Royalty Free Music: Quick and Easy, One-Stop Music Licensing For Your Media Production |
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Frequently Asked Questions Licensing Questions
Product Questions
Site Questions Ordering and Shipping Questions
What kind of license agreement
Our Standard License Agreement states that you can use our music in synchronization with the images, text or other multimedia content in your commercial or noncommercial production. To be sure you are using the music correctly within the license agreement, just make sure to use the music in the background or in a supporting/secondary way. As long as our tracks are not the main content of your product, you are using the music correctly within the license agreement. (We will also license our music to be used as the main content of your product, i.e. on an audio CD, but that is a different license with a different pricing. For more info, click here). There is no need to notify us if you are using the music in a video or software product that you want to market. Your purchase of a UniqueTracks product grants you a lifetime license to use that product as many times as you'd like. We ask for a credit (i.e. Music composed by UniqueTracks) if there is room in your production to give such credit. We realize that not all productions lend themselves to giving a music credit. If you have the space, please credit the music to UniqueTracks. Click here to read our Complete License Agreement. If you have any questions about our License Agreement, please call us toll free at (888) 400-2149
Can I mass produce and market
my product Yes, you definitely can. This is really the intention of royalty free music; to give you access to music that you can use in synchronization with the other media of your production. Unlike many royalty free music companies, UniqueTracks does not set a production quota or any limitation on the number of pieces (of your product containing our music) that you can manufacture. This all holds true providing the end user of your product is restricted from obtaining direct access to the music files. In other words, you cannot bundle a copy of one of our CDs with your product for your customers to use. Or if you are releasing a CD-ROM, the end-user must be restricted from copying the music files directly to their computer. The purchase of our product grants you, the purchaser, a single-user license. The license is valid only for your use. In other words, it's just like a software license, you cannot manufacture or copy our products (our CDs or CD-ROM titles) and sell them, lend them or give them away, etc. You can use our music in corporate marketing videos, exercise videos, subliminal help videos, trade shows, radio spots, multimedia productions and school projects. If you are a filmmaker you can use our music in your dramatic or documentary film. You can sell your product containing our music with no additional licensing fees due us. Click here to read our Complete License Agreement. If you have any questions about our License Agreement,
please call us toll free (US/Canada) at (888) 400-2149.
Can I include
some of your music in Yes, you certainly may but doing so requires a special license from us. This type of usage is not covered by our Standard License Agreement. We have had several customers release our music on company promo CDs. Popular choices for this seem to be our Classic Christmas Carols CD and the Classical Masters Series collection. Releasing our music tracks on a promotional CD produced by your company requires our "Mechanical Use" (also called Master Use) license. Essentially this license grants you the ability to manufacture your own CDs using our music as sole or partial content. The cost of a Mechanical Use License depends on two factors:
The manufacturing component of
the license is divided into tiers with an incremental fee structure. You must credit the music to UniqueTracks when you release your CD product. This is a mandatory component of the Mechanical Use License. We have done our best to make the Mechanical Use License affordable to all business types. If you you are interested in using our music in this way, please call us toll free (US/Canada) at (888) 400-2149 or International call 1-718-965-2318. We will be very happy to email or fax you a quote based on your requirements.
Can I release a CD of your music under my own label? Yes, you can, we have had several customers do this but doing so requires a special license from us. This type of usage is not covered by our Standard License Agreement. Our most popular discs being used in this way are our Pianoscapes and Classic Christmas Carols sets. To release our music under your own label requires our "Mechanical Use" (also called a Master Use) license. Essentially this license grants you the ability to manufacture your own CDs using our music as sole or partial content. The cost of a Mechanical Use License depends on two factors:
The manufacturing component of
the license is divided into tiers with an incremental fee structure. You must credit the music to UniqueTracks when you release your CD product. This is a mandatory component of the Mechanical Use License. We have done our best to make the Mechanical Use License affordable to all business types. If you you are interested in using our music in this way, please call us toll free (US/Canada) at (888) 400-2149 or International call 1-718-965-2318. We will be very happy to email or fax you a quote based on your requirements.
Do I need to fill out cue sheets for TV broadcast? If you have included a track from our library in your production and you are preparing your production to be broadcast on television (Network, Cable, Public) then a cue sheet must be submitted to the broadcasting company with your production. If you are including tracks from our library in your film or video, a cue sheet must be filed whenever the film is broadcast on TV. A cue sheet is not necessary for local Public Access TV broadcasts. You do not need a cue sheet when using our music in 30 or 60 second advertisements. However, long-format advertisements, like infomercials, do require the use of a cue sheet.
