Many individuals have contacted me with queries about what royalty-free music is and how it works over the years, and I’ve responded to each and every one. When I began working with royalty-free music, I confess that I’ve been a little uncertain of myself at times. However, as a result of reading this article, you will understand what royalty-free music is and how to use the music provided on our website.
Royalty-free music is NOT:
FREE – Regardless of the name, royalty-free music does not always mean that it is completely free. What royalty-free means is that you don’t have to pay the song’s author any royalties if you use the music lawfully.
COPYRIGHT-FREE – Many people confuse royalty-free music with fundamentally free music, which has no identifiable originator or copyright holder (music in the “public domain”). To be clear, though, royalty-free music creators retain the rights to their work while licensing it to others for usage. Cindy Locher, Total Mind Body Connection, Inc., owns the rights to all of the music you hear on this site.
That brings us to the core of the issue…
In ther words, what exactly is “royalty free” music?
Royalty-free music is music that you get lawfully (according to the creator’s criteria through a license) and that enables you to use it in your creative ventures without having to pay royalties to the artist who created it. Keep in mind that you cannot claim ownership of the song or reproduce the original material. As a result, it’s most often used in projects that call for original music.
Examples of Projects That Use Royalty-Free Music:
- Music for Movies & Documentaries
- Music for TV Shows
- Music for Commercials
- Music for Radio Advertisements
- Music for Podcasts
- Music for Guided Meditations
- Music for Vlogs
- Music for YouTube Videos
- Music for Presentations
- Music for Background Music
- Music for Video Games
- and much more…
How Does Royalty-Free Music Work?
When it comes to free music downloads, the creator who distributes the track has control in what is and is not allowed per the license. Often music can be purchased for a fee. Sometimes depending on the amount of exposure the song receives, often different rates apply. For example, if your product is to be performed in front of 250,000 people rather than 2,500, you will have to spend more money. Rather than have complicated terms like these, music from our collection may be acquired and used endlessly in commercial and private projects at an affordable price. Purchase once, and use it forever!
Commercial VS Personal
Sometimes royalty-free music is limited to personal projects because the author has chosen to restrict its use to personal projects. The song may be used in a “for pleasure” project, but it may not be used to generate revenue for the creator. If you need to utilize royalty-free music for business purposes, you’ll want to check sure the music you’re buying permits for commercial usage before purchasing it. The music in our music store is approved for you to use in commercial projects; in other words, you can monetize the use of the music bought here.
Distribution
It’s vital to keep in mind that you are not authorized to distribute, share, stream (via Spotify, iTunes, or similar), or sell the royalty-free music you purchase from The Relaxation Works on your own. It can only be distributed in this way by its copyright holder. Yes, of course, you may use and share the downloaded music in your projects. However, you are not allowed to share (sell or give away) the original file. Despite the fact that your plan to acquire every royalty-free music you can find and re-sell it on your own website may seem like a fantastic idea, it is a massive no-no. (If you want to do this, look for PLR sites selling music with “Master Resell Rights”.) The Relaxation Works’ license does NOT give you Master Resell Rights, just to be clear.
In addition, people purchasing music here may not prevent others from using the music in their projects in any manner. That also includes uploading your production to a provider that will file copyright claims against anybody else who uses the music in your project (such as ContentID or another content identification service). Remember, the copyright belongs to the composer. You are paying a licensing fee to use this music in your projects without having to pay any further fees. Because you did not create the song, you have no right to claim ownership of it.
Common Myth: Royalty-Free and Creative Commons are the same thing
Creative Commons is a set of license types with different levels of rights and restrictions for the content user. The amount of limitation varies for each of these license types. With the least restrictive type, you can alter and use the content, but you must provide acknowledgment to the original author for each usage (also known as “attribution”).
Depending on the terms of the license, royalty-free material may or may not be similar to Creative Commons. For example, they may state that you may use the material and generate money from it, but you must give them credit. Or, like we do here at The Relaxation Works, they may allow you to use the music without attribution, but they welcome any credit you can give them for their work. Of course, acknowledging the composer or artist may not be practical or even desirable in certain situations. There are several examples of this, such as, “music by so-and-so” in a radio advertising. That said, a thank you at the conclusion of each episode may acknowledge the composer of the music used in the podcast’s beginning. Make sure you choose the royalty-free music with the license that works best for your project!
Then, how can I use the music that I’ve purchased?
Typically, when you purchase royalty-free music, you will be able to download an audio file (MP3, WAV, or other format) that you can use in your project immediately after purchasing it. It’s up to you to use that file to create your project including any necessary editing.
Ready to Get Started?
You arrived at this page thinking, “What is royalty-free music, and how does it work?” I hope your questions have been addressed and you’re ready to get started on your new project with the help of some new music! You are more than welcome to peruse our collection and choose the ideal song for you. You can reach us if you have any more questions about our music collection.
