Can You Use Copyrighted Music in Vlogs - at all?

There's still the chance the copyright owner may not want their music being showcased on a YT channel, despite being paid -- if YT does get any revenue to them. I tried to get the rights to a musical version of a U2 song for a year or more, and was told NOT to place the music on YT.

- Wuf
 
I had a case where music i was using was copyrighted and all that happened was youtube demonitized it and send me an email stating that any benefits from the video would go to the copyright owner and that was the end of it.
 
Definitely agree, but it may not always work that way. Some copyright owners are more protective than others. I'd iike to take a few of my vlog post and make them into an eBook one day, so I try to avoid copyrighted material.

- Wuf
 
If you don't mind the copyright material owner to technically "own" the video that you created just because a small part of your creation had their copyright content in it, then you're all set, no problem.

However if you don't want some other party to "own" your video, then it's back to my initial post - do not use any copyright content off from 3rd party sites, even if it's claimed to be CC. If the creator sells the content to another party, the new owner can always claim ownership. I have had that happen to me before, I decided to omit the copyrighted content using the YT video editor (because I didn't keep my original video, and lazy to download it to re-edit), sure the video was screwed up sound-wise, but at least I still own my video.

So far have been using the free ones from the YT audio library, since it's claimed to be free, and it's their own platform so I think they can be trusted not to do a 180 and screw it's own users suddenly. Which is also another point I use to put in the video description that the music is sourced FROM the YT audio library itself just to make it crystal clear.

With all my yammering I'm not knowledgeable in law and copyright so I may be totally wrong.. So don't quote me. :P
 
I remember reading somewhere that you can use 15 sec without restriction, and with that rule I´ve used a lot of fragments of songs in my vids.
 
The 15 second rule is a myth. If the copyright owner feels you have violated their work they can come after you. The exception may apply to educational situations, but I strongly advise (prohibit actually) my students from using copyrighted material and once threatened to fail a senior if he did so for his thesis film (meaning he wouldn't graduate).

I'll have to look into the change of ownership of a copyrighted material and how it applies to those who have used the work under a Creative Commons license.

- Wuf
 
This is the closest thing I could find,

https://creativecommons.org/faq/#what-if-i-change-my-mind-about-using-a-cc-license

"What if I change my mind about using a CC license?

CC licenses are not revocable. Once something has been published under a CC license, licensees may continue using it according to the license terms for the duration of applicable copyright and similar rights. As a licensor, you may stop distributing under the CC license at any time, but anyone who has access to a copy of the material may continue to redistribute it under the CC license terms. While you cannot revoke the license, CC licenses do provide a mechanism for licensors to ask that others using their material remove the attribution information. You should think carefully before choosing a Creative Commons license."
 
And there's this too,

https://creativecommons.org/faq/#can-i-change-the-license-terms-or-conditions

"Can I change the license terms or conditions?

Yes—but if you change the terms and conditions of any Creative Commons license, you must no longer call, label, or describe the license as a “Creative Commons” or “CC” license, nor can you use the Creative Commons logos, buttons, or other trademarks in connection with the modified license or your materials. Keep in mind that altering terms and conditions is distinct from waiving existing conditions or granting additional permissions than those in the licenses. Licensors may always do so, and many choose to do so using the CC+ protocol to readily signal the waiver or additional permission on the CC license deed.

CC does not assert copyright in the text of its licenses, so you are permitted to modify the text as long as you do not use the CC marks to describe it. However, we do not recommend this. We also advise against modifying our licenses through indirect means, such as in your terms of service. A modified license very likely will not be compatible with the same CC license (unmodified) applied to other material. This would prevent licensees from using, combining, or remixing content under your customized license with other content under the same or compatible CC licenses.

Modifying licenses creates friction that confuses users and undermines the key benefits of public, standardized licenses. Central to our licenses is the grant of a standard set of permissions in advance, without requiring users to ask for permission or seek clarification before using the work. This encourages sharing and facilitates reuse, since everyone knows what to expect and the burden of negotiating permissions on a case by case basis is eliminated."
 
You can fight city hall

My most recent YT post was flagged for a copyright violation for one of the songs I used. Following YouTube's standard procedure they would post ads on my video with profits going to the copyright holders.

