Licenses and why they matter.

Music licenses represent legal permission to use a song for a particular project. With the appropriate license, the customer has full permission to use the song as written in the documents. Using an artist's work without a license or the appropriate license is illegal and can result in legal action or litigation. It’s essential to know how to license music for the protection of the artist and the person using their work. We embarked on the Audilus journey with a fresh perspective, driven by the desire to provide musicians with a unique opportunity to monetize their music through licensing. By granting legal permission to use their work, we empower them to generate the income necessary to pursue their passion for creating exceptional music for you to use.

What kind of licenses does Audilus provide?

Audilus primarily grants a Synchronization/Master Use License. A Synchronization/Master Use License allows music to be used in timed relation to moving picture.

A moving picture can be defined as a slideshow, video, or film. We also issue audio-only licenses for audio projects

How to License Music

Audilus offers several simple Pay-per-license licensing options. This includes including Single use licensing, Traditional licensing, and Custom music.

Single Use Licenses

Are licenses that can be easily obtained with just a click on our website following payment. The prices have already been pre set based on what type of project you are working on.

Most uses for single use licenses are audio projects, organic videos and sponsored videos that are played and shared in-house, on social media, YouTube, excluding OTT.

These licenses cannot be applied to uses such as featured films, TV series, ad campaigns that have

Mini or micro licenses

Micro licenses apply to projects for individuals and companies under 250 people that have a small paid advertising budget ($5,000 or less for single song). 

*** Please not that the size of the company helps us predict the potential viewership. We do not use this to exploit your budget.

For micro licensing, the particular song chosen does not affect the price.

Traditional or custom licensing.

Sometimes a license requires more detailed attention. This can be for several reasons. Some of the artists in our catalog prefer to review all of the ways their music is being used, or their songs can only be used for certain purposes. Other times, the scope of a project (broadcast TV, wide-release films, etc.) or the size of a company (major corporations and organizations) requires an custom license from our us.

Our team will facilitate the process of negotiating terms, usage, music licensing fees, and types of music licenses as quickly as possible. Many of our artists are pre-cleared for certain usages and oftentimes we can have a quote in as little as 24 hours for your project. If you’re not sure if you need an Enterprise license, begin the licensing process on the site, answer the appropriate questions for your project, and it will direct you to fill out a request for a quote if need-be, which will be sent to an Account Executive upon completion.

Do I need to obtain a performance license from ASCAP, BMI or SESAC when using your music?

Normally, no. Typically it is the responsibility of the Radio, TV, Cable station, venue or platform that will be broadcasting (performing) the piece. In some situations where venues do not have a Performance Agreement with ASCAP, BMI or SESAC, or other applicable performing rights society, you may be required to obtain a Performance License. Check with the venue to see if a current PRO agreement exists. If you are hosting the video on your own website, you could be responsible for any applicable PRO fees.

Once I license your music, how long is my license good for?

Licenses purchased from our site (standard on-site licenses) website are granted for a perpetual term. This means that the license never expires or loses legitimacy specific to the original project for which the license was granted. Should you desire to use a song licensed to you by Audilus for another project, a separate license will be required.

For Custom licenses, the term will be up for negotiation between the client, the artist, and Audilus.

If I’m not being paid is my project considered non-profit?

No. Licensing has more to do with how the music is going to be used rather than whether or not you were paid to produce the video. The Non-profit license option is strictly limited to clients and organizations that are registered 501(c)(3) non-profits (in the US) or the equivalent level of registration internationally.

How do I license for a Specific Office, Branch, Department or Division of a Parent Company?

For licensing purposes, the employee count of the parent company is used for the license. The license size will always reflect the global employee count of the company or parent company as a whole. This allows the license to cover all of the branding, logos and affiliations of the project. Specific offices, branches, departments or divisions are not considered separate entities with their own employee counts. The global employee count of the company must be used to cover the branding, logos and affiliations involved in the project. If you believe your project requires special consideration, feel free to reach out to us and we'll be happy to help!

What if there are two or more brands/logos in a video?

Multiple branding in a single video requires a Custom license to be properly covered. The price will be negotiated with an Account Executive on our Licensing Team based on the planned usage.

Why am I being asked to enter the project details on my license?