Please indicate the song or remix title on your cue sheet for the broadcast company. This information is included on each individual UniqueTracks CD collection in the Standard License Agreement. It is also included when you download an MP3. To view an example of what a cue sheet looks like when it is all filled out, please click this link To view a blank cue sheete which you can print out for your own use, click here. We will be glad to assist you in the filing of your cue sheet with the performance rights organizations and can fax you a blank cue sheet form if you need one. Please call us with any questions. US/Canada - (888)
400-2149 What is a cue sheet? A cue sheet is a printed listing of music cues used within the course of a broadcast production. Each cue references the composer and publisher of the music cue along with the amount of time the track plays within the production. Each cue must also be given a usage designation. These tell how the music was used within the production. For example:
Cue sheets are submitted by the production company to the broadcast company and are filed with the applicable Performing Rights Society (BMI, ASCAP, SESAC, SOCAN, etc). To view an example of what a cue sheet looks like when it is all filled out, please click this link To view a blank cue sheete which you can print out for your own use, click here. We will be glad to assist you in the filing of your cue sheet with the performance rights organizations and can fax you a blank cue sheet form if you need one. Please call us with any questions. US/Canada - (888) 400-2149 - International call 1-718-965-2318. Can I add vocals, lyrics, or
other instruments No, under the Standard License Agreement, adding your own lyrics, vocals or other instrumentation to our existing tracks to create your own song for CD release is strictly prohibited. There are just too many legal, publishing and copyright issues involved to make this practical. If you are interested in our music for the purposes of creating your own song, contact us and we'll customize our tracks to suit your needs. The music tracks on this site have been created to work as background music - providing color and dramatic content to media productions. Click here for more information about our Standard License Agreement. Toll Free (US/Canada) at (888) 400-2149. Can I use a sample from one of your tracks in my song? Yes you can however doing so requires a special license from us. This usage is not covered by our Standard License Agreement. Please call or e-mail us with your details and we will be happy to send you a quote. If you have any questions about our Standard License
Agreement or any of our licensing options, please call us toll
free (US/Canada) at (888) 400-2149. Can I play your CDs over my restaurant's
sound system When you play recorded music in a public setting, either from a radio or from standard CDs that you own, you must have a BMI or ASCAP license to do so. You can avoid these licensing fees by playing royalty free music in your restaurant. However for this to be valid, you must play royalty free music and ONLY royalty free music. If you combine both, you would still have to pay BMI or ASCAP fees. The most popular UniqueTracks sets for restaurant background music are Pianoscapes, the Classical Masters Series, and our Classic Christmas Carols CD. Is your music "copyright free"? The term "copyright free" is sometimes used to describe royalty free music. This is in fact an error. When you purchase a royalty free music disc from us, you are essentially buying a license to use the contents of the CD in synchronization with the other media in your own production. UniqueTracks remains the copyright holder. The purchaser of one of our CD collections buys a very broad license to use the music as a tool in their production work. Click here to read our Complete License Agreement. If you have any questions about our License Agreement,
please call us toll free (US/Canada) at (888) 400-2149. Royalty Free, Buy Out, Needle Drop, Stock... Music Production Library tracks are of two types "buy-out" (also called royalty-free), and "needle-drop" (sometimes called "laser-drop"). Needle-drop got its name from when you literally dropped a phonograph needle on a record track. With buy-out music you pay once for unlimited usage of several songs (buy-out music is sold by the disc) without any market restrictions. A single royalty-free CD can cost from $50 - $250 (UniqueTracks charges $99 for audio and $110 for CD-ROM versions). Needle-drop music is available by individual track. What you are charged depends on how you expect to use the music. There are different licensing rates for broadcast/non-broadcast, local/nationwide and profit/non-profit. A needle-drop license is good only for a single project (single drop license). You cannot reuse the music without purchasing a new license. If you want to use the music a number of times within the same production you are charged a higher rate (called a multiple drop license). Needle-drops run form $75 - $1,500 per track depending on the licensing you choose. If you'd like, most needle-drop libraries offer a blanket license and unlimited synchronization's. This license entitles you to use all the music in the library as many times as you'd like. Be prepared to pay some hefty fees though. Our aim at UniqueTracks is to give you needle-drop quality at royalty free, budget-friendly prices. In the past, royalty free music has had a reputation as something made quickly by someone who had made an investment in a bunch of cheap synthesizers. The beats were lame, the sounds were boring. UniqueTracks uses whatever instrumentation is appropriate to the musical style of the track. We use synthesizers if the music calls for it - i.e. dance music, trance, techno, etc. We use acoustic instruments and real musicians to produce other styles. Though things have changed somewhat in the past few years, you still have to shop around to find quality royalty free music. We believe we offer a high quality product at an affordable price. I can't hear your streaming audio examples,
