even free tracks, but the audio quality can be poor, the music is often short, tracks are uninspiring or lack lyrics, the range of genres may be limited and there’s no way to obtain stems (handy files that separate the vocals, drums, bass, keys and guitars). It’s worth spending a bit of money to obtain unique, independent, high-quality tracks that will really lift your production values, and the licensing options on Scambler Music allow for individual track licensing, or discounted licensing of entire 10 track genre specific albums.

The bottom line

A royalty free music library, such as Scambler Music, offers a great alternative to traditional music synchronisation. It’s cheaper than licensing music where royalties are due, it’s a much quicker and easier process to obtain a license, and the music can be used over and over without incurring additional costs. If you’re looking for original music for your next project browse the royalty free music library now.