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Author Topic: Copyright free intermission music Justin Hamaker Film God Posts: 2253 From: Lakeport, CA USA Registered: Jan 2004 posted 01-11-2009 12:38 AM                        Does anyone know of a good source for copyright free intermission music (or copyright free music that could be used for intermission music). What I would really prefer is instrumental versions of movie songs. Downloads would be great, but CDs would also work.  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 01-11-2009 02:03 AM                     Identifiable movie tunes are probably out of the question. Anything today's movie going crowd knows is well within the 75 year limit of copyright protection. And even some old movies beyond that age have had certain things done to get the copyrights renewed. The easiest thing to do (legally) is buy some royalty free music tracks to play. You're probably going to be out about $30 per track or more. When I worked in TV we bought and renewed stock music libraries on a yearly basis to the tune of hundreds of dollars (or more) per library of CDs. Some computer-based audio-video editing applications have some stock music tracks included. One way out of this mess is by playing the original movie soundtrack for whatever movie you're playing. I bought the original soundtrack CD for Jurassic Park based on what I heard during the slide show ad run at Northpark #1 in Dallas before the movie started playing.  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 01-11-2009 07:02 AM                        Most classical music is royalty=free. Louis  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-11-2009 10:01 AM                        quote: Louis Bornwasser Most classical music is royalty=free. Not really. The score may be PD, but the arrangement and recording are probably not. An exception to this would be pre-1980 (or thereabouts) recordings from the USSR and eastern European countries, which are, if not copyright-free, at least not really owned by anyone. Production music is probably the best bet here. Note that some production libraries have "buy-out" licenses where you pay once for the records/CDs and can use them as much as you want. This is what you would want. Other production libraries use "needle drop" licenses, where you pay each time you use it. The cheapest option is probably to buy a yearly ASCAP license, which lets you play any ASCAP recordings in your theatre. Another possibility that I have actually seen done successfully is to have an employee with musical talent compose and record a score written specifically for the theatre.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 01-11-2009 03:20 PM                     Sirius and XM radio have a business plan that gives you a public license to re-broadcast their stations.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 01-12-2009 02:01 AM                     ...what our small circuit uses is this XM/Sirius setup. Only thing: better have control over the receiver, or just subscribe to certain stations. For if the staff have control over that receiver, they'll be playing what they want to hear (including "F" bomb music) and not caring what should be playing as decent background music (muzak style) for the public.  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 01-12-2009 06:55 AM                     There are services that long predate Sirus/XM for music in public establishments (including, but not limited to Musak ). Steve  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 01-12-2009 09:14 AM                        The total fees for Sirius XM are less than the ASCAP/BMI fees are alone. Yes, individual channels can be blocked at time of contract negotiation. Louis  |  IP: Logged Mike Croaro Master Film Handler Posts: 394 From: Millbrae, CA Registered: Apr 2005 posted 01-18-2009 11:33 AM                     Hi Folks: Back in the day of the Belmont Theatre (1989-1994, Belmont, CA) we never even thought of copyright issues. We used to transfer our favorite LP's to cassette tapes and play them in between movies! Mike  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-18-2009 12:25 PM                     I know up here you have to pay fees to the performers rights association whether you have any music or not since music in a film is not actually licensed to pay the royalties in the fashion that several pieces of international legislations require Also having a live performer adds to the yearly license fee cost even if they play only their own creations  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 01-22-2009 03:09 PM                       How things have changed. As late as the early 90s, Chakeres Theatres still used preshow music tapes in their KY and OH drive-ins. The ASCAP fee for this was $10 a year, per theatre.  |  IP: Logged Rick Raskin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1100 From: Manassas Virginia Registered: Jan 2003 posted 01-22-2009 04:15 PM                     I remember when we played the French language version of the film "Z" (1969 D: Costa-Gavras) at the KB Baronet the distributor sent a recording of the film music about a month in advance. Otherwise, it was KB policy to play only PD classical music during breaks.  |  IP: Logged Sean Kapp Film Handler Posts: 30 From: Columbiana OH USA Registered: Jun 2008 posted 01-27-2009 11:58 AM                     We use the XM/Sirius setup. Monte is right about having access to the receiver.We currently only allow the staff to play 3-5 stations out of the ones we receive. There are defiantly some ones that wouldn't be good to play for the general public!  |  IP: Logged Bill Enos Film God Posts: 2081 From: Richmond, Virginia, USA Registered: Apr 2000 posted 01-27-2009 12:17 PM                     I just looked at the ASCAP licensing site. I guess it has to be so complex to be sure everybody pays for the potential benefit without being screwed excessively. [ 01-27-2009, 07:23 PM: Message edited by: Bill Enos ]  |  IP: Logged David E. Nedrow Master Film Handler Posts: 368 From: Columbus, OH, USA Registered: Oct 2008 posted 01-28-2009 11:33 AM                        Re: ASCAP and BMI licensing... I found it incredibly easy and remarkably cheap to license each of their catalogs. I think I pay a total of $300/year for the right to play any of their stuff, including film scores, etc. That seems a cheap price to pay to be able to play actual music in the lobby/auditorium/&c. I even worked out a deal with a couple of independent publishers that handle classic film score re-recordings, particularly for old horror and sci-fi scores. If you really want to go PD, you could check out the production music scene. Sound Dogs is where I go for production music to use in my own ads and film/video work. -David  |  IP: Logged

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