HiFi (Flash) Clicking the HiFi Flash link will pop up a small audio player window which has standard On/Off toggles on it. If you cannot see this player it may be blocked by a pop-up blocker in your browser. Another reason may be your browser is old and doesn't support the java-script needed to launch the Flash player. HiFi (Quicktime). To hear this MP3 stream you will need a good MP3 player. The MP3 player needs to support the ".m3u" format. The following MP3 players are available as free downloads and can be found at download.com or from the manufacturer's web sites. Follow the install instructions to get the player working. It is also a great help to use a current, updated web browser to hear the mp3 stream. Recommended players: MacOS: LoFi - The LoFi stream requires that the RealAudio Player be installed in your browser. The most current RealAudio player can be found at download.com or from the RealAudio web site at real.com. Using a current, updated web browser can solve a lot of the problems associated with streaming audio. Should I license and download music UniqueTracks now offers the ability to download a complete CD in WAV format. This means you can download CD quality uncompressed audio. This also means the download size is HUGE. You should not attempt to download a complete WAV album unless you have a broadband connection to the internet (cable modem, DSL, T1, etc). The download time for a standard WAV album with a broadband connection will range from 25 to 45 minutes. The great advantage of the WAV download to international customers is that you can now download CD quality sound and have it available on your desktop within an hour. No more waiting for overseas shipments and no more customs duty payments. What is the difference between an MP3 file and a WAV file? WAV files are uncompressed digital audio files. They are much larger files. Usually more than 100% larger. WAV files have a bit rate of 44.1 kHz. This is identical to CD quality sound. Because they are larger files, they will take much longer to download, even with a broadband connection. What should you choose? However, if you are editing video using software like Apple's Final Cut, then you will want to use WAV files. Using MP3's in Final Cut will cause all types of stuttering and drop-out problems. This is probably due to the compression format. The uncompressed digital audio of WAV files works best for digital editing.
UniqueTracks also recommends the WAV format for Flash designers. This lets you configure your own compression within Flash starting from CD quality uncompressed audio. Also because MP3 files do not loop well, they are not convenient for Flash design. For other web applications or for Powerpoint presentations or any other applications where file size is an issue, the MP3 version is the best choice. Note: A common workaround for MP3 files is to convert them using software like Acoustica's MP3 to WAV file Converter. This program takes the compressed audio of an MP3 file and converts it to WAV format. Is it the same fidelity as a standard WAV file? There is some disagreement about that. How do I download music files? Our music files can be found on the Music Search page. Use the Music Search page to search and locate the track you'd like to purchase. Place it in your shopping cart by clicking the Add to Cart link. (There is a separate link for PC/Windows users and one for Apple/Mac users. Choose the link that suits your situation). Once you have placed the track into the shopping cart, go through the normal online check-out process, fill out the required data and give your credit card info. Once the credit card has been validated, you will be presented with an invoice showing your purchase details. On the top of the invoice there will be download links for each of the tracks you placed in your shopping card. Clicking on these download links begins the download process to your computer. You will receive a compressed .zip file. Files are compressed because you are, in most cases, receiving several MP3 files (full length tracks, remixes, 30/60 ad mixes, etc.) plus the Standard License Agreement is also included in the download as an html file readable on any web browser. Once you have downloaded the compressed file you may need touse a utility program like WinZip (Windows) or StuffIt (MAC) to uncompress the mp3 files. What is the compression rate of your MP3 downloads? Our MP3 files can be found on the Music Search page. The MP3 files are compressed at 44.100 kHz, Stereo 192 kbps. This is a high resolution MP3 compression rate. You will receive a compressed .zip file. Files are compressed because you are, in most cases, receiving several MP3 files (full length tracks, remixes, 30/60 ad mixes, etc.) plus the Standard License Agreement is also included in the download as an html file readable on any web browser. Once you have downloaded the compressed file you must use a utility program like WinZip (Windows) or StuffIt (MAC) to uncompress the mp3 files. Can I get an single track shipped to me on a CD? Yes, you can. Our MP3 files can be found on the Music Search page. Use the MP3Search page to search and locate the track you'd like to purchase. Place it in your shopping cart by clicking the Add to Cart link. (There is a separate link for PC/Windows users and one for Apple/Mac users. For a Custom CD, it does not matter which link you choose, either is fine). Once you have placed the track into the shopping cart, go through the normal online check-out process and fill out the required shipping and billing information. When you choose your Shipping option, click the
