Using music in videos
Using music in videos is tricky because without the rights to a song, you’re breaking the law. Plain and simple. Many small businesses, retailers and Realtors are producing web video to keep up with the demand, but many are pulling songs from across the web, using them, and making themselves vulnerable. In fact, it is a hobby of some to report their competitors’ illegal use of songs in web videos.
Many don’t know where to go to get properly licensed music or where the music comes from that is used legally and there are some fantastic options on the market from artists looking for exposure. We introduced you to Audiosocket last year which is where many companies like Vimeo get their audio library from, and the funded company is seeking to disrupt the audio space.
Meanwhile, an even less structured option is available through SoundCloud which is a web community based on people sharing sounds of all sort – voices, sound effects, or original music. What is amazing about SoundCloud is that there is a hidden yet vast Creative Commons collection of sounds that are free and legal to use in your videos so long as you don’t sell the songs as your original works and you give attribution when requested (many don’t require it).
As a fan of the Dubstep music genre, I personally use SoundCloud as a place to discover new sounds and undiscovered artists in an effort to hear something new, but it is for so much more than loud music – it can provide massive cost savings by not having to pay for the rights to use a Madonna song in your company’s video, but also save you money by not getting sued by Madonna and her labels because you did not know any better.
We’ve pressed upon this for a long time, but we must mention again – be smart, use legal audio in your videos.
