Using A Song In A Video

Personally, I would get permission from the original artists in writing.

You can claim that you are using their work as an editorial or expression of another view, which would be, as I understand it from my work as a video photographer, But why? Why risk it? Just drop them a line, explain what you have in mind and ask. I have had someone who was a musician ask if they could use my video as part of their musical expression... which I was all for until I found they wanted me to give them access to the raw video files and they were going to edit it to their music that they were creating.. That was a no-go. Impress on them complete control and collaboration, and do so. It will go a long way.

You have to ask yourself would you like your artwork used without your permission by a stranger?

Thanks!! Jeffery And Timothy!, Martin I am definetly going to ask either way. I was just curious to if I would need to go through a bunch of legal stuff or if they just write it as ok and i can.. Not sure how it all works

I use copyrighted music in my videos all the time. Of course I use Youtube, and ALWAYS credit the artist.

The reason is that the artist is okay with this ? The song is for sale as an MP3. Via Google Play, I Tunes, and Amazon MP3. Go ahead click on the video, go to Youtube and look at the top right hand corner under the video.

This video I shot has been viewed nearly 8 K times. I haven't looked lately but at one time it was second on the first page when one searched Youtube for the song, Nothing But the Taillights.

(I just checked and my video has slipped to position 8 on the first page...I am good with that, and I hope that it has generated some sales for Mr Blacks wonderful song!)

Keep in mind I produced this video three years ago after buying my first dslr. I was only experimenting with the camera, which in now my backup camera. I upgraded a year ago. :-)))

Jacob, so long as you are not making money off it or displaying things that might hurt the band's image, most recording artists are happy to let you use their purchased mp3's for your videos. It's a win-win, really. You get the right song for your video, and they get free advertising. But I would definitely reach out to them first since they are local to you. That way there won't be any surprises down the road (like them having your video taken down), and they may even return the favor and share your video with their fans.

As for promoting my still photography I used music that was in the public domain.

For best results make sure to set the video at 1080p HD and watch it on full screen.

This can happen with your videos in Germany, if you use copyrighted music: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blocking_of_YouTube_videos_in_Germany

On youtube it is hit or miss whether they will let you or not. So many do, but if I put my own music up, they flag me.

Yes, Phillip. I understand. That I the reason I posted the second comment. :-)))

By the way, I would LOVE to see your video. If it has had over 50 K views it is obviously good!

“if I put my own music up, they flag me.”

By “your own music” one may assume that this is music for which you own the copyright. Please elaborate, Dan.

Excellent work, Phillip. Very well done. I liked it on Youtube, and subscribed to your channel.

Thank you for sharing it!

As mentioned by others, when using music from a band you need permission but not from the band; the label that the band plays for is most likely going to be the authority that grants permission to be used in videos. Even then, if the music has been copyrighted and submitted to YouTube, it requires a few extra steps assuming that you don't want to forfeit your monetization dollars.

Public Domain songs are the way to go. I have had the occasion for YouTube to flag one of my videos using a soundbite from the iMovie sound effects. Despite the fact that Apple has given me license to use those sounds to my benefit, there are other people who have taken those soundbites and mixed them into their songs. This creates a confusing situation where a copyrighted song contains things that are not copyrighted at all. On each occasion where I have received notice of the possible licensing conflict, I have submitted a claim with YouTube and sent them a copy of the licensing agreement from Apple. Each time, they have let me know that there is no further questions and all is good to go - status light back to green.

For anyone looking for legal, royalty-free music for your vids, here are some of my favorite sources:

http://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary
http://incompetech.com/music/
http://audionautix.com/
http://www.music4yourvids.co.uk/

Searching YouTube or Google will turn up even more, but this is a good start. They all require a linked credit -- you'll find the details on each site.

I licensed the music for this video. Was only $5 or so and supports the music artist. YouTube now also has the option of adding some RF music to videos after the fact.

Using "add music" via Youtube

Another one using the free "add audio" within YouTube.

Thanks every one! Really helped out a lot, I'll let every one know what happens ;)

I noticed that in the 3 videos where I used pop songs, there are ads to buy the music plus a bar under the videos about hearing more from the artist or where to buy their music. Never got a warning nor had my videos dropped but it is pretty obvious they weren't made for commercial use.