MUSIC/sfx

Licensing Notes

• CC0 ✔️ is truely free work requiring no attribution, no rights reserved, use at will. Beware the fine print though, just because a site says "No Attribution Required" does not mean it is CC0 unless explicitly listed as CC0. Places like the YouTube Audio Library legally restrict you to using their tracks only on YouTube. Off-platform festival use is an instant copyright strike.

• CC-BY ✔️ “Creative Commons by... or Creative Commons with Attribution,” meaning you can use it for your films but it requires you to credit the artist when using or monetizing it. In other words, you must list the TASL elements in your credit roll (Title, Author, Source/URL, & License ex: "Another Dimension by Foret De Vin, youtube.com/watch?v=DtABAGoy9vs, CC BY 4.0").

• CC-BY-SA  ✖️  “Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike,” means you must credit the artist using the TASL formula above, AND it also triggers an open-source requirement for all projects that use it. The "ShareAlike" rule forces you to release your entire finished film under that exact same open Creative Commons terms (CC-BY-SA). In other words, anyone is legally permitted to use, copy, distribute, and even monetize your movie, destroying your ability to secure exclusive distribution or sell your film. If someone DOES make money off of your work with their own project, they also to have to enter a Share Alike requirement and allow others to freely use, monetize, and distribute their work as well. Bottom line: Festivals don't like Share Alike because it ruins a distributor's ability to secure exclusive screening rights. Also stay away from Share Alike licenses if you want to protect your IP.

• CC BY-ND ✖️ (Attribution-NoDerivatives): "NoDerivatives" means nobody can edit, cut, or adapt the work. The moment a you drop a song into an edit with video, copyright law classifies it as a derivative work (synchronization) and an immediate copyright violation.

• CC BY-NC ✖️ (Attribution-NonCommercial): You cannot use this for any project that generates a dime. Film festival submission fees, ticket sales, streaming ad revenue, or festival cash prizes are all considered a commercial breach. If you ever want to submit your film to a festival or sell/monetize it in any way, stay away.

• CC BY-NC-SA ✖️ (Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike): Combines the commercial ban with the ShareAlike clause. You can't make money off the film or submit it to festivals, AND you are legally forced to give away the entire movie under the SA open-source license.

• CC BY-NC-ND ✖️ (Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives): The single most restrictive license in existence. You can't monetize it, you can't alter it, and you can't sync it to picture. The only legal use is sharing the raw, untouched audio file (useless for film).

• Commercial Licenses ✔️: If you want to license a track from the big 3 record labels (Warner/Universal/Sony), use a third-party clearance service like Easy Song to negotiate the Master and Sync rights on your behalf. Trying to cold-call Universal or Sony without an entertainment lawyer is a waste of time, they won't serve you and you'll be on hold forever. For a strictly limited "student film/festival-only" step-deal, expect to pay anywhere from $500 to $2,500+ in upfront licensing fees depending on the track's popularity, and prepare for the possiblity that the label may not respond or deny the request anyway.

• Original Music ✔️: If you can use original music from a local artist in Austin, this is obviously your safest route. You can use the Austin Music Office directory to scout local talent looking for screen credit or scoring experience. Just remember that an Instagram DM doesn't mean anything in entertainment law, you need to draft a signed Composer Agreement (structured as a Work-for-Hire so your production owns the music outright) or a combined 'Master Use and Sync License' if you are borrowing an existing track from their catalog. Use a Composer Work-For-Hire and Copyright Assignment Agreement if you're requesting (usually paying for) total copyright ownership of the work. You don't need to get an entertainment lawyer involved, just have it signed and digitally scanned for festival submission later. This makes the track exclusive to your film, and allows you to adjust, cover, or remix the work at will. If you're requesting a composer's pre-existing work, a Sync & Master Use Licensing Agreement is more appropriate, which will grant you licensure and use of the track for the length determined in the contract, while allowing them to retain the copyright and ownership. You won't be able to remix or alter the work without permission, or exclusively limit the use of the work to your film for any amount of months or years, unless explicitly stated in the license. If you run into issues with a creator/label, you can also consult with TALARTS Entertainment Lawyers here in Austin who offer low-cost, pro-bono legal clinics for small creators. Without a signed paper trail, your film's chain of title is broken, and festival programmers will reject your submission.

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