Source for Music ?

kimandfil wrote on 9/6/2007, 6:58 AM
Hello -

I'm putting together a little video project for my son's 7th b-day. As an intro segment, I have some pictures of him from earlier years and a set of pictures from the past year. These are all still pictures, so I need some sort of background music to go with these.

Can anyone recommend a good source for background music ? A CD I could purchase ? A web site that offers downloads ? etc ?

Would appreciate your help. Thanks !

Comments

Ivan Lietaert wrote on 9/6/2007, 7:36 AM
I often go to http://www.acidplanet.com, where you can find plenty of downloadable tunes of all sorts.
You may also experiment yourself with Acid Express and some sony loops that can be freely used.
Here is an example of what I made with loops and Acidexpress:

Also, have you heard of the computer game 'The Movies' (from Peter Molyneux, Lionhead). In de game's directory, on my harddisk, I found some very nice tunes to go with homemovies. This is an example:
kimandfil wrote on 9/6/2007, 8:47 AM
Thanks Ivan123, I appreciate your help !
stevec5375 wrote on 9/6/2007, 4:31 PM
http://www.freeplaymusic.com/

Royalty free !!
Eugenia wrote on 9/6/2007, 4:59 PM
http://www.Jamendo.com
Just make sure you don't use Creative Commons (CC) songs licensed under the ND license ("non-derivative"), or the NC ("non-commercial") if you are going to upload to youtube. You can also use the Creative Commons SA ("share alike) license if your video will be released under the same license too. Everything else is usable. The most liberal ones are the CC Public Domain license and the "By" CC license (requires only some "attribution" of the artist to the credits, nothing more).

Steve, Freeplaymusic.com is not royalty free from what I see there. It asks for "Personal One Time Background Use" (including youtube) a pay of $25.00. It's free to play them back, but not to use.
Eugenia wrote on 9/6/2007, 5:13 PM
Hmm. I don't think you can use AcidPlanet's songs either for your projects. From the license:
http://www.acidplanet.com/corporate/termsofservice.asp

"The Site Content and Site Code are owned by Sony Creative Software and/or its licensors and content providers, and are protected by applicable domestic and international copyright laws. Unless expressly permitted by Sony Creative Software, you shall not capture, reproduce, perform, transfer, sell, license, modify, create derivative works from or based upon, republish, upload, edit, post, transmit, publicly display, frame, link distribute or exploit in whole or in part any Site Content or Site Code. Any violation of copyright laws may result in severe civil and criminal penalties

It seems that ONLY the "8packs" are free to modify and redistribute on your projects. All the other songs in there, you are not allowed to do anything with them other than listen to them. And from the wording, it's not even for sure that they allow you to use 8packs with video, but maybe only for use with ACID?

I don't want to come out as a pain in the butt, but there is a reason why it's so commonly known that finding REAL royalty free music is so difficult. That's why CreativeCommons was created originally in fact, and even then, most CC-licensed music still can't be used with video or for commercial purposes (and that includes youtube, because youtube runs ads even if you don't see a dime out of it).
stevec5375 wrote on 9/6/2007, 5:22 PM
It used to be free as far as I know. I guess things have changed. :(
Eugenia wrote on 9/6/2007, 6:39 PM
Ok, I wrote a blog post explaining how it all works with CC. I hope this really explains the situation and provides some solutions:
http://eugenia.gnomefiles.org/2007/09/06/creative-commons-licensed-music-for-videographers/
Ivan Lietaert wrote on 9/6/2007, 9:18 PM
Eugenia, this is from the VMS sony product page: "ACID loop support
For easy video scoring and audio mixing, Vegas Movie Studio software now has ACID® loop support. ACID loops are royalty-free music samples that contain special metadata which allows them to automatically match the existing project tempo and key. The Sound Series loops and samples collection contains over 100 CDs of ACID loops in nearly every music style and genre imaginable." And: "Add Music and Sound Effects
Vegas Movie Studio software includes professional-quality music beds that you can use to score your video, plus 1,001 sound effects to enhance your movies. You can also import your own music directly from CDs or MP3 audio files."

Promoting and adding features which allow music import is one thing, but then prohibiting it in the small, legal print ... If you were right, Sony would play a dirty game, if you ask me, and any judge would protect the customer/consumer in this matter.

Eugenia wrote on 9/6/2007, 9:22 PM
I will bring this to the attention of Sony, be sure about this.