drop-down box and choose either: This will tell the store that you want to receive your music tracks on CD and have them shipped to your address. A small set-up fee is added to the normal shipping rate. For example, within the United States, the cost of shipping the Custom CD via the Post Office is $5.50 ($5.50 = $5 Priority Mail shipping + $.50 set-up fee). We can ship a Custom CD anywhere in the world. The web store will calculate the shipping cost. You may also telephone or fax your Custom CD order. (US/Canada) at (888) 400-2149. Can I create a Custom CD made of several Yes, you can. To choose your tracks, use the Music Search page. Use the MP3Search page to search and locate the tracks you'd like on your customized CD. Place them in your shopping cart by clicking the Add to Cart link for each track. (There is a separate link for PC/Windows users and one for Apple/Mac users. For a Custom CD, it does not matter which link you choose, either is fine). When you place 8 tracks in your cart, the cart will automatically apply a 20% discount to your order. Placing 10 or more tracks into your cart will trigger a 25% discount. With these discounts, you can create your own custom CD that has the same price breaks as our CD sets. Once you have placed the tracks into your shopping cart, go through the normal online check-out process and fill out the required shipping and billing information. When you choose your Shipping option, click the drop-down box and choose either: Download to Computer If you choose to have your tracks sent on a custom CD a small set-up fee is added to the normal shipping rate. For example, within the United States, the cost of shipping the Custom CD via the Post Office is $5.50 ($5.50 = $5 Priority Mail shipping + $.50 set-up fee). We can ship a Custom CD anywhere in the world. The web store will calculate the shipping cost. You may also telephone or fax your Custom CD order. (US/Canada) at (888) 400-2149. What is a "soundtrack construction kit"? Most of our CD collections are arranged into what we call Soundtrack Construction Kits. A soundtrack construction kit consists of one full-length theme and several remixed, alternate variations. Also included are 60 and 30 second commercial/advertising mixes as well as other musical scoring elements like short transitions and loops. The strength of the construction kit process is the similarity of the music within the kit. The themes are linked yet varied enough that you have a package of music to score your production. You are supplied with enough related music that you can give your project a musical identity (for example, see our Filmscapes collection). The "primary" or full-length theme is the major presentation of the music in a particular construction kit. Full-length themes are often 4 to 7 minutes long and have many different sections. They are perfect for theme or introductory music and for closing credits. They may also be edited into shorter segments for underscore or transition purposes. The remixes or variations are new arrangements and textures based on the primary theme. New lead instruments may be used, instruments may be pulled out of the mix, or entirely new melodies may be added. The idea in the remixes is to give you musical options. Since the sound of the remixes is based on the primary theme, the remixes can be used throughout the production with no stylistic clash. With the remixes and transitions, you won't be stuck using one music clip over and over and you won't have to stick together a hodgepodge of musical styles, you can give your production its own musical "voice". Combining the full-length themes with the remixes enables you to give your production a musical unity, this is essentially the advantage you'd get if you were to work with a composer on a custom basis. The composer would develop themes for your production and link those themes throughout the work to give your production a cohesive sound and style. Of course, hiring a composer for your production could cost you more than 100 times the cost of a single UniqueTracks disc. We feel that by using the construction kit process you can build integrated music cues for a variety of contexts.  How do I use the Full-Length songs with the Remixes? One of the problems with library music is that often, if you find music you like, there's not enough of it to meaningfully score your whole production. That's why, in our UniqueTracks royalty free music collections, we provide a full-length theme (from 5-8 minutes in length) as well as several remixes or variations. This gives you options. If you need a long track, say, for opening credits you can use all or a portion of the full-length theme, if you need just a few seconds for underscoring an important moment in the production, then you can choose one of the remixes. The strength of this approach is that all the music, the full-length theme, the variations, the transitions, all the music is thematically related, it sounds like it should go together. Your production will have its own musical "voice" and the sound and feel of a custom score. You can create musical links between scenes and give the production musical cohesiveness just as if you'd hired a freelance composer to produce the score for you. Setting the music is up to you, what we have tried to do is produce enough variations of the material so you have freedom to choose many ways of scoring your production. The use of digital editing software like ProTools, Soundedit 16, Bias Peak, etc. greatly enhances your ability to "shape" the music. Editing music, just like editing picture, often yields new, fresh and unconsidered ways of proceeding. We find that a thorough knowledge of the music on the discs helps your recall and speeds up your work. When you come to a moment in the production that needs music, you know what track you want because you are very familiar with the music on the CD's. Can I create FLASH productions using UniqueTracks music? Macromedia Flash is used by web-developers to produce high-impact Web sites. Pulsing musical tracks, sound effects, gorgeous animations, and innovative interfaces all converge in Macromedia Flash. It is easy to use our music in a Flash production. Some construction kits in our library already include pre-cut loops (ie Groovescapes) but with other selections you will have to edit the tracks so that they loop just the way you'd like them. Most of our tracks are several minutes long and most Flash music loops are relatively short, maybe 10-15 seconds. For best results pick a groove track (a track that has rhythm) and loop the groove into a 4 or 8 bar pattern. Most of our remixes and variations are chopped right at the loop point so they can be easily extended or looped. Using digital editing software like ProTools, Soundedit 16, Bias Peak, you will be able to cut the track into a precise segment, perfect for looping in your Flash production. UniqueTracks CD's are sold as audio CD's and as WAV digital files on CD-ROM, so if you want music for a FLASH production you may be better off purchasing the CD-ROM (digital files) version. You can also choose to download the music in WAV format. Or if you have the software available, you can do your own file conversion and just purchase the Audio CD.
