If you’re a DJ or radio presenter, chances are you’ve received a notification that your new mix, show or live stream has been flagged. Or, even removed from your streaming service of choice for copyright reasons. This is because you don’t own the copyright for those songs. As a result, that perfect mix you spent time creating can’t see the light of day online. This is a real pain point for anyone in a world where playing the music of others allows you to make a living. What’s more, copyright issues in the music industry can be a complex and unclear topic.

At Mixcloud, we take licensing and copyright very seriously. We were founded on the belief that curation is an important part of the music ecosystem. That creators should be able to freely share the music they love. We have invested time in getting unique licensing deals in place and building custom copyright clearing technology. Meaning we can pay royalties on the music played.  Therefore, you don’t have to worry about your mixes or live streams being muted or taken down due to Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) strikes. All while making sure all rights holders – artists, songwriters, record labels and publishers – are paid. 

In this article, we will walk you through how you can live stream safely and legally. We’ll also share what DJs, radio presenters and musicians should know about music licensing and copyright, how they apply to you and how our licensing deals work.

What is music copyright?

Firstly, it is important to note that copyright is a right afforded to music and art creators under law in most countries. It serves to protect the intellectual musical property of artists from unauthorized use and ensures they are adequately compensated for their work.

In every song, there are two underlying pieces of intellectual property that are copyrighted:

1. The musical composition (or musical work): This is the musical notes, lyrics and structure of a song. These are written by one or more persons, as is often the case in genres such as Pop and Rock. Elements like a guitar riff, piano notes, verses and the chorus of a track all count as part of the musical composition. In Electronic music, the songwriter and sound recording artist are often one and the same person. 
2. The sound recording (or master): This means when you take the musical composition and record it into a tangible medium. For example, when you lay down a track either by yourself or with collaborators.

What is music licensing?

Using copyrighted music means you’ll need to license the rights from the person or entity that owns them. This is where music licensing comes in: the act of licensing these copyrights for use. From individual creators, to advertisements or films, most aspects of media that use music will likely need permission for it. 

Performing Rights Organizations (PROs) like ASCAP and BMI in the USA and PRS in the UK represent songwriters and collect royalties for the performance of musical compositions. They make sure that music is eligible for broadcast on radio, TV and when you’re at work. Meanwhile, record labels and Collective Management Organisations (CMOs) such as SoundExchange in the USA and PPL in the UK represent recording artists or labels. They are responsible for licensing public performances of the sound recordings. So, if you’re a DJ booked to play at a nightclub, the venue will need a license for you to be able to do so.

Live-streaming your sets and archiving them, for example, means that the streaming service of your choice needs the necessary licenses to make sure both the musical composition and sound recordings of the tracks you play are cleared. Downloading music online also requires an additional right licensed: the mechanical rights (the right to copy another copyright holder’s musical work).

What is a DMCA takedown?

A DMCA takedown is when content is removed from a website or internet platform at the request of the owner of the content. These takedowns are a well established and accepted internet standard followed by website owners and internet providers everywhere.

When you use licensed music that you didn’t create in your content, because you don’t own the copyright, holders of the copyrights can request your content be taken down. As a result, your mixes, shows or audio content will be muted. This is a measure to protect the copyrighted content from being used unfairly. This happens on any social or music platform where copyrighted music is used. It means that no creators are immune from takedowns.

Why music licensing matters

As a user-generated streaming service, we at Mixcloud believe that music should be shared legally and fairly with creators’ best interests in mind. 

In establishing these foundations, we enable Mixclouders to:

1. Curate music that they don’t own.
2. Create a long-term home for all their shows without the risk of copyright takedowns.
3. Enable artists and songwriters to collect music royalties for content streamed on the platform.

In keeping with our mission, Mixcloud was the first streaming service to clear the copyrights for radio shows and mixes. We did this to enable our community of DJs, radio stations, record labels, festivals and music collectives to express themselves. So, whether you want to legally live stream your event, play music on your podcast or spin some Rare Grooves you found on a crate-digging session during a DJ set, all of that is possible on Mixcloud. Think of our platform as your own hassle-free digital music copyright clearing house.

How you can live stream safely

Now that you know how copyright and licensing works, it’s time for you to find the best possible home for your content. Legal live streaming can especially be difficult to navigate, but there are several ways you can achieve this.

Learn about what you can and can’t do when streaming music

You should know that live-streaming your sets and archiving them means that the streaming service of your choice needs the necessary licenses to make sure both the musical composition and sound recordings of the tracks you play are copyright cleared. This will allow you to make the most informed choice of where to host your live-streams. As well as what you’re entitled to.

Find a platform that prioritizes legal live-streaming

It is important to find a reliable streaming platform that can house your content. At Mixcloud, we have built Mixcloud Live, the world’s first music focused, licensed live streaming platform. We enable creators to broadcast a live stream. Then, they can archive the audio from the stream as a live recording on their profile. That way, fans can listen again. To this end, and to secure creative freedom for our community on a wider scale, we have catered to all aspects of music licensing. 

Whichever platform you choose, they need to be fully equipped to host your content safely.

Create live streams free of the stress of takedowns

Once you have the freedom to create, you can now build your live stream catalog. Safe in the knowledge that they won’t be taken down. A subscription to Mixcloud Pro gives you access to Mixcloud Live and unlimited uploads. This means you can upload as many live stream recordings or non-live recordings  as you want. By making sure artists are paid, Mixcloud enables DJs and curators to be the best possible version of themselves. Future-proofing your content from takedowns. As a licensed streaming service, Mixcloud enables music lovers to build communities based on doing what they love.

We have direct deals with all of the major record labels, including Universal, Sony, Warner. As well as over 250 independent labels such as XL Recordings, Ninja Tune, Mad Decent and others via the Merlin digital licensing organisation. These deals allow the music of artists under these umbrellas to be legally played via mixes, radio shows and podcasts on Mixcloud. We have built a comprehensive system that guarantees we pay the royalties owed. With our custom in-house built content ID system, we use audio fingerprinting technology. This identifies individual tracks within every show that is either live-streamed or uploaded to the platform. This allows us to pay royalties to the underlying artists and songwriters whose music has been played.

Archive your live stream recordings 

When you stream on Mixcloud we automatically save the audio from the recording into your show drafts. That way, you can edit the show with a title, description and genre tags and upload it to your profile. Mixcloud doesn’t archive live stream video content because there is no simple legal way to do so. This might seem limiting to some. But archiving the video element of a live stream (VOD) would break our core principles. That we are building a safe and sustainable ecosystem for music to be played. Instead, we are the only platform that legally and safely saves live streams as audio.

Get even more creative

Now, you can really express yourself. Find new ways of taking your live streams to the next level. Upgrade your visuals with some amazing backgrounds. Or, learn how to correctly tag your streams so they can reach a wider audience. Spark collaboration by bringing in guests onto your streams. Promote your streams and ask your guests to do the same. You can also build a community seamlessly by communicating directly with your audience. Use the Mixcloud Live chat room to talk to your fans and build a more intimate relationship with them. Get feedback from them on how to improve your streams even more.

Enjoy it!

Now that you’re equipped with all you need to know, you can make an informed decision about how to approach your live streams. It’s incredibly easy to neglect music copyright and licensing. But it’s one of the many aspects of the music business that enables the rights of artists to be protected. We have worked to make the process of live streaming as seamless as possible for our community. All while keeping artist rights intact. All you need to do is take advantage of the freedom at your fingertips!