If you wish to use music from other people in your vlogs, you could be unlucky to have your vlog pulled down or suffer a legal bust. But this does not mean that one cannot legally use music; there are ways to legally use music such as selecting no copyright music. Here are 5 guidelines that will assist you in legally incorporating music to your vlogs:
1. Research Public Domain Music
These are the songs that can be used without violating copyright laws, which means that you will not need to seek permission from the owner or even pay royalties for using these songs. This means that although you are using a piano, guitar, strings, or flute, classical jazz, folk, or purely classical pieces may be in the public domain. It is recommended that one should make sure he or she uses a particular song after conducting a legal search over the copyright of that particular song.
2. Explore Creative Commons Music
Most singers produce songs under Creative Commons licenses which in turn permits use of the material under specified conditions. While it is advisable to give acknowledgment to musicians whose works are CC licensed, the materials are free to be used as the individual wants. You can look for the CC music which is perfect for vlogs in the search sites.
3. Commission Original Music
The best option is to hire the musician to record a song that will be used frequently in your vlog. This way, you will be the copyright owner of the song and it will be written especially for you. While it might be slightly more expensive, you would not be facing any copyright infringement problems.
4. Use Copyright-Free Background Music
There are sites that provide vlog-safe music with a clear copyright notice indicating that users are free to use the material. While selection is limited, this music is specifically created for videos, meaning no licensing is needed to use it. For background music, use tunes from websites that do not infringe on copyrights.
5. Use Short Samples (Carefully)
The selected parts of the songs, along with quotations from movies and TV shows, should not cause copyright issues since it is considered ‘fair use’. Minimally, sampled sections should be less than 30 seconds, and you should avoid using hooks or other catchy parts of the song. However, this approach is not free from risk implications, so caution is advised.
Conclusion
While it is relatively easy to get music for videos, but download music for vlog and be copyright safe can be a little challenging to locate but it creates an opportunity to improve your vlog without facing potential legal woes. Research well for your songs, get a licence for your songs, or create your own songs. Here are some precautions that you should take so as to avoid causing any trouble to yourself or to other people through the new music you are going to download and add to your playlist.
