Music Selection

Post links to music sources and discuss music choices for shows
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Music Selection

Postby CindyR » Sat Sep 18, 2010 3:51 am

How do yall go about your music selection and where do you get your music? I am aware of the sites that charge $30 per song for royalty free music, but in my opinion that is cost prohibitive for the typical hobby user trying to build a library. Over the years I have collected music with vocals but I need more instrumentals. I don't mind purchasing the .99 songs from Itunes, but I'm at a loss as to how to search for the right kind of music on that site or other similar sites. I don't want to be directed to sites that may contain trojans or viruses as I know there are a lot of those "free" sites out there. The samples I've seen on Photodex's site as well as others has such great music and I need to know how you guys find and select it. Thanks, Cindy

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Re: Music Selection

Postby charlie4031 » Sat Sep 18, 2010 4:44 am

Hi Cindy,

This thread might help

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=13827

If it's going to be just for personal use I would also suggest http://www.freeplaymusic.com

- Charlie
IzzySlides.com - Simplifying SlideShow Creation
New and Updated with new tutorials and tips.

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Re: Music Selection

Postby debngar » Sat Sep 18, 2010 5:26 am

Hi Cindy,

Welcome to the forum. :)

Be aware that if you have not purchased the license rights to use the music you've chosen for your show for displaying on YouTube and website use etc, it can be a breach of the TOS (terms of use). While you may get away with it, it may come back and bite you in the rear.

This is why it cost so much for royalty free music. Actually $30 isn't too bad but understandably that can add up quick! Triple-scoop wants about $60 average for their songs and don't give much of a quantity discount either.

If you're just using the music for personal shows, there are lots and lots of options. Problems can occur when the user wants to display the show with that music in it online or give it to others or sell copies which increases the audience beyond a few people and at that point it might not be considered "personal use". That use can be considered copyright infringement and against the TOS.

For the price of two or three royalty free songs, sometimes you can find a decent collection of 10-12 royalty free songs that makes it worth buying that instead. This breaks down the price per song to a more reasonable rate.

Freeplay has some nice pieces but without paying a license fee, they are basically for personal use only. In order to use them with a show online, the price is hefty.
Debbie
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Re: Music Selection

Postby CindyR » Sun Sep 19, 2010 7:42 am

Hi Charlie & Debbie -

Thanks for the quick replies!

Charlie, thanks for the thread . . . I will will sift through all of those links to see if I can find something I can use.

Debbie, thanks for the tips. I clicked on your website and bookmarked it - very interesting! Hopefully, I will be able to be as skilled as you are with Producer. I have been using Cyberlink's PowerDirector for several years and like how it handles videos, but wasn't very impressed with it's still image slideshow production. I started using Producer about a year ago and was thoroughly impressed with the results - makes me look a lot better than I really am! I don't really have the time right now to sit & learn all the features but really like the stylepacks to cut down on my learning curve. From doing videos with background music, I do realize that music is a big part of the slideshow. I own SonicFire Pro and have several of their collections but wanted 3-4 minute songs and more variety. Right now I am doing short slideshows for my tennis league's website, but I have to put it on the site using a link to YouTube. I have used a couple of popular songs and YouTube let me post them with credits and a little ad they placed at the bottom of my slideshow and I'm OK with that. I read the license agreement for the freeplay and it doesn't sound like that would work for me since I have to go through YouTube and that makes it more public even though I'm not selling anything.

Maybe with the links and info you & Charlie sent to me, I'll be able to figure out something!

Thanks again,
Cindy

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Re: Music Selection

Postby Astra » Sun Sep 19, 2010 11:27 am

Cindy:
CindyR wrote:.... // ... From doing videos with background music, I do realize that music is a big part of the slideshow. I own SonicFire Pro and have several of their collections but wanted 3-4 minute songs and more variety.
... /// //// Cindy

Since you have SonicFire - did you see this big sale they have now ??
http://www.smartsound.com/specials/

As for longer pieces of music, created in SonicFire - you can allways "chain" several variations - or even melodies together - to get required length. ( ...and - you do not need to worry about about Licences, Royalties etc...)
Alexandra

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Re: Music Selection

Postby CindyR » Sun Sep 19, 2010 2:38 pm

Thanks for the information and yes I did see that sale. That leads me to another question - since you must have SonicFire Pro, how do export the Producer slideshow into SonicFire Pro so you can create the music? Maybe I'm thinking of this wrong, but it looks like I'd have to save the slideshow in something like an .avi file then import it into SFP then create the music. It just doesn't seem like I'd have a whole lot of flexibility with the slideshow if then I wanted to go back and do some more editing in Producer. I'd have to open the slideshow, make corrections, save as an .avi, then export again, right?

Cindy

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Re: Music Selection

Postby Astra » Sun Sep 19, 2010 2:47 pm

Cindy,
you are right, SFP does not work inside of Producer (as it does with some other programs) -
- so you have to create music, then insert it into Producer.
But most of the time I did not need to save slideshow and put it into SFP to check.
Just flexibility of getting different length of melody was enough for me.

By the way: if you need get slideshow into SFP - "wmf" format works better then"avi".
Alexandra

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Re: Music Selection

Postby divergal » Sun Sep 19, 2010 2:54 pm

I like the music of David and Diane Arkenstone "new age music." Also Nusound Erotic moods. Not as wicked as the title implies.

