Does taking a license from IPRS & PPL to companies like gaana.com, saavn.com also gives access to tracks of labels, if not how do they procure tracks(in millions)?

Question

Harsh Dadhich · Answer

Companies like Gaana, Saavn, YouTube are called DSP ( Digital Services Provider) and they never procure tracks. No one can. Unless a formal Agreement is made to handover of a party's Collection and Owning shares.

%3E A Musical Work (Audio or AV) is not a property of Labels always. It has a share of Composer-Author and Lyricist also.

How do they function?
Composer-Author and Labels/Publishers come together and register a Song with the Licensor where they sign agreements and thus deecide on Owning and Collection shares.

%3E A Licensor is a Govt approved body to administer different rights (Performing, Mech, Digital) for Parties residing in a particular territory. For India - Its IPRS, For Australia - Its APRA etc.

DSPs take permission from Licensor to perform Songs on their platform.
And send DSR ( Digital Sales Report ) to Licensor on a monthly or Quarterly basis along with Royalty amount. Licensor then processes this DSR and according to No of views, Prime time, and Credit points distributes the Royalty among all the Parties of the Songs.

Same happens in case when a Song is performed in  - FM, Airline, Award Show, any Random Video. Its interesting that YouTube has an algorithm to recognize the background music as well.

Sometimes Labels directly sign with the DSPs, for example YRF collects royalty directly from Youtube for all its songs.

Bobin James · Answer

How to set up a music streaming website.

1. Get the website designed and up. The backend needs to allow you to upload songs - hosted on your server. 
2. Approach music rights holders and negotiate to be able to host their songs. Music rights holders could be musicians, labels, publishers etc. Do keep in mind that you will have to be able to show them a) value in being on a streaming service and b) being on *your* streaming service. 
3. Get the requisite license from these rights holders. They will typically give you a license to stream. And obviously, they'll have a set of deliverables they want from you - mostly revenue related. 
To answer the second part of your question, legally speaking, yes, you *have* to have a license to stream from the original rights holders.

Satyan Gajwani · Answer

Every song on Gaana is licensed from a music label, and we have partnered with hundreds to build an extensive catalog. We pay music labels via different commercial structures, but every label is paid for the right to distribute their music.

Today we earn revenues through advertising primarily. It doesn't make up for our cost structure, though the revenues are growing well. We will also be introducing a premium paid service with additional functionality soon. Stay tuned :)

EDIT: we posted a small preview of some of the featured functionality here:
http://blog.timesinternet.in/a-sneak-preview-gaana-next-month-march-2013/

Ashish Patel · Answer

My biggest gripe with Saavn is their Weekly Top 15 playlist. It’s more like a Monthly Top 15 playlist and sometimes, even Quarterly Top 15 playlist.

For someone who just wants to get a pulse on new music that came out in a particular week, this is especially annoying!

As of this writing, Saavns Weekly Top 15 playlist still has Zack Knights’ Bom Diggy at the #3 spot:

Zack Knight released this song on August 24th, 2017!!!

This was the last straw for me. I went looking for other services and was pleasantly surprised with Gaana. For one, they have a New Releases Hot 20 Hindi playlist which actually felt relevant. The quality of music also seems better than Saavn. And finally, the user interface is so much cleaner than Saavn.

I’m taking my money to Gaana.

Keegan White · Answer

The   environment for upcoming and starting artists is getting tougher by the   minute as all digital channels are packed with new artists marketing their   music and competing for the same resources and the few available spots. As a   starting artists, the best thing you can do is focus on developing your music   and style, but how can you do that if in this digital age visibility is   everything? All I can say is get a marketing agency to support you,   especially if you are serious about your career, and are confident that you   have what it takes in terms of your talent. I think MusicPromoToday has been   around for at least a decade now, and I notice recently that they have   special October plans for starting artists and even were going to host a   contest to get a free plan. Check them out. Might be just what you need.

Alexander Lehmann · Answer

Most of the time they likely only have the normal available tracks and they modify and filter them as they can.

