Music Licensing

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The use of music outside of individual/personal consumption requires the use of a music license. The use of copyrighted music in a public or commercial space without permission is considered copyright infringement. The law gives songwriters and sound recording owners the right to control who can use their musical works. A few examples for such uses include:

• Advertisements
• Branded Content (all social media posts)
• Printed Lyrics
• Livestreams/Metaverse Concerts
• Film/TV
• Live Events
• In Store/Ambien Music
• Other Video Content
• And more...

Music Licensing Agreements

Texas Tech University has contractual agreements in place with four Performing Rights Organizations (PROs). A PRO negotiates licensing and royalties between rights holders (musicians, composers, and publishers) and users of copyrighted works. The PRO monitors performances of music and collects license fees from business entities that use the music registered with them and distribute royalties to composers, songwriters, and music publishers. Texas Tech’s agreements are with the following PROs:

• Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI)
• the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP)
• the Society of European Songwriters, Artists and Composers (SESAC)
• Global Music Rights (GMR).

Additional information on these agreements and their scope can be found here.

Film/TV/Advertisements/Branded Video Content

To use any recorded music in video content you must get written permission and license both the Composition and the Sound Recording. This includes all social media platforms.

Synchronization License

Each songwriter must approve their share of the song through their publisher. You must get approval for 100% ownership of the composition. Artist teams can usually provide details, or you can search through BMI or ASCAP repertories, or The MLC portal to find information. If the song has multiple writers, they could be with the same or different publishers. There may be multiple writers with the same publisher, or its possible one writer might have 2 publishers for their share.

Master Use License

The unique recorded version is licensed by the owner, usually the record label, unless it is an independent artist. There is typically just one owner, so only one issuer of a license. If there is a specific recording you want to use, you can find some ownership information in Spotify credits or search for the Artist Name + label.

Stock Music for Film/TV/Ads/Branded Video Content

Many video editors utilize music choices from stock music companies such as (Envato, Artlist, Musicbed, etc.). Through these purchases, often the appropriate licensing is included in the cost, but it is imperative that each editor/purchaser review the agreement thoroughly prior to purchase to ensure that your specific use case is covered. The agreements must be routed through Procurement Services for compliance review.

Live Broadcasting of Events or Recorded Concerts and Events

For information on events, please refer to our music licensing information as it pertains to campus events.

The department is fully responsible for the compliant use of all music and covered works.