Only in this case I acquired the music from Freemusicarchive.org where the track was under a Creative Commons license -

http://freemusicarchive.org/music/J...8_jupiter_makes_me_scream_-_shine_shine_shine

I copy/pasted the very page that listed their license and filed out the dispute form on Youtube. As you may know that comes with some amount of risk if the copyright right holder disagrees with my dispute. This is what's at
stake -

____________________________________

Hi Scooterwolf's Motovlog,

The following claim on video The Rider's Code has been disputed:

Video title: The Rider's Code
Copyrighted content: Shine Shine Shine !!!
Claimed by: RouteNote


Reason for dispute: Used with authorization from copyright holder

I have a good faith belief that the claim(s) described above have been made in error, and that I have the right(s) necessary to use the contents of my video for the reasons I have stated.
I am sure that I own all rights to the audio and visual content in this video, and I want to dispute this claim.
I understand that my video will be viewable by the claimant(s) so that they can review my dispute.
I understand that filing fraudulent disputes may result in termination of my YouTube account.
Authorized signature: [Real name removed]

You are receiving this email as confirmation that we have received your dispute. RouteNote has up to 30 days to review the information you provided and take action.

If RouteNote agrees with your dispute, they can release the claim at any time. If they disagree, they can choose to uphold it, and the claim will remain active on your video. Learn more about disputes.

Sincerely,
The YouTube Team

____________________________________

Regardless, I rolled the dice and filed my dispute. It seems the record label was trying to have their cake and eat it too -- by this I mean they were giving out music to use copyright free, but perhaps hoping someone would use it on a channel like YT where they could then file a copyright claim to gain some ad revenue. That's speculation on my part, but something smelled fishy here. The following email arrive in my box today -

____________________________________

Hi Scooterwolf's Motovlog,

Good news! After reviewing your dispute, RouteNote has decided to release their copyright claim on your YouTube video.

Video title: "The Rider's Code"

- The YouTube Team

____________________________________

Feels good to know you are right in defending your claim. Dropping mic -- gonna go celebrate.

- Wolf
 
It is great you got a result, and pretty sneaky their underhand tactics. I am fine with all the copyright claims I've had on my content as I have used well known songs by well known artists, I don't have any issue with them getting revenue off those vids (not that any of them would get much with the low views I get lol) :D
 
And that's understandable if the music is copyrighted. I try to find copyright free music when possible. One of my aims to to place a number of my videos into an eBook (to be also freely available).

Another thing I notice is the name of the record label making the copyright claim is different than the name of the record label on the website I got the music from. It's not unheard of for a record label to have several subsidiaries, but I thought it was suspicious.

- Wolf
 
Yes there are some cases where the copyright claimer is not even the same as the actual copyright person. Good for you Wife, I mean, Wolf. For myself I rather stay away entirely from the grey area of CC/free license stuff even though you can dispute, it's a troublesome process for me.

My logic is that since YT is offering the free ones on their own platform via their Audio Library, it would be easier to just use whatever they have in there, they can't fault you (via dispute) if you sourced the material on their own approved list of free shit.. I'm not huge on putting music in my stuff anyway so it's not a major concern for me.
 
I've used the YT audio free library a few times, but over all they don't always have what I'm looking for. I'm willing to contest a claim again if the music is presented as a CC license.

- Ex-wife Wolf
 
Ghost said:
Im not sure on the rules in other countries but here you can use whatever you like youtube will just demonetize it and the copy right owner can potentially take revenue from your video post
Click to expand...

Not sure you can use whatever you like as I have had the audio stripped from a video because someone was jamming there tunes too loud and long in my video.

Ah, those early rookie editing mistakes...I learned that lesson quick.
 
@scooterwuf I know what you mean by the YouTube free stuff may not have what you like. I try to get the overall feel of what I am using the tunes to portray. Kind of like painting - I may want daisy blossom yellow but they don't have it so I go for to overall yellow shade and hope I get lucky.

I did find one popular song through checking its copyright policy through YouTube. Check out the confusing "yes" and "no" for Hall and Oates "I can't go for that"!

So I browse the YouTube basement for something with a similar beat arrangement that the bass has in the song I wanted.

So far, ...
 
Too true. I like to find music that support the emotional tone I'm after. Sometime the YT audio library has it, but not always. Or they may have something in the right genre and mood, but it sounds too generic. Find good music is like finding a good shot when you're riding. Sometimes you luck out, and sometimes you just have to do the best with what you have.

- Wolf
 
BluMblRdr said:
I've noticed a few vloggers using music in their vlogs. I do, but mine is all creative commons, although I'd love to use some of my own personal favourites, I'm not sure of the legality. Can you use any part of a song if you give credit or link to a site that sells the song? Cheers, and sorry if this has been answered ad nauseam.
Click to expand...
How do you get the music to just be a soft background so you can talk over it?
 
you should be able to lower the volume on the music independently of the rest of the audio, try right clicking on the audio track and see if it gives you an edit option
 
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