PRS Licensing Explained and Analysed for Recycling Video
“Production Music (or Library Music) is music specifically written for inclusion in audio and audio-visual productions, such as advertisements, broadcast programmes, film and video productions. Using production music is a convenient and cost-effective way of obtaining high quality music for synchronisation and dubbing into such productions”.
PRS are a non-profit organisation and their basically the middle man between artists and companies and business that are looking to use music. PRS are the people that write up the licenses for the music once both parties involved are happy with the conclusion.
In my recycling video I will be using a soundtrack that I have already produced myself and because I produced it myself I won’t need to go through PRS to gain permission because I hold all the rights to music that I create.
This is the piece of music I have created and want to use on my video.
If I hadn’t produced this music myself and wanted to use somebody else’s track then I would have to contact PRS explain to them . . .
- What Piece of music I wanted to use
- The Exact length of time that my video would contain the song
- What exactly I wanted to use the audio for e.g. television adverts , internet advertising or product association or branding
For example if I wanted to use the song “Numbers In Action” By Wiley.
I would have to contact PRS via telephone or email explain to the that I’m making a video about recycling and that I want to use a track that they have the power to license to me.
Once everything has been explained to them and they understand what I want and why I want it, the next thing that they have to do is speak to the artist in this case “Wiley” and ask him how much money he would want for somebody to use his song on a thirty minute recycling video.
We would have to negotiate a price and work out a licensing agreement and PRS would try and make it so the artist and I were both happy which means basically I’m not paying way too much and the artist isn’t getting paid way to little.
The price of using audio differs between the artist and how popular they are for example if I wanted to use music from a very influential pop stars music It would cost me a lot more money that it would for me to use music from a barely known rapper who makes music at home.
You can lots of different types of license from PRS and the license you get will depend on what you want the audio for. If you wanted a one off advert that would only be on TV once it would cost you a lot less that a advert that would be shown a thousand times because your using the music a lot less.
Different licenses cost different amounts of money which is why it’s important to explain to PRS exactly what you’re using the music for or you could find yourself with a quote for £20,000 for thirty seconds of a song in your college recycling video that only one classroom is going to see.
If somebody wanted to use a piece of my music in their recycling video then they would have to speak to me a negotiate a deal and because I own the song and everything to do with it I get to name the price and the terms and conditions that come with its use.
PRS take a percentage of any money given to an artist they do this so they can keep the organisation going and to be fair to them if they didn’t exist the artists wouldn’t be receiving any royalties at all so it’s a fair system.
