All songs available at mediamusicloops.com are licensed as a Buyout, or Royalty Free Music. This means you pay ONCE for the music, and can use the songs as frequently as you like – forever. There is no simpler way to license music.

Upon receipt of payment for the music, Mediatone Music will grant a non-exclusive lifetime license to synchronize and mechanically transfer the recordings for use in your audio/video/multimedia productions.

All music available at mediamusicloops.com is the property of Mediatone Music, Inc., it's applicable publishing companies and it's writers. All musical material contained in the library is protected under the Copyright laws of the United States. As a licensor of the music, you do not own the music. You own a non-transferable, lifetime license to use the music for your own productions and those of your clients. Music included in the mediamusicloops library cannot be sold, shared, or otherwise transferred (except as embodied in timed relation with audio/video productions for your own company or your clients).

A special mechanical license must be issued for the synchronization of music with any media products that will be mass marketed or duplicated in excess of 10,000 units.

Special prices may apply for theatrical motion picture use. Please contact our sales department for more information.

Each piece of royalty free music in the mediamusicloops catalog can be cleared for broadcast with the applicable Performing Rights Society. If a song is to be used in a broadcast application, a list of the song titles, publishers, composers, and applicable performing rights organization should be filled out on a Cue Sheet. Cue Sheets can then be faxed to Mediatone Music, Inc. at (972) 389-9907 and turned into the broadcaster. The broadcaster is then able to file accurate cue sheets with the appropriate performing rights organization. Please note that Peformance Royalties are collected directly from broadcast stations and are not the responsibility of producers, editors, etc.

The term royalty free music, also known as buyout music or buy-out music, is frequently a source of confusion. Some believe that it means there is no cost associated with the music. Others believe that the music is “copyright free”, or that there is no copyright associated with the music. Each music library license will vary to a certain degree, however, as a general rule royalty free music simply means that you have purchased a “lifetime synchronization license” for a given song or group of songs. In other words, you have the right to synchronize the music with your audio and/or video productions an unlimited number of times without incurring any additional expense.

Other types of production music licenses include “Needle Drop” where the user pays a fee each time they synchronize a piece of music, and “Blanket Licensing” where the user leases a group of music or CDs, and can use the music for a specified set of uses during the term of the lease (typically a one, two, or three year commitment). Each of these licenses are a bit more like renting the music than buying. While you don't actually own the music with a buyout library, you do own a lifetime license to synchronize the music with your productions.

The mediamusicloops license does away with much of the complication of typical music licensing and allows the user to pay a one time licensing fee, and then use it as much as they want. Not only is this a more affordable option, but it is more convenient as well because it eliminates much of the paperwork, calculating of fees, and check writing associated with standard music licensing.

The other big misconception about royalty free music pertains to broadcasting of the music on television, cable, radio, etc. Television broadcasters pay annual royalties to the Performing Rights Societies for the right to broadcast music on their shows. When music is broadcast on television or cable TV, it is tracked by something called a Cue Sheet. This is precisely where the term Royalty Free does NOT apply. Cue sheets determine where the royalties previously paid by the broadcaster get dispersed. There are no costs associated with cue sheets, however most Royalty Free music libraries require that cue sheets be properly filled out when the music is for broadcast use. A cue sheet is merely a paper trail to ensure writers get paid what is due to them out of the money that has been previously paid by the television stations and broadcasting entities.

To summarize, a Royalty Free License means that you do not continually pay a “synchronization royalty” each time you use a given piece of music. You pay only one time. It does NOT mean that a writer is forfeiting the performance royalty, or broadcast royalty, due him when his music is aired. This royalty has already been paid by the broadcaster and should be dispersed appropriately through the filling out and submission of cue sheets

Whether you are dealing with a royalty free music library, a standard license music library, or otherwise, there are several licenses involved with copyrighted material. It is fairly common for different parties own different rights to copyrighted material. Because mediamusicloops.com can offer all of these licenses, we can offer you a simple, one-stop solution. Here is a quick rundown of each type of license:

Synchronization License: The right to use music in timed relation with other visual or audio elements in a film, video, television show, commercial or other audio/visual production. This license is necessary to legally synchronize a song in your work. This license is included in your licensing fee at www.mediamusicloops.com.

Master Use License: This is the right to use a given recording (or master recording) of the composition. This license is also necessary to legally synchronize a song in your work. This license is included in your licensing fee at www.mediamusicloops.com.

Mechanical Rights: With regards to production music, this is a license granting the right to manufacture multiple units of a product containing copyrighted material. (i.e. DVDs, Software, CD-Roms, etc.) Mechanical Rights can be obtained by calling our sales office. Here are the rates for mechanical rights:

Performance Rights: Public Performance Right is the exclusive right given to the creator of a musical work by the U.S. Copyright Law. Each time a song is performed (played) on a broadcast, it is considered a public performance. This right is typically licensed by performing rights organizations such as ASCAP, BMI, etc. Click here for more information on Performing Rights.

Performing Rights Organizations (or PRO) such as ASCAP and BMI collect performing rights royalties from broadcasters on behalf of its members (both writers and publishers). The PRO then distributes these royalties to it's members according to a number of variables including the length of the cut used, where it was used, when it was broadcast, etc.

The performances licensed by PROs include network television, cable tv, radio programming, for-pay movie channels, use in nightclubs, stores, and restaurants, performances at sporting events, etc.

Performing Rights Organizations track the use of their member's music through Cue Sheets. Cue Sheets are simply a form filled out by a producer and submitted to each PRO who has a member represented on the cue sheet.

The fees paid to the PRO are typically paid by the broadcaster (tv station, cable station) and are not the responsibility of the producer. In rare exceptions (HGTV, ESPN), a broadcaster may opt to not license the music through a PRO and defer that responsibility back to the producer. In these cases, the producer would need to negotiate a performance license directly with the music library. If you are doing work for broadcast, it is wise to make sure the broadcaster you are working with has a license with the proper performing rights organization. Otherwise, you may find yourself with some unexpected expenses, or worse (legal issues) down the road.

Rights such as Synchronization Rights, Master Rights, and Mechanical Rights are handled directly by the production music library.