So I have a few questions about legal stuff, licences and other:
Some artist or band makes music and makes it his property:
a) If I use that song in game that will I publish and make it free so I don’t get any money from it, what can happen, is it legal, can I be sued? Is there a way to achieve this free way and not get in trouble? Is my only option then trying to contact artist and make a deal with him? (It’s often expensive)
b) If I use that song in game that I may earn money from, is it the only way to do it legaly by making the deal with song owner? (I repeat, it’s not an option for me, but say if it’s the only)
Someone remakes an existing song and doesn’t make that remake/cover it’s property:
a) Can person who made his version of the song sue me for putting it into my game:
that I may earn money from
that I will not earn money from (free)
b) Can owner of that song sue me for putting the cover/remake of it in my game?
that I may earn money from
that I will not earn money from (free)
I make my own version of an existing song, but only e.g. instrumental, but still similar to the original one:
a) Do I have to pay for the right to do it?
b) Can I use it in my game that I may earn money from?
c) Can I use it in my free game then?
If everything of specified falls in water, is my only or the best option Remaking that song myself but making it less similar to original? (PS I alredy have a way to do it…but it’s not so easy, and not so expensive, almost free )
/The guy here explains stuff, but someone (me) may still be confused about it.
Noone doesn’t have to answer all questions, but please put your opinion or answer this question if you know something.
Someone may find this thread useful, I hope so…
Thank you for your time./
At times (I’ve asked indie artists on youtube) they’ll simply ask you to credit them, no payment, while another artist may write out a contract and need payment
Just get a hold of the artist, that’s the best you can do. Personally, I would do an indie musician, you’ll have better luck with them, then trying to…say getting rights whatever famous person/band
Sorry if it’s not too helpful, but it really does come down to the artist
You should find this in the license file accompanying a piece of music.
If your music doesn’t have a license file (eg. promo MP3s, CD rips, recordings from online radios and similar), then likely this applies:
1a) Using unlicensed songs in a free game → Illegal. Result of getting caught: cease desist, game shut down.
1b) Using unlicensed songs in a commercial game → Illegal. Result of getting caught: forced to license music w/ back payments or you get sued for a large sum
2a) see 1a and 1b
2b) see 1a and 1b - especially if the cover artist has an agreement with the original artist.
3a) 3b) 3c) That’s the decision of the artist
This can still get you into trouble, but of course, the lower the similarity, the less likely you’re going to be noticed.
I don’t understand why you’re evaluating a ton of options that all involve stealing someone else’s work?
You can find great music under creative commons and similar licenses, and sites like arteria3d, dexsoft or lucky lion have royalty free music that you can license for like $5 per song.
If someone makes an original song, they own it. If you copy it, or make your own version of it, in both cases, you are still violating their copyrights. If you find a song and you aren’t sure about its licensing, don’t use it. You cannot plead ignorance later if its found to be a copyright covered work.
There is a lot of music out there with explicit, clear licensing - a lot of which is very reasonable. In fact, there are some very good musicians available who will create a song for you for a reasonable price. However if you do that, you need to ensure that you actually own that music.
Don’t use unlicensed stuff. Even if you use someone’s work and you luck out and they decide not to sue you, You can acquire a damaged reputation. Im probably not alone here when I hire someone I do a few searches to see what information is out there about them. If you pirate someone’s work, you can kiss your reputation goodbye.
My company licenses a bunch of themed music to third parties - the cost difference is primarily based on the quality. A lot of individual artists do this as well. Just make sure if you license someone elses music, you understand the terms of the license.
Yes, always get a licence. Indies are the simplest to deal with, as some bigger entities have special licences which only cover a narrow set of uses. For instance, getting the rights to play a tune in a game doesn’t necessarily grant you rights to play them in the trailers (“sync licence”)! There’s a lot of weirdness to look out for. Dealing directly with a nice artist is the best
)