Hip hop and electronic musicians, from Kanye West to The Avalanches and Aphex Twin, have had to obtain this license in order to sample for their interpretive works. The “Needle drop” copyright means you need to pay a fee (royalty) every single time a song is used-hence the archaic phrase of every time “the needle drops” on a vinyl recording.Īnother way of thinking of needle drop licenses is that every time a needle drops (every time it is played anew, either in whole or in part), a new license is required. “Needle Drop” and “Sync” Licensesīefore wading into royalty-free and uncopyrighted music, we have to define a few different types of copyrighted or “rights-managed” music – “needle drop” and “synchronization” licenses. Once that term ends, the song enters the public domain, and it is free for use by anyone and everyone-the song itself and any recordings. For filmmakers, commercial directors and vloggers, this means they must license a song for a fee to either use the original recording or a cover for filmed content.Īlthough copyright law varies from country to country, copyright protection typically lasts for the songwriter’s life plus an additional seventy years.

It also means that a person cannot sample a copyrighted song for their own composition without first getting sample clearance from the song’s publisher and master recording owner.

On a practical level, this means a musician cannot re-record a copyrighted song to avoid a copyright strike. Copyright covers both of these things, and any type of license required will need to be obtained from each copyright holder. When we think about copyrighted music, it’s important to know that it essentially means two things: 1) the piece of music itself (lyrics, chords, and other musical elements) and 2) a song’s master recording. Copyrighted Music and Non-Copyrighted Music

Below, we will get into the intricacies, drawing clear distinctions between copyrighted, royalty-free music and non-copyrighted music. In a few special cases, some musicians have given their musical creation to the masses via Creative Commons or songs from the 20th century, when copyright and music licensing were in their legal infancy, are now part of the public domain. There are a few different legal terms that can cause a good deal of confusion for filmmakers and sample-based musicians alike. If you’ve heard a song, chances are extremely high that someone has rights to it. Vloggers or filmmakers and musicians who use samplers are all intimately aware of copyrighted music.

Music no copyrights