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· 13 Apr 2021

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Why you need to learn about music licenses before starting an Internet radio station

One of the first challenges faced by newcomers in terms of online radio is to find songs to complete the musical programming of their station. Most people start by searching for free music for online radio. And you'll probably find even royalty free music search results. But do not be mistaken. Streaming music via online radio is very different from listening to music online. You can't just go to YouTube or Spotify and play your favorite songs on your station RFM .

Why not? The short answer is: Music license.

What you need to know about music licenses for your online radio - different options
We will not go into the full explanation of music royalties and licensing rules here, but the key point to remember is that radio stations must pay a fee to broadcast music. (If you have an Airtime Pro or other Internet radio station, it means you.) The amount you pay and the licensing agency from which you must purchase a license depends on several factors, including:

The country where you live
Countries to which you broadcast
The kind of music you want to play
If your online station accepts advertising

Even Creative Commons licensed songs have specific terms of use. While CC0 or CC-BY licensed songs may be considered largely safe to use, it is best to check with the artist or consult a lawyer before starting to listen to them on your station.

But do not despair. There's some good music out there waiting to be found. A number of sites offer subscriptions and other types of packages that allow you to stream emerging independent artists for a lump sum fee that won't ruin you. We have listed below some of the best choices.

Find a license package that matches your Internet radio station

Bandcamp: exists since 2008 and claims to house more than 12,000 unsigned groups in all genres. Artists can sell their music here, and even goods such as t-shirts and vinyl. Bandcamp payments are favourable to artists. They take 15% of sales (compared to 30% usual on a service like iTunes) and a 10% discount on merchandise. The music you buy from Bandcamp artists is subject to a number of usage restrictions; see example scenario here.

Jamendo: A Luxembourg-based music community released under Creative Commons licenses. It has 4 million members and more than 40,000 artists on its platform. You can purchase individual licenses or subscriptions from Jamendo itself.

Soundcloud: a must-see place for independent groups. It's easy to find and track new musicians here, and the site recommendation algorithm is a real highlight, ensuring that you will be notified of emerging artists with the type of sounds you are looking for. Note that you can use Soundcloud to search for “cc0”, “creative commons”, “free music”, “copyright free”, etc.., but even in this case, each track will have its own copyright information, and many of them will not be totally free.

Hype Machine: To keep abreast of emerging trends and read the latest reviews from independent groups, Brooklyn-based Hype Machine should be one of your first stops. It impressively gathers the content of hundreds of music sites and independent blogs. Unlike other music sites, their offer also includes other creative resources, from archive photos to web templates. Their price list is here.

Tribe of Noise welcomes more than 34,000 composers, songwriters, producers and performers from 194 countries. They recently acquired the famous New Jersey radio station WFMU's Free Music Archive, an online music repertoire with over 100,000 recordings. But free music in this case looks more like freedom of expression than free beer. Ton focuses on compensating artists for their work; here's an overview of the licenses they offer. Finally, don't question older sites like Tumblr and Myspace. Both were once popular social networks and are still lively places where independent bands maintain pages and bloggers write about their latest musical discoveries.