Do you use music in your films? Any filmmaker, from a student to a pro, knows the importance of music in videography. It can create emotion, add to the atmosphere, and pull a film together, creating a piece of art that resonates with the audience.
But how do you find the right tracks? Not all music is available for use, and some could even land you in trouble if you play it in your film.
This is where royalty-free music comes in, and we’ve got everything you need to know.
What Is Royalty-Free Music?
Students usually pick royalty-free music for videos, but what is exactly is it?
To explain properly, you first have to understand commercial music. To play commercial music, you need to have a license provided by performing rights organizations that are agreed with the musician’s team and the local law. In the US, this is usually BMI or ASCAP, two huge performing rights organizations.
This whole process is time-consuming and expensive. You’ll also have to pay a royalty fee each time the music is played publically, which definitely isn’t good when you’re on a student budget!
Royalty-free music simplifies this process and makes sure your bank account isn’t emptied with each play of the track. Whilst you can’t often get free royalty-free music, you only ever have to pay one license fee. You don’t have to talk with the performing rights organizations, you don’t have to pay royalties, and the price stays the same no matter how many people see your film or how long it stays online for.
Once you have the license, you can use that track over and over without paying a cent!
Why Is It Important for Student Filmmakers?
When creating movies, you probably want to share them, right? As soon as you do that, you need a license for the music you’ve used. If you’re not sharing the content then you can use whatever tracks you want, but for student filmmakers that usually isn’t the case.
Even if you currently have no intention of sharing, you could later use the film you’ve made on an online portfolio or use it to build up your presence online. If you realize that you’ve used a track you have to pay royalties for that’ll be more than annoying.
But students often don’t have the same money as professional filmmakers and paying royalties could bleed your bank account dry. You probably won’t be looking to make money on your film right now, but you’ll be paying for every view.
By using royalty-free background music, you don’t have to worry about any of this. All you have to do is pay a small, one-time fee and your free to share your content far and wide! It’s important you have that freedom with your projects, especially when trying to get your name out there.
You can also monetize your videos on platforms like YouTube. If you’re using unlicensed music, you won’t be able to do that. For student filmmakers, this partnership money can be a great source of income that you wouldn’t want to miss out on.
Where to Find Royalty-Free Music for Videos
It can be hard to find a good royalty-free music library. You want to keep your videos professional with well-made music, but how do you find that without looking to commercial tracks?
This is why Comma Music was created. With thousands of quality tracks, you won’t have to worry about sourcing music for your films ever again! There’s a whole library for student filmmakers and Comma often does great discounts, making the tracks you can find even more budget-friendly.
The tracks can be played on content designed for YouTube, Instagram, Twitch and more. You can create high-quality movies without restriction, showing the world what you can do.
How to Pick the Right Tracks
If you’re looking at royalty-free music download libraries, there are usually tons of tracks to choose from. So, how do you find the right one for you? You definitely don’t want to spend hours listening to every piece!
Luckily Comma has plenty of filters you can use to make finding the perfect track a lot easier. The keyword section, for example, can help you find music based on the tone of your film and the emotion you want to create. Or you can search by era, instruments, and length, for example, to narrow down exactly what you want.
By knowing what music will fit your piece and using Comma’s categories, you can find the right track in minutes rather than hours. Getting the music right can make or break a piece of film, so this is an essential tool to have. Once you find the right piece, you can download it and use it however you want and for as long as you need to!
Make Your Films the Way You Want
By finding royalty-free music, you can create the movies you want without anything holding you back. We think it’s important you have complete control to distribute and share the art you make, and Comma’s library of music can help you do just that. Just remember to filter your results using the categories to make finding the music you need easier than ever!
If you have any more questions about Comma Music or royalty-free tracks, check out the FAQ section of our website. If you’re ready to start creating, sign-up to a student account today!