Copyright Music in app??

[DigitalCorpze]

Hi
I am currently in the process of looking for some music to include in the game i making, but i am inclear as to whether apple has any policies about using "copyright" music in apps.
So i was wondering if i could use a remix of the song 'axel f' from the movie beverly hills cop without getting into any trouble(getting my app pulled from the app store).

Oh and btw i found the remixed version of the song on youtube, so assuming that i had the remixer's permission to use the music, would this be possible?

I look forward to your responses.

[eriotouwa]

Apple won't do anything to you.

BUT

the copyright owner will CLAIM royalties or LICENSE from you for USING HIS/HER song composition and that FEE is NOT CHEAP.

ALL, I mean ALL THE COVER SONGS and REMIXES on the Youtube by the amateurs are all ILLEGAL.

If the copyright owner wants it, they can took down or sue the up loaders.

If you still want to put copyright music, just find who's the producers and get the license and all the legal documentation for it.

If you can't afford... then make an original composition. You can hire other people for this. Of course not cheap, but cheaper than putting "hit music" on your apps. IMO.

[Mariusz Kowalczyk]

You should look for royalty free music and public domain music.

Music:
Royalty Free Music
Public Domain Music Downloads
Leafy Lane - Free music for YouTube Videos - Creative Commons free music.
Royalty Free Music & Songs | Free Background Music Downloads
Royalty Free Music with no license fees!

Sound:
public domain sounds | free sound library
SoundJay.com - Free Sound Effects
Freesound.org - Freesound.org

Always read the license and FAQ, because most of the time you have to credit the author.

[DigitalCorpze]

Thanks for the input guys, much appreciated.

Oh and is music still considered illegal if it was completely remade using different instruments, because for my game i am looking for chiptune/8 bit style music.

[Touchmint]

Can someone tell me where the line is drawn on a "remix"? I mean when have you remixed it enough to call it your own? How do people get away with remixes at live shows think like electronic/dubstep type stuff which is basically all remixes of sometimes quite a few songs.

[dacapo]

Originally Posted by DigitalCorpze

Thanks for the input guys, much appreciated.

Oh and is music still considered illegal if it was completely remade using different instruments, because for my game i am looking for chiptune/8 bit style music.

Yes, it is still considered illegal. I think you need a "mechanical license" to be legal.

[PikPok]

Originally Posted by DigitalCorpze

Thanks for the input guys, much appreciated.

Oh and is music still considered illegal if it was completely remade using different instruments, because for my game i am looking for chiptune/8 bit style music.

Music copyrights are divided into 2 parts, the composition and the recording/performance.

If you remake a song with the same composition but different instruments, you are still violating one of the copyrights.

[lgehrig1]

Originally Posted by Touchmint

Can someone tell me where the line is drawn on a "remix"?

120 years.

Things younger than that may or may not legally be in the public domain. The law around it is arcane and complex - Cornell University has a nice writeup (Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States) and of course the US Copyright Office (and other country's similar offices) can provide additional info.

If you have to ask, though - ask a lawyer. I only play one on the Intertubz. In real life I think I'm a dog.

Originally Posted by Touchmint

I mean when have you remixed it enough to call it your own? How do people get away with remixes at live shows think like electronic/dubstep type stuff which is basically all remixes of sometimes quite a few songs.

a) There are more bars, raves, mixers, etc. than there are lawyers.

b) Lawyers charge big bucks, most DJs illicitly playing music are dirt poor, so the math is not in favor of the house. A few thousand lawsuits a year is basically sufficient to cause enough worry that most businesses will fork over a licensing fee.

c) You are suffering confusion between legal modes (the speed limit is 55), average person modes (it is safe to drive 65), and enforcement modes (cops setting their speed guns to alert at 72).

At the end of the day, only you can decide how much risk you are willing to sustain. It's not likely that Mr. Faltermeyer is going to come after you with both guns drawn looking for blood - your likeliest worst-case scenario is your app getting booted. He, his agents, the movie company, etc. have the OPTION to go nuclear on your @$$, but it's doubtful they'd want to give you that publicity.

I wouldn't do it, because if I'm going to be mad at hackers selling my cracked apps on their website without giving me a taste then I can't very well go around selling other people's IP without giving them a taste. But that's me and, as established previously, I'm probably a dog

[juleshall]

Another very good source for inexpensive stock music: AudioJungle

[JasonR]

Here's a post about how easy one developer found it to add music legally to his app through BMI, in case you decide to do it legally: http://www.iphonedevsdk.com/forum/bu...tml#post292879

[Paul Slocum]

Most bars, clubs, and restaurants and many DJs pay licensing fees to music publishers like ASCAP/BMI. Music publishers have people who scout bars and restaurants looking for places that are playing music (like the radio) without a license.

You cannot legally publish cover songs without a license, although licenses for cover songs are very cheap. I priced doing a cover song on a CD one time, and it was something like 10 cents per song per CD. I'm not sure you can license cover songs for apps on Harry Fox, but you can license cover songs for CDs and other applications from the checkout system on their website. Might be worth checking out if you want to learn more about licensing.