However, I think you misinterpreting the licensing terms of VMS. VMS allows you to import your OWN Acid loops/remixes, not the ones downloaded from AcidPlanet. The ones downloaded from AcidPlanet --according to its own license-- can NOT be used with ANYTHING other than a media player to play them back for your own personal pleasure. Only the 8packs can be used with ACID itself, and it's not clear at all that they can be used with VMS or anything else.
Eugenia wrote on 9/6/2007, 9:36 PM
I don't mean this as a disrespect, but whoever is uploading music on AcidPlanet is just plain lazy for not having read the license. Sony is owning their creation and it's not allowing anyone else to do anything with it. That's not a site that's useful, it's simply a Sony marketing tool to make Acid more known. Sorry, but if I was reviewing the ACID software right now for my news site, I would be seriously sh*tting on Sony. I am pretty sure that some of the higher-end lawyers AT Sony would not be very happy if they knew about this license, because claiming ownership also means that they claim responsibility. So a loop that, for example, reveals the HD-DVD cracking math sequence (yes, it's possible to communicate numbers via music), it will be Sony's responsibility. Trust me, that license on AcidPlanet, is not for Sony's own good either. It's a problem for everyone the way it currently stands.

If I were you, I would actually make sure that ACID's own license allows you to use your creation any way you want to. The VMS team might be making ASSUMPTIONS that you can use your own ACID loops (I don't know about this, I haven't read ACID's license). But AcidPlanet's compositions are out of the question as it currently stands.
Tim L wrote on 9/6/2007, 9:55 PM
Here are just a few sources for "free" music, provided you give credit, etc.:

http://www.incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/

http://ghostnotes.blogspot.com/ (Bill Cushman's site is a little out of whack right now -- scroll way, way down to find songs)

http://www.musopen.com/ (Mainly classical music)

http://www.rudypicardo.com/music/

http://www.loganlproductions.com/pmp.html

I'm sure there are many more "free" sites like these on the web. Be sure to read the details on each site! Most want to be contacted but will let you use the song for free. Some might "appreciate" small donations, but don't require them.

Also, there are many, many places on the web to buy music that is then royalty-free to use with your video projects ("synch rights"). Search for "royalty free music" or "buy-out music".

A very affordable site to check out is this one:
http://www.stock20.com/commerce/index.php The great thing about stock20 is that you can buy just one song at a time. For $7, you buy the song (actually, multiple versions and edits of the song) and then can use it legally for the rest of your life on as many projects as you want (umm... but you better read the legal details just to make sure I'm right about that...) Most places you end up having to buy a whole CD.

Tim L
Eugenia wrote on 9/6/2007, 9:57 PM
http://www.Magnatune.com is good too. You just pay as little as $5 to license it, and you get a FULL album that allows you to use it for non-commercial purposes on videos, including videos for YouTube.
Ivan Lietaert wrote on 9/6/2007, 9:57 PM
I think the loops and the consumer created songs remain Sony's property, just to prevent that any other company can rip, copy and distribute the loop cds, or make money from it in any other way. I bet the Cinescore software has the exact same smallprint, which would make it a totally worthless purchase for most customers....
I don't think Sony is after amateur movie makers and musicians, mums, dads or kids playing around with their creative software. They are playing it safe towards the competition, that's all.
Chienworks wrote on 9/6/2007, 9:58 PM
I think, possibly, that by "loops" you mean "compositions." Acidplanet.com doesn't host loops. They let users upload final compositions. Compositions are finished songs. Loops are little bits of sound that can be used together to create compositions. The weekly 8 pack is the exception in that it contains both the finished composition and the 8 loops that were used to create it. And those ACID users who download it may use those loops to create their own compositions and legally do what they wish with them.

ACID's license very clearly states that anything a user creates out of loops is their own composition that they may do with as they please. It's only the loops themselves that the original vendor retains ownership of.

As far as the acidplanet.com website saying that SONY owns the uploaded compositions, that's extremely common. Almost any organization or place that lets the public submit works for free has the same boilerplate terms. When you submit your funny video clip to ABC's Funniest Home Videos, they end up owning your clip. Most every photo contest i've ever seen stipulates that the contest organizers end up owning the photos that are submitted. If this was such a huge problem then it wouldn't be standard fine-print anymore after all these years.
Eugenia wrote on 9/6/2007, 10:03 PM
Sorry, but that's like saying that Google is owning your house just so the evil corporation of Microsoft doesn't steal it from you.

There is absolutely no excuse for that atrocious license of AcidPlanet.

