 |
| Photo by Alex on Unsplash |
You were warned.
Still here? Okay then.
I have a performance on Saturday night. By the time this is posted, I will have survived. Success to be determined by my own personal satisfaction, my husband's, and my coach's. It is doubtful that you will ever hear more than this though, as I have a problem called 'copyright'.
With the wonders of YouTube and general technological advances come copyright detectors. Which are a real pain when it comes to proudly displaying you or your child's performance to music on social media in general.
I strongly recommend reading YouTube's content on how to deal with these issues, however, it really sums up as 'don't bother trying'. In the case of ballroom dancers, I feel it is enough of a minority and unless you are a YouTuber by profession with a heck of a lot of followers, you're unlikely to hit any major legal trouble. It is possible though, so be warned.
Still want to post that video of your performance? Well, you might be able to claim 'Fair Use' - see this link for YouTube's explanation, although be advised that it is the U.S. interpretation. Australia has its own version of this also if you're interested.
My personal concern, and here is where the rant starts, is that a recording of your performance is:
1. not for commercial use and for your own and friends' personal entertainment.
2. the studio has already paid to use the music in a public environment, plus also purchased the music itself on either a CD or via digital means.
3. How many people actually make a sole living on music anyway?
Yes, I know, the third (and I suppose the second too) point is rather contentious, but stop and think for a second. While some of the top musicians in the world are paid for their performances and also in minimal amounts when their song is played on the radio or a streaming application online, they also make money out of sponsorship deals and often run their own companies related to their field of interest - check out some of the details on Beyonce's career here, for example.
So what about your average musician who isn't quite that popular? Well, I know a musician or two like that and I can assure you they have 'normal' jobs just as anyone would. Money is nice and all, but you don't make music just to make money. It is an art form, a pleasure, sometimes torture too, but in general something to be enjoyed and shared with others.
 |
| Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash |
Firstly, I always ensure that I attempt to credit the music in any posted videos, especially of a live performance. This is not always enough for the bots that mute your music, but at least you have attempted to justify your use and acknowledge the artist. Responsibility and ownership of this is key.
Even muted, by providing acknowledgment you may just pique someone's interest in a musician they may have not heard of before. This has the potential to result in sales for the musician in question. You just never know!
It's not okay, though, if you have lots of followers, to use music uncredited in order to get more 'likes' and such. If you're a pro-YouTuber then you're not usually sharing your performance online anyway, but I'm sure the temptation is there to use 'popular' music occasionally to grab eyes and ears online. Resist temptation, fellow online peoples!
Thus, I have some fantastic resources for both music and sound effects that I use on the rare occasion I put a video together. I've probably shared these links before, but they are darned good so you can have them again:
Freesound - https://freesound.org/browse/
Highly recommended; the search function is very effective.
YouTube Audio Library - https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/music?nv=1
Also has sound effects, but the music is excellent. Search by instrument, genre, mood, length of music, and licensing details.
Creative Commons.org https://creativecommons.org/use-remix/
The one to rule them all. Well, for images at least. I also use Unsplash, which is apparently popular with graphic designers and makes it very easy to attribute people, as you can see in this blog post!
Conclusions? Enjoy sharing your performance videos, but remember to acknowledge music where possible and never do it for commercial purposes.
Or be like me, and use the copyright of music as an excuse to not share your performances. Much less embarrassment and ridicule, I promise you that.
See you on the dance floor!
-randombaubles/everydaybeautyinlife
Comments
Post a Comment