Guest post! Creative Commons Music by Briana Delaney

Hello, Bridget is very sick today and is asleep. (I do know she likes musicals, but I managed to catch her both snapping her fingers and singing in her sleep.)

Anyway, that means she wants me to write a guest post. Will I do it? I "guest" so!

So how about this...

If you put on theatrical productions, there will probably come a time when you need music. However either not having time or not having money may make securing the rights to music difficult. The fact that you likely need what is known as "grand rights" makes this even more difficult. Grand rights is the right to perform musical compositions within the context of a dramatic work. This includes stage performances such as musical theater, concert dance, and arrangements of music from a dramatic work.

What can be done to avoid this conundrum?

It is not okay to just use music (and sounds for that matter) without permission. Do not think this is ever an option. You never know who might be watching your show!

You could create your own, but it is possible that you are missing necessary elements such as the skill to do so, equipment, or time.

Thus the best option in my opinion is to use music that is either out of copyright (though this can be hard to find, or may not suit your production needs) or use music that is in the Creative Commons.

What is Creative Commons?

Creative Commons provides free, easy-to-use copyright licenses to make a simple and standardized way to give the public permission to share and use creative works–on conditions of their choice.

Since Creative Commons licensing can vary, check FAQs for what is allowed and what is not, as well as what is required. Some sites may only list the type of license they use, so here is the official guide to those: Creative Commons Licenses

I have also compiled a list of a few resources for you. I hope this comes in handy for someone!

♫ One of the most famous sites for royalty-free music is Incompetech by Kevin MacLeod.
Music from Incompetech

♫ Another option is Purple Planet
Music from Purple Planet

♫ The next site I am listing is Audionautix by Jason Shaw.
Music by Audionautix

♫ There is also Bensound.
Bensound

♫ Another possibility is soundimage.org by Eric Matyas. This site also contains sound effects.
Music by soundimage.org

There are, of course, others, but these are some I happen to know!

^{This is your guest blogger, Briana Delaney, signing off!}