There are many factors that go into how much it will cost to license the song such as:

1. How well known the artist is. Licensing of creative commons music from unknown bands can be free, but a short clip from a internationally famous band on a record label can cost many thousands.
2. The size and type of the audience that will be viewing the production which includes the song. As an example, it will cost more to license a song in a feature film than it will be for a Website that gets a few hundred hits a day.
3. The popularity of a tune, for instance a top 10 hit can cost hundred of times more than a B side track.
4. The context of the use of a song. The price to make a song the main theme of a television show will probably be more than if it were to be used as background music on a few episodes.
5. Keep in mind that some bands don’t even allow their songs to be used in commercials. For years the Beatles would not let anyone use their original recordings in any kind of advertisement.

You can license my music for free with a link or credit to my site under the creative commons attribution license.

Peace,

Dan

The difference between a song and other types of music is that songs have vocals and lyrics that can be sung. Typically the words of a song are poetic and rhyme. The first songs were religious.

Usually songs are written for a someone to sing it solo and then harmonies are added on top of the main melody. There are different kinds of songs such as pop and folk. If a song does not have lyrics and vocals it is considered a “musical composition” or “instrumental”.

Folk songs aren’t just for hippies, it includes any music with lyrics and vocals that have historical origin. These are any tunes that are passed down over centuries and include Holiday carols, children songs, hymns and gospel. Folk songs are mostly passed down orally and on sheet music.

Pop songs are a little different because they are normally recorded and sold for profit as a recording. The recording can be purchased and downloaded online or bought as a CD. The recordings are often marketed by getting airplay on the radio. Overtime a pop song can become a folk song such as the case with “jazz standards”.

I think there is a hybrid developing between the folk song and the pop song. For instance, music that is in the creative commons may be developed with for-profit intentions, but uses the Internet and word of mouth to spread. Creative commons is a new kind of copyright that gives people permission to copy and use the music, but still allows the owner to own the rights to a song.

My site has lots of options for checking out download subscription sites for songs online . You can also get MP3 files of my songs on my home page which are in the creative commons and free to copy and share.

Dan-O

There are lots of places on the Web to find tracks on a per-song or subscription Website. eMusic and Rhapsody are a few of the most popular sites to download tracks for your iPod or other music player.

There are also some new specialty online music shops that offer selective independent music like Magnatune and Fonogenic. If you want techno you can check out Beatport or masterbeat.com.

Also, many musicians are starting to sell their music directly on CDbaby.com and WebsiteMusicPlayer.com. Of course iTunes is the largest store and it sells about 80% of all the songs on the Internet.

Actually, I use CDbaby and its great because if you sign up for their digital distribution program, your songs are also download-able from iTunes.

Creative commons also has lots of free mus9c - like mine on my home page. I hope this points you in the right direction for getting some downloads!

Dan-O