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Re: Music Selection

Postby zelda53 » Sun Sep 26, 2010 5:36 pm

I just wanted to comment here because the topic turned to copyright laws when putting shows online. The main reason I was drawn to creating photo shows was being able to buy a MP# track that fit the subject ,mood or emotion of the show. For example: When I did a family show spanning five years I chose Crosby, Still and Nash " Wasted on the Way" and Dixie Chicks "Long Time Gone" which fit the mood perfectly. I wanted the younger branch of our family to remember to keep the family ties strong.

And when I made a show to thank my brother and his wife for having us out to San Fran, I used Train's " Save Me San Francisco."
I know I am going to have a hard time being creative emotionally using generic music. Maybe when I create I can use my music then switch it the royalty free when I put it on my future website, vimeo or utube.
It was even a little tough to create a baby shower show for my last customer using the music she had bought. She's in her early twenties and her music was like :roll: way out there for a baby theme.
Wondering is anyone else feels this way and what you do to keep the creative juices flowing. Great information on this thread and as always everyone is wonderfully helpful.
Zelda

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Re: Music Selection - a different approach

Postby Scouse » Mon Sep 27, 2010 1:54 pm

Like most people here (I think), I don't worry too much about the copyright issue as long as my shows are for my personal use, or to show friends and family. If the shows were going out side that circle, I'd be much more wary.

A few years ago, my wife was creating slideshows for some of the kids at school, and they all wanted Britney Spears, etc, but of course we couldn't do that. I happened to have a friend who is a member of a folk group and had produced a couple of CD's which contained some self written tracks, and some traditional jigs and reels, so I asked his permission, and got it. We simply placed "Music courtesy of the...... band" in the closing credits, and we were careful not to use anything that was written by someone from outside the group (apart from the usual Anon. which is often the case for folkie stuff).

Anyway, I have since asked around at folk clubs when I've heard a performer do some song that I'd like to include in my show, and without any exception, they've always been delighted to allow it, assuming they have CD's for sale. I'm a bit careful about who I ask - I mean, I wouldn't expect the same from Gordon Lightfoot or Joni Mitchell, but then again, they are not likely to turn up at my local club.

I'm sure the same can be said for local blues, jazz, dance, clubs - these artists sell a CD, get a little bit of publicity when I show my slides to my friends/famiy, etc. and I have no fears of the copyright police coming down on me. Worth looking into, and the other benefit - YOU get a chance to enjoy a night or two at your local Folk/Jazz/Blues club (but you should do that anyway - it's lotsafun!)

Cheers
Tom


zelda53 wrote:I just wanted to comment here because the topic turned to copyright laws when putting shows online. The main reason I was drawn to creating photo shows was being able to buy a MP# track that fit the subject ,mood or emotion of the show. For example: When I did a family show spanning five years I chose Crosby, Still and Nash " Wasted on the Way" and Dixie Chicks "Long Time Gone" which fit the mood perfectly. I wanted the younger branch of our family to remember to keep the family ties strong.

And when I made a show to thank my brother and his wife for having us out to San Fran, I used Train's " Save Me San Francisco."
I know I am going to have a hard time being creative emotionally using generic music. Maybe when I create I can use my music then switch it the royalty free when I put it on my future website, vimeo or utube.
It was even a little tough to create a baby shower show for my last customer using the music she had bought. She's in her early twenties and her music was like :roll: way out there for a baby theme.
Wondering is anyone else feels this way and what you do to keep the creative juices flowing. Great information on this thread and as always everyone is wonderfully helpful.
Zelda

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Re: Music Selection

Postby zelda53 » Mon Sep 27, 2010 7:09 pm

Thanks Tom,

I'm glad you were able to find a solution that works for you and some good ideas for me.

Before I started in this business I studied 3 commercial websites that produced photo slideshows. They had a page with a list of songs that work well in different themes , however, it was up to the customer to buy the music. I think one even had a link to Amazon, not sure. One of the sites required the customer to sign a form/waiver stating that they owned the music. Hence, the website would receive the photos, video, and a cd with the music tracks , create the DVD then deliver all to the customer.

I think if it works for them on a world wide web level then I shouldn't have any problem with just producing a few shows a year for customers in my general area. However, from reading other threads on this issue, I am leery about using popular music when posting here or on the Photodex or other websites.

I have been to a few royalty free music websites and everything is so expensive and the music so generic. I think I need to think more about what you said and try to get past this and back to enjoying creating the shows. Thanks again for you input. You know there is a fiddler's group that meets at a local grange once a month. Maybe I will give them a visit. :)
zelda

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Re: Music Selection

Postby bjquilts63 » Sat Oct 23, 2010 10:16 am

Now am I understanding this correctly? Even if I put a show on the Photodex site and it has a popular song on it, I am in copyright violation? If it was made just for family but posted for feedback, that is wrong?
Barbara

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Re: Music Selection

Postby peterphelan » Sun Oct 24, 2010 12:50 pm

It's worth checking in your own country but for UK based folk, this page on the PRS (Performing Rights Society) will provide the answer. See: http://www.prsformusic.com/users/recordedmedia/dvdsanddigitalmedia/Pages/LimitedManufactureLicence(LM).aspx

This allows you to pay a very modest fee for the use of well know artists' material if it falls within the categories shown. There may well be similar arrangements for other countries.
Hope this helps
Peter
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Re: Music Selection

Postby des.tom » Sun Oct 31, 2010 7:45 am

Have a look at this site:

http://www.beckhamdigital.co.uk/royalty ... ic_new.htm

Prices are quite reasonable by comparison - 22 Australian Dollars per CD; 5 Australian Dollars per tune.

Des Thomas

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