This article is a re-write of one from PodNews.net
People often ask us if they can use their favourite song as the opening music for their podcast. While it would be awesome to start your show with Chariots of Fire or AC/DC’s Thunderstruck, unfortunately, you can’t. At all.
There’s a lot of misinformation about this on internet forums and chat rooms, but the fact is, you cannot use commercial music in your podcast without paying for a licence.
Here are some FAQ’s & excuses…
Why not? It's only a few seconds!
Doesn't matter how much you use. There's no safe amount. A snippet counts. Ten seconds counts. Even a quick sting under your intro counts.
The music you hear on Spotify or the radio is wrapped in layers of rights. To use it legally, you'd need permission from a whole chain of people:
- the record label
- the composer
- the publisher
- and usually a sync and mechanical licence on top of all that
That's a lot of doors to knock on, and most of them either say no, or quote you a number that'll make your eyes water.
The excuses we hear most
"My podcast's just a hobby and makes no money."
Still no. The size of your audience or your bank balance doesn't change a thing.
"But it's fair use."
You'd have to prove that in court. And if it's gone that far, you've already lost on legal fees alone.
"I know the artist and they said it's fine."
The artist usually can't give you permission. They've signed their music over to labels and publishers, so it's genuinely not theirs to hand out.
"I've got an APRA or OneMusic licence."
Those don't cover music recordings in podcasts. Different licence, different rules.
"Doesn't Spotify allow it now?"
Only inside Spotify's own player, and only Premium subscribers hear the full track. It doesn't help you anywhere else your show lives.
"What happens if I just go for it?"
Worst case, you get sued for a lot of money. There are companies running bots that scan podcasts for unlicensed music. Labels will sometimes sit and wait until you're successful, then come after you a couple of years later when you can actually pay. Not a bet we'd recommend.
So what can you use?
Plenty. You just need music that's cleared for this kind of thing.
Two solid options:
Production music
This is the proper, affordable route, and it's our pick for most podcasters.
Production music is
pre-cleared, written, and recorded specifically to be used in things like podcasts, ads, and videos. In New Zealand,
APRA AMCOS handles the licensing, with over a million tracks across every style and genre. It's high quality and built for exactly what you're doing.
Getting it is three steps:
- Sign up free with
APRA AMCOS. They'll give you a client number (a PMCN).
- Find your tracks. Browse their suppliers' libraries. Most run a free search service, so tell them the vibe you're after, and they'll send options.
- Report and licence what you used through their online form, or feel free to email
medialicensing@apra.co.nz
For podcasts, the cost is roughly $19 per track, or a flat $130 per episode that covers unlimited tracks in that episode. There's also an $11 processing fee per licence, and prices are excluding GST. Once a track's licensed, you're cleared to use it for good. If you're using more than a couple of tracks in an episode, the flat episode rate is the obvious move.
One thing to know: you can edit and speed-adjust the tracks, but you can't heavily alter them, add your own lyrics, or use them on a commercial record release.
Royalty-free libraries
There are also stacks of sites with big catalogues you can use straight away, free or cheap:
www.songsforpodcasters.com
https://artlist.io/
https://pixabay.com/music/
https://soundcloud.com/royaltyfreemusic-nocopyrightmusic
https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/featured/
https://uppbeat.io/
Need help? Give us a shout. We are happy to assist!
contact@podlab.nz