Are your CDs available as digital files on CD-ROM? UniqueTracks CD's are available as both Audio CD's and as digital files on CD-ROM in WAV (Windows PC) format. If you'd like to digitally edit or use the music in a multimedia production you will need the digital files on the CD-ROM versions. The music on the CD-ROM versions is exactly the same as what's on the Audio CDs except it is formatted for computer use as WAV files. The CD-ROM versions are sold as sets containing both the digital files bundled along with the regular Audio CDs. This was done so you could easily audition the discs in a regular CD player to quickly find the tracks you want to use. You can then go to the CD ROM and easily locate the file you want to use.
How do I return to items on my Wishlist when I Note: You must already have an account set up to have a Wishlist. The fastest way to get to your Wishlist is to sign in to your account by clicking the "Account" tab at the top of the UniqueTracks navigation bar. Another way to get to your Wishlist is to click the Shopping Cart button and then click the Account Login button on the navigation bar. Once logged in, you can click the My Wishlist button to reveal your saved song choices. What is the best way to order UniqueTracks products? Order Information Credit Card Orders are shipped the same day you place your order (the only exception to this would be a weekend order, it would ship on Monday). You can give us your credit card information via our online web store or by phone or fax UniqueTracks accepts Visa, Mastercard,
and American Express. Phone orders - call 888-400-2149 (toll-free).
Checks and Money Orders Purchase Orders It is our policy to fill your order as soon as the check or money order clears. Mail all orders by check to: UniqueTracks Make checks payable to UniqueTracks How to use the UniqueTracks Web Store When you are done shopping, click the "Checkout Stand" button. You will be shown an order form. Fill in your personal contact information (name, mailing address, etc.) and choose the shipping method you prefer. Once you have chosen a shipping method you will be asked to confirm your order. At this point your information will enter our secure server and will be encrypted for safe passage from your browser to our server (via the Internet). More about secure server technology. What do you mean by Secure Order? Secure Server Technology
When the key icon on the bottom of your browser is activated, you are in Secure Mode. A "broken" key icon indicates you are in insecure mode. Some browsers may notify you with a pop-up screen that you are entering secure mode. The giant Internet bookstore Amazon.com has reported than none of their 3 million customers has reported fraudulent use of a credit card as a result of Internet purchases. In a 1999 Washington Post article by Rob Pegoraro, David Medine of the Federal Trade Commission suggested that it is much safer to transmit your credit card number over the Internet than to give it to a waiter at a restaurant or read it aloud over a cordless phone -- two activities that are generally taken for granted as safe. In fact, a spokesperson at AT&T's Universal Card division stated that his company to date had not encountered any cases of credit card numbers being stolen during transmission over the Internet. What is your Merchandise Returns Policy? UniqueTracks will give full credit for any unopened and undamaged CD that is returned to us. Please be careful when packaging your return so as not to cause damage to the CD's during shipping. As with any store bought music CD or software product, we cannot, unfortunately, give credit once the CDs have been opened due to digital duplication and the ease with which exact copies of the CDs can be made. If you are unsure about your purchase for any reason, please listen to the streaming audio files on each product page or request the Free Demo CD. What Shipping Methods are available? Shipping & Handling Charges Express
Service New York
State Residents Do you ship Internationally? Non-US Shipping Policies
However, we do not calculate or charge you for local duties or taxes on non-US shipments. You are responsible for paying any taxes, duties, or customs fees charged by your local government. Please check with your local post office for more information. UniqueTracks is required by law to declare an accurate monetary value on all non-US shipments. Non-US Destination Shipping & Handling Cost Schedule We can ship our international orders via (depending
on your choice): To Purchase by Mail/Postal What is your contact address? UniqueTracks Contact Information Toll Free Phone: 888-400-2149 |
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