Music clearance is a complex, multi-faceted process by which permissions are requested and, if negotiations go well, obtained from the creators and owners of music for use of their copyright protected property as paired with audiovisual content.  Whether it’s a scene from a film, the theme to a TV show, an advertising campaign, or an online video of your favorite band’s most recent concert, if music is used, someone created and owns the copyright to that music, and unless it is determined by an expert that the copyrights involved fall into the public domain, or the music was written specifically for the project in question (see our Agreements page), permission must be granted in order for that audiovisual pairing to occur.

 

At Music Business Affairs, we have the knowledge and the relationships necessary to simplify and manage this process on behalf of our clients. As part of this service, we will:

 

• Work with you to determine the rights and clearances needed for your project, providing cost estimates in order to assure your music budget aligns with your needs

• Develop a strategy for how best to approach clearance negotiations for your project

• Research copyright ownership and control for all desired music uses

• Send copyright owners clearance requests specifically tailored to highlight your project and its music needs.

• Negotiate with copyright owners in an effort to reach a favorable, realistic outcome for licensing music for your project.

 

If the music clearance process is successful, and you determine you would like to move forward with the music uses negotiated and enter into formal license agreements with the copyright owners, our Licensing and Administration services come into play.