Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

emutree

macrumors member
Original poster
Sep 4, 2005
85
0
Canada
I'm looking to learn about the approach one has to take to play a song in a podcast. I tried Googling it but couldn't find a definitive answer and was just wondering if there's a guide anywhere on how to license music for use in a podcast? It's indie stuff I'm interested in, so would I have to ask the artist's label directly? Pay the label? Do things change if I'm only using part of the song? Do indie or big labels have any support for this kind of stuff?
Anyways, like I said I've gone to my usual resources (Google and Wikipedia) but I couldn't find anything definite and understandable, and given the number of podcasts I hear chalk full of songs I assumed there had to be some sort of rhyme or reason to how to include it. Any podcasters here who could enlighten me?
Thanks
 
normally for any kind of publishing you're supposed to get the rights from the music's publisher - either direct (if you know who the publisher is - if it says (Control) after the track it means they don't have a publisher and you can try and contact the artist direct to ask permission), or more easily thru a third party that clears music for everyone like APRA here in NZ and Australia, or AMCOS in the US (and maybe Canada..).
Podcasting is a bit of a new one and, here at least, the local record industry has by and large put the clamps on anyone doing anything until they work out how to get their pound of flesh out of it.
The fees for using music are normally set according to likely exposure (like in an ad, based on it being shown for a certain amount of time in a certain territory) - i'm guessing that with podcasts they have no idea as to how many people are going to download it, where, how long for or what they might do with it once they've got it, which is not a situation they like much.
I'm sure most indie bands tho - if you can get hold of them would have no problem with it tho - we have some tracks on anarchytm.com frinstance that you're welcome to use if you like :)
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.