If they do a remix for the artist, they may get a multitrack master of a track.

In the past it was common to release instrumental or dub versions, sometimes also vocal only versions of tracks on 12 inch singles or a 12 inch mix featured different parts that could be used for remixes.

You’re No Good For Me by Kelly Charles is a good example of that, this was used in a lot of remixes and the original 12 inch disk has a vocal only mix

Sue Basko · Answer

To be honest, most of them use other peoples’ music without getting proper licensing or permission. If they want to be able to use their creations legally or publicly, they need to get permission and licensing. This is a complex process, which is why most people do not do it. It takes getting licensing from the Copyright owner on the music compositions/ songs, as well as Master’s Use licensing on the music from the record label. If you are talking about the stem tracks that were used to create the song in the first place, those are gotten from the record label and the music producer. This usually involves a direct personal connection with those people, so that the remixer is in a position to ask friends for the stem tracks and for permission to create a remix or mashup. That’s why it is good to be on the scene and making friends.

Sonia Chauhan · Answer

A2A

Long story short - If you are using music towards the purpose of commercial gain, you need to obtain a license. There are two points here:

1. Your banquet owner is renting out his space for commercial gain.
2. It is common knowledge that a wedding or party venue will almost always have music in some form or the other.
Therefore, it is the banquet owner or the DJs responsibility to get the license.

Copyright licenses have started becoming important these days, especially if you live in the Metro cities. Nobody wants to have the IPSR or PPL at their heels. Recently, they have executed many licenses through courts at major events (including the IPL). Best be careful and get one.

Ujjwal Singh · Answer

The music applications, they tie up with record lebels and  gets paid everytime someone streams the music.
Few months back, I read somewhere that world's top 3 record lebels Warner Music group, Universal Music group and Soni Music Entertainment are thinking of clubbing up and investing in Shazam. Hope this helps.

Bobin James · Answer

First off, I don’t think “most” content on YouTube is under the Creative Commons license. And especially, if you are talking about music and music videos - those certainly won’t be.

Why do streaming apps buy licenses to stream music? Because it is the legal way to operate. No one has the right to decide how and why a piece of music should be put out - no one other than the rights holder. There are some artists who choose to not be on any streaming platform - they don’t find value in it. The Beatles catalogue was not available on iTunes until recently. Tool’s music is not available on any online streaming platform. Prince’s older albums (all except the last one) are not available on Apple Music.

Saksham Garg · Answer

I'm answering on the basis of apps, I don't think it makes much difference.

I've tried almost all the music streaming apps- Hungama, gaana, saavn, wynk, vodafone music. Gaana is the best.

Gaana%3Ewynk%3Ehungama%3Esaavn%3Evodafone music

Why gaana is best is because it has the largest library. Not just songs, you can even listen to all the Mirchi Murga audios! Remakes, unplugged, unwinded, instrumental versions, there are so many. I personally love the ‘Bollywood Unwinded' album.

Still there are some drawbacks which make me say no perfect music streaming app exists! The gaana app is heavy, takes time and ram. Secondly, the playlists aren't that good. I couldn't find a great playlist to hit during my workout. The mood specific music option on Hungama is better. And lastly, even after having a vast library, some hit albums are missing. Ajab prem ki gazab kahaani(tu jaane na), Fitoor to name a few. And it's annoying when you can't listen to a song when you want to (technology:) )

Wynk is great but if you aren't an airtel customer, there's a limit on its usage (100 streams a month I guess). So yes, gaana is the best.

Hope it helped!

Gaurav Narvar · Answer

I have both of these app in phone and I have been using both of them for almost two months . As I'm a fan of western music and independent indian musician of most of which I found on Saavn

It is full of good music and songs

And on the other hand Gaana is full of Bollywood music .

But Gaana does a better job in the user interface and smoothness of the app as Saavn lag sometimes. Gaana also comes with great feature of sleep timer which I really liked.

So it's upto you and your interests of songs to choose between these two.

