Copyright law exists to help protect the artists that create music. It’s there to ensure that, if someone wants to play their music, the artist will get paid. For many independent artists, this is a good thing as it can help them get the money they deserve for their talents. However, there is a bad side to music copyright law that could mean many artists are shooting themselves in the foot…
Copyrights limit music exposure
Think about some of the main ways people will hear music. They can hear it on the radio, they can stream it or they might hear it in another form of media. Lots of songs become popular because they are heard in TV shows or films. But, in this day and age, many music consumers will find music through YouTube videos or streaming platforms like Twitch. Here, other content creators might play music while streaming themselves playing games, or they have music in the background of a video. This content is then seen by thousands of viewers, meaning thousands of people are exposed to the music in the background. It can definitely encourage more people to go and find the artists and listen to the music or buy it.
The problem with copyright laws is that it stops content producers from using music that has been copyrighted. Again, the aim is to protect the artist, but does this end up doing more harm? It means that content producers look for royalty-free beats or loops instead, so they aren’t hit with any copyright strikes that can damage their channels. From an artist’s perspective, that means you are potentially missing out on thousands of extra streams from people who find your music via things like YouTube or Twitch content producers.
The benefit of being independent
Independent music artists do have the benefit of being independent and not being signed to record labels. You can see the advantage of letting people play your music without needing to pay for any copyright licenses. Sure, you might miss out on getting money from the licensing, but you could end up making more money because more people notice your songs. This drives listeners to your streaming pages; it encourages people to follow your socials and buy your albums.
If you’re signed to a music label, they determine the copyright laws for you. So, you have no say in what people are or aren’t allowed to play. Of course, you want to protect your music, but for up and coming independent artists, exposure is the main priority. You want as many people as possible to hear your tunes and find out who you are. Letting content producers use your music with no copyright issues is the best way to ensure this happens.
On the one hand, copyright law is good as it does protect artists and ensure they get paid. On the other hand, it can strangle a lot of musicians by limiting the exposure of their work. Releasing royalty-free music is a smart move if you’re starting out as a musician because it ensures many people can use it and promote your music for free!