If you want to stay inside the law, then you can’t slap any old music in your podcast without obtaining permission from the artist or paying some form of royalty to the artist, so what sources of music can be played in podcasts?
Andrew Johnstone of Podcast Squared podcast sent me an email asking about the best sources of podsafe music. I thought I’d share my response with all of you.
Before I do, there is sometimes confusion around the terms ‘royalty-free’ and ‘podsafe.’ Sometimes these words are used interchangeably and yet their meaning is quite different, so let’s spend a bit of time clarifying what these terms mean.
Royalty-free music is music for which there is no royalty payable under the terms of the license condition. You will normally buy this type of music from a royalty-free music source like istockphoto.com (don’t let the name confuse you), or Beatsuite.com. After the initial payment, as long as you are using the music within the license conditions, there is no extra payment made to the artist or the music vendor for the use of that music.
Podsafe music is often free music that has been ‘pre-cleared’ for podcast use. What does this mean? It simply means that the artist has already given permission for this music to be played in podcasts – and nearly always free of charge to you, but sometimes with conditions in the license.
There are two main sources of podsafe music on the net: Ioda Promnet (iodapromonet.com) and Music Alley (musicalley.com). With both podsafe music suppliers you register your podcast, and then select music to download.
The two podsafe music sites have different licensing requirements. For example, music alley requires reporting and for you to mention that the music came from them. Ioda Promonet only permits use on audio podcasts, and requires you to blog your use of the music using specific HTML code they supply.
Both sites are worth checking out, and it’s important to closely read the terms and conditions and licensing requirements to make sure you stay inside the rules.
If you want a podcast that can help you quickly choose Podsafe music from both Music Alley and Ioda Promonet, take a listen to my show Podsafe Picks on the Lifestyle PodNetwork.
And don’t forget to check-out Andrew’s podcast, called Podcast Squared for some great podcast reviews.
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