When purchasing a single-song license or requesting a license quote, you will be asked to enter the project details. This information is printed on the license agreement itself, and without these details clearly written on the license, the license cannot be considered valid. An invalid or incomplete license won't legally cover the use of the track in the project should any copyright issues arise.

Where can I post my video online?

The Web/Social distribution allows a video to be published online, as long as the use is covered by the terms of your license agreement. The video can be published on a company's website, on a UGC (user generated content) social site, including but not limited to: YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitch, Twitter, Patreon, Vimeo, LinkedIn, or Lovestoriestv.com. For example, if you have a Business license with Web/Social use, the business whose branding appears in the video can publish the video anywhere online that is affiliated with their brand. Another business can’t publish/upload that same video without getting a separate license that covers their branding. A video can however be shared via social media from where it is originally embedded, meaning it is shared from where it was originally hosted and is not re-posted, embedded, or hosted by a company that is not the original end client.

Do I need to credit the artist or Audilus?

You are not required to credit the artist or Audilus, but it is appreciated. You can properly credit with: Track Name, Artist Name, and 100% Clearance through Audilus.

What is paid advertising?

Paid advertising refers to when the client pays to promote the video to increase its visibility and reach. Examples of paid advertising include YouTube pre-roll, Facebook boosting, and sponsored social media.

Are boosted or sponsored social media posts considered paid advertising?

Yes. If you are putting any money behind the post being viewed, it is considered paid advertising.

Can I use a preview or watermarked track in my project without getting a license?

Preview tracks, or watermarked tracks, cannot be published in any projects. A sync license is required to use the track in any video project. A watermarked track can be used in the editing/approval process before you finalize a project, but publishing any project without a license is strictly prohibited and considered copyright infringement. Once a license is acquired, you will then be given access to the unwatermarked version of the song. If you have any additional questions about preview tracks and watermarked songs, please contact us for more information.

Are stem tracks available for the tracks?

We don't require our artists to provide us with stem tracks, but we do have stem tracks on-hand for many of the songs we offer for licensing. If you are curious about the availability of stems or if your project qualifies, please reach out to us and we will be more than happy to check!

Does my license allow me to edit cut down versions?

A single use license (single song license) pertains to one single edit. Each license covers one “sync,” or one edit of the song being synced to motion picture. If a cut down creates a new version or edit with a new sync, this is considered a separate project and will need its own license. Lifts, however, are covered by one license. A lift is when a section of the video is “lifted out” of the project. This means that the project was not re-edited in any way and the music was not re-synced. An example of a lift would be placing the first 15 seconds of a video on social media - the video is identical to the original in the sync and the edit. You may request cut-dows or edits to the track. A complimentary cut down is included in Pro Membership.

What is Micro Licensing?

Micro licensing is a popular way to license music for a low cost. 

What is the Difference Between Internal and Industrial Licenses?

Internal music licenses and industrial music licenses refer to different applications of the license. 

Internal music licenses and industrial music licenses refer to the audience that will be viewing the media project that is using the copyrighted music. Internal licenses refer to organizations that are using the media project for their employees (i.e. internal training videos, company meetings, etc.). When people who are not employed by the company are seeing the media project, this counts as an industrial license.

How license fees are determined

There are a few different factors that determine typical music licensing fees. Click to learn not only what the fees are, but how we determine them.

What if my project contains social or political issues that are considered sensitive?

Any projects containing socially or politically sensitive subject matter will require artist approval. Click to read more about what we would consider sensitive subject matter.

Does my license cover Music Discovery channels?

“Music Discovery” channels are not covered under an Audilus single-use license. Audilus provides sync licensing, which is music synchronized to video with the purpose of sound-tracking the visual creative content! Music Discovery channels’ sole purpose is to share music and/or playlists (not to create original video content). With a sync licensing use, the song is always in the background of the video, the star of the show (ex: commercial jingle, film soundtrack)! Music Discovery channels require a Performance License, since they are more closely related with a Public Performance.

Is your music royalty-free?

No. It is rights managed. To provide our customers with the highest quality music we can secure, we partner with artists and labels worldwide who take great pride in their craft and will not half-heartedly create something just for sync. We are proud to represent veterans in music, rising stars, award winning composers and hidden gems from Africa, Asia and South America. We have a vast repertoire of production music and recording artist music. This allows us to deliver the best of both worlds. The artists and the labels own the rights to the music.