And btw, on the web, popular sites that have had similar licenses went down, or they had to change their license. Slashdot many times have reported on such popular sites with similar licensing terms and had to chang their license. AcidPlanet is not very popular, so it won't get the runaround from Slashdot, but other sites have. It's not a nice license.
Ivan Lietaert wrote on 9/6/2007, 10:07 PM
Eugenia, do you know Google 'owns' anything you write in Gmail, Docs and Spreadsheets? Read Google's fineprint, if you don't believe me. Don't know what Hotmail says, but I guess it will be the same.
Eugenia wrote on 9/6/2007, 10:12 PM
Ivan, you are WRONG. ***MOST*** licenses out there do NOT claim ownership of your own content like AcidPlanet does. What AcidPlanet is doing is UNcommon and in my opinion, UNETHICAL.

And I HAVE read Gmail's license, it's you that you haven't.

http://mail.google.com/mail/help/terms_of_use.html

Your Intellectual Property Rights. Google does not claim any ownership in any of the content, including any text, data, information, images, photographs, music, sound, video, or other material, that you upload, transmit or store in your Gmail account. We will not use any of your content for any purpose except to provide you with the Service.

If you want my friendly advice, stay away from that AcidPlanet website. Go with Creative Commons' "by" license, even if selection is limited, or pay a small fee ($5) at www.Magnatune.com to license some music instead.
Ivan Lietaert wrote on 9/6/2007, 10:59 PM
Eugenia: How about section 11.1? Seems very 'unfair' to me!
"11.1 By submitting, posting or displaying the content you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive licence to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services. This licence is for the sole purpose of enabling Google to display, distribute and promote the Services and may be revoked for certain Services as defined in the Additional Terms of those Services."
http://www.google.com/accounts/TOS
Chienworks wrote on 9/6/2007, 11:12 PM
Whether the license is nice or not, it exists and the users there abide by it or don't use acidplanet's service. That's your choice too. That also doesn't alter the fact that *many* organizations still have similar licenses and terms.

And, considering you can post what you just did here and get away with it, i doubt slashdot would have any affect on SONY's sites either.
Eugenia wrote on 9/6/2007, 11:27 PM
I agree that AcidPlanet is free to have such a license, even if I don't agree with it. However, my problem is mostly with its users, who haven't bothered to read the fine print. I would never use that site.

>i doubt slashdot would have any affect on SONY's sites either.

Don't be so quick to think that they wouldn't. They had before.

Ivan, no, that clause is not unfair. It does not talk about the Gmail content, it talks about Video and pictures, etc that you submit to their site for the whole purpose of BEING public. Gmail and other personal files clauses are under the "privacy" policies and they are not distributed out of the blue to the public.
Eugenia wrote on 9/7/2007, 12:09 AM
Here's a user with the perfect example:
http://www.ragingmime.com/archive.shtml
Make a search for "acidplanet" in that page. The even funnier thing is that the artist is admitting of not having licensed some of the samples from their originated bands, and so technically right now, the person to sue (if these originated bands want to sue) is Sony, not that guy. That's why I said that this license is not good for Sony, not just the users. It is a dangerous license.
kimandfil wrote on 9/7/2007, 10:10 AM
WOW !

I didn't have a chance to check for replies last night, and was overwhelmed at all the great suggestions/discussion.

I understand the idea of giving credit to the source when using free music. My project is for a b-day video to show to grandparents, aunts, uncles. After that, it'll probably be watched very infrequently. Do I need to give credit in a situation like this ? Does giving credit mean to acknowledge the source of the music in some sort of "credits" screen at the end ? I just want to make sure I'm obeying all the rules.

Thanks again everyone !
Eugenia wrote on 9/7/2007, 10:16 AM
Yes, for licenses that require credit, you need to have a credit roll even if you are going to watch it just once with others. Not all music is licensed under the same terms though/
General ToDo wrote on 9/7/2007, 11:17 AM
Regarding SONY owning the content on ACIDplanet, please note the Terms of Service which explicitly indicate that SONY does NOT own the artists' songs uploaded to the site:
______
TERMS OF SERVICE
____

So in order to use the artists' songs on ACIDplanet in your videos legally, you will need to contact them individually and request permission. The majority will likely gladly provide this permission and appreciate the interest.

The 8packs can be used as is in your videos, or modified as you wish. You can download ACID Xpress from the site and grab free royalty-free loops from the site (8packs, plus some of the bonus materials supplied with contests downloads), and create your own compositions that you can do what you want with.