The license is non-exclusive meaning we do not limit the use of your music in any way. If your music is selected for our library, you can submit it to other libraries, resell, or do what you want with your music, because it is your music.

Once you submit it to our library and sign our agreement it is a part of the library permanently. The Maximum Edge production music library is in thousands of ad agencies, production companies and businesses worldwide and it would be very costly and difficult (if not impossible) to remove music from all of these sources once it has been distributed.

We have 2 licenses. 1) Our “performance” license covers usage for background playback in retail environments, restaurants, on-hold systems, plays, theaters etc. For this type of license we split all fees 50/50 with the composer. 2) Our media producer license covers anything where the end user is creating a media production that is unique and distinct from the music itself. This includes television shows, films, websites, videos, dvds etc. For this license the composer receives 100% of all performance royalties and 100% of publishing royalties payable through your performing rights organization. You must belong to a performing rights organization such as ASCAP or BMI to collect these royalties. A comprehensive license agreement will be provided upon acceptance of your music to the library.From time to time we do custom licensing, and we split all custom license revenues 50/50 with the composers. This includes creation of kiosks where music is embedded, do-it-yourself web video and slideshow creation tools, private label CD duplication and other licenses that do not fall under our general licenses.We are often asked to create custom music. If you have a niche or specialty, we may want to commission works from you as the need arises, in which case we will contact you.

We get hundreds of submissions per week, however we guarantee that one of our new media directors will listen to each and every submission uploaded. If your music fits one of our upcoming collections or if you have a collection we feel is suitable for the site we will contact you, usually with 2-3 weeks.

If your music is selected for an upcoming collection we will provide you with a license agreement and all of the information you will need to get your music on the site.

Under copyright law, a public performance of a musical work takes place whenever a composition is played in a public place. This includes usage as background music in pubs, restaurants, stores, on-hold system and phone messaging systems, as well as broadcast television, radio, film, web, and multimedia applications. The music may be broadcast on its own or as part of a production to which the music has been added.Permission to publicly perform a work must be obtained from either the composer (or agent acting on behalf of the composer such as Stockmusic.net), or from the performing rights organization that represents the interests of the composer such as ASCAP or BMI. The composer gets paid either from their performing rights organization, or in the case of online libraries such as Stockmusic.net, through a profit sharing agreement when the license is made directly with the end user.

There are many directions that composers can go in with their music. If they choose to take the royalty free music route instead of the bar scene, it can be quite lucrative for them, though they may not have their name in lights. Sometimes composers are able to be successful in both venues.Most composers belong to a performing rights organization (PRO). There is at least one of these organizations in almost every country around the world. In North America, the main ones are ASCAP, BMI and SOCAN. The PROs oversee the collection and distribution of money collected on behalf of the musicians. For example, when a composer submits their music to Stockmusic.net, they also give us the name of the PRO they are affiliated with. We put that in their cue sheet information in our database. When a customer purchases music from us, say for a television show, that customer can retrieve the cue sheet information from their account on our website. That information is submitted to the television network and a broadcasting fee is paid from the network to the PRO. The PRO will take all those cue sheets and all those broadcasting fees and figure out what percentage each composer should receive. Payments are issued to the composers periodically from the performing rights organizations. How much the composer makes depends on many factors such as how much of their music was used, how many times was it played (syndicated tv show or prime time commercials). Another factor is how large a broadcasting range the network has-was it played on NBC during prime time or on a local access station in Pocatello, Idaho (no offense Pocatello, you just happen to be small.)
Sometimes a different kind of license will produce a different kind of payout for the composers. At Stockmusic.net, we have a second license on our site for Public Performance of the music either in a retail or restaurant setting or for on-hold telephone systems. In this kind of scenario, no cue sheet filing will occur and yet the music is being heard by the public. We profit split with the composer for this license so that they can reap the benefits of those sales.

Another way composers can make money in the royalty free music domain is to do custom work. Stockmusic.net often has customers contacting us for specific custom music. We source out the right composer who works in the required genre and the composer sets their price for the work depending on the details of the music. This can be a very lucrative area for composers who have their own studios and who can be creative on demand.

Submitting music to a stock music library can be an excellent way for a new composer to get their tunes out there in the world. For some, it’s the starting block to a very productive career in music. For established composers, it can be an excellent way to generate money from previously composed music. Stockmusic.net has world-class composers who have been creating fine music for many years and who have chosen to stay in this venue and continue to produce amazing tunes geared towards media projects. They may not open for Lady Gaga anytime soon, but their music may be the piece that you hear in next year’s best ad during the seasons-end football match.