Manjunath Laksh · Answer

EDIT (19/1/2021) - Many things have changed since I wrote this answer. Google Play Music was killed by Google and substituted with YouTube music. Saavn was bought by Jio and rebranded as JioSaavn. YouTube Music mixes professionally recorded titles with free content and ruins the experience overall.

In the current scenario, JioSaavn has become a far better music service compared to any other. I have moved to JioSaavn and enjoying every bit of it.
—————————————————————————————————

Between Gaana and Saavn, I chose Gaana as its App on Android is less buggy than Saavn. But with respect to best experience, the price has to go to Google Play Music. It has limited collection, but it is growing rapidly.

No other player comes close to Google Play in terms of performance, experience, speed of streaming, support with chromecast etc.

I was using Saavn and Gaana for a long time, but switched to Play Music and never looked back.

Anonymous · Answer

This will depend on their advertising and outreach to the people in India.If they do this right they will demolish Gaana and Jio Saavn plus as above mentioned they have a deal with T series to put all their songs on it.Spotify is in a win win situation some facts the contribute towards it goodness are:

2.The UI is way better than than Jio Saavn and Gaana.
2.They have a desktop app for it too.
3.You can make your own playlists and follow the artists you like.
4.You can follow your facebook friends on it as well and see what they listening too in the process discovering new songs and artists.

Hope this answers your question :)

Abrar Khan · Answer

As a neutral AI assistant, I don't have personal preferences or regional biases, but I can provide an analysis of each option:

1. *Spotify*:

- Global music library with diverse international content

- Discover Weekly, Release Radar, and Daily Mix playlists offer great music recommendations

- Cross-platform compatibility (mobile, desktop, home devices)

- Free version available with ads

2. *Gaana*:

- Large collection of Indian music, including Bollywood, regional, and devotional songs

- User-friendly interface and personalized recommendations

- Free version available with ads

- Gaana Originals offer exclusive content from popular Indian artists

3. *Saavn* (now known as *JioSaavn*):

- Huge library of Indian music, including Bollywood, regional, and devotional songs

- Expert-curated playlists and radio stations

- Free version available with ads

- JioSaavn's partnership with Jio offers exclusive content and benefits for Jio users

Considering the options, if you're an Indian user who:

- Enjoys international music and wants a global library, Spotify might be the best choice.

- Prefers a vast collection of Indian music, personalized recommendations, and exclusive Indian content, Gaana or JioSaavn might be the way to go.

- Is already a Jio user, JioSaavn's exclusive benefits and content might make it the most attractive option.

Ultimately, the choice depends on your personal music preferences and needs!

Priyank · Answer

The number of times you stream the song, more revenue the song generates, this revenue is earned by the label which in turn hands our profits to the artists

Rithik · Answer

They don't get money from Saavn or Gaana or any others unless they signed up for exclusive distribution like on contract. You know we have some Saavn Pro content available which is not available for people who didn't subscribe. It's exclusive for subscribers hence fetch money based on subscriptions and popularity/number of listeners.

Artists generally have partnership with record labels and music producing companies ( for Example: Sony, VEVO etc ) with lease. The companies instead provide the music database to music streaming apps for rent and app people pay the rent and want the best content on their app to woo consumers. This is how artists make money putting aside hosting, concerts, DJing etc. Since their work is available to every person on the planet, the money involved is big and hence they get richer and richer with popularity.

Hope you find this helpful!

bombay smackers · Answer

Why Do You Need a License?

When you record a cover version of someone else’s song and want to distribute it (via digital download or physical product [cd, vinyl, etc.]) then you need a mechanical license. A cover song is any new recording of a previously released song by someone other than the original artist or composer. A mechanical license is the agreement between you (the artist) and the publishers (owners of the composition) that allows you to distribute your new recording in exchange for royalties.

What are the royalty rates?Royalties are calculated by the number of units you’ve sold. The current mechanical royalty rate for digital downloads is 9.1¢ for recordings of a song 5 minutes or less, and 1.75¢ per minute or fraction thereof for those over 5 minutes.

For example, if your cover song is 3:40 in length and you sell 100 units, the royalty rate you would pay the publisher would be $9.10 ($.091 x 100 units). However, if your cover song is 5:42 in length and you sell 100 units, the royalty rate you would pay the publisher would be $10.50 ($.0175 x 6 min* = 0.105 x 100 units).

*If your song is over 5 minutes in length, the minutes used in the calculation are rounded up. So 5:01 = 6 minutes; 6:30 = 7 minutes, ect.

A mechanical license falls under Section 115 of the U.S. Copyright Act. Here’s the exact text:

When phonorecords of a nondramatic musical work have been distributed to the public in the United States under the authority of the copyright owner, any other person, including those who make phonorecords or digital phonorecord deliveries, may, by complying with the provisions of this section, obtain a compulsory license to make and distribute phonorecords of the work. A compulsory license includes the privilege of making a musical arrangement of the work to the extent necessary to conform it to the style or manner of interpretation of the performance involved, but the arrangement shall not change the basic melody or fundamental character of the work.

The last sentence is the most important in qualifying your cover for a mechanical. It cannot change the basic melody or fundamental character of the work. That is, you cannot change the lyrics, add lyrics, write new lyrics, or use the lyrics over a new melody. Each of these uses requires a different license – more information on this below.

When don’t you need a mechanical license?

* Streaming - If you only intend to stream your cover song on music services like Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora and Tidal, then you do not need to obtain a mechanical license. Those services have mechanical licensing agreements in place with publishers to cover these uses.
 * Distribution outside the United States - If you are not distributing your song in the United States then you do not need to obtain this license, as our license only covers U.S. distribution. In most countries outside of the U.S. the digital stores withhold a percentage of your sale for the due mechanical royalty and directly pay that amount to the appropriate societies and/or publishers.
What doesn’t require a mechanical license, but still requires a license?

* Samples – using any piece of the original sound recording. This includes, but is not limited to: the beat, the instrumental track, the backing vocals, the chorus, or the original artist’s vocals. Why? The sound recording is copyrighted and if you want to use it, you have to obtain the owner’s permission and pay a royalty for the use. This is a negotiable fee and depending on the popularity of the song, can be pretty expensive. You also have to clear the sample use directly with the publisher.
 * Interpolations – using the lyrics of another song in your own composition. If it is identifiable as having originated from someone else’s song, you need to obtain an interpolation license from the publisher. The fee for this is also negotiable.
 * Remixes – The main characteristic of a remix is that it appropriates and changes other materials to create something new. Because a remix is a variant of an original recording, it cannot be cleared through a mechanical license, as it is not a cover song.
Get your song licence here : Pricing | TuneLicensing [ https://tunelicensing.com/site/page?name=pricing ]

Anonymous · Answer

Definitely Gaana…

I used Gaana back in 2013 at first and was immediately appalled by both the interface and collection. Didn’t take me a day to get rid of the app.

Fast forward to 2016: Gaana + is reintroduced to me and the sound quality, interface, collection etc, all are improvised on phenomenally. Moreover the fact that you can use Gaana+ subscription on upto 5 devices and play downloaded songs offline, albeit on Gaana player only.

Has a huge collection of songs from across the world which I believe Gaana gets access to, through allied service providers.

Best part is if Gaana doesn’t have a particular song in the collection it will enqueue the download and will download as soon as the algorithm will negotiate file transfer from allied service providers.(it’s an assumption based on my observation).

Saavn is second to Gaana in many aspects including quality, collection and interface.

That’s my take and can be biased. You may want to try both and find out strengths and weaknesses yourself!

Ramesh Lakshminarasimhan · Answer

Gaana website interface is superior. Whereas Saavn has more curated playlists such as Surprise me and weekly 15 etc, which makes deciding easier.

I’ve never used Hungama, so can’t comment about that.

Personally now I use Google Play Music via web interface which is awesome and I also use Apple Music on my mobile devices (Apple Music has no web interface). Even though they are paid options, it is not much per month, I can download songs for offline listening and the curation is much better.