Frequently asked questions
What
is royalty free music?
Can't
I use my favorite CD?
Can I use the 'streamed' audio files on your site for free?
I'm
having trouble getting Preview samples to play.
Exactly what is the license Royalty-free.tv gives?
Surely royalty free music can't be free?
I bought a loop, but it clicks when it plays
again - why?
Is it secure to pay with a credit card online?
I can't get the payment to work
Do
I get a Receipt / VAT receipt?
Is royalty free music legal?
What about broadcast cue-sheets?
When & why must I fill out a cue sheet?
Do I pay public performance fees on royalty free
music?
What format are the music files delivered in
- MP3 or WAV?
What about your preview samples?
What is Flash? How do I play the preview files?
I'm having trouble getting Preview samples to
play.
How do I download my royalty free music tracks?
What if I can't download?
The file I bought won't play!
I lost my Internet Connection
How can I download my files later,or download
them again?
Can I share my download with my friends?
Popup pages - why won't
they appear?
What Browser should I use, and how should
I set it?
What Computer do I need?
What
is royalty free music?
Royalty
free music comes with a licence for use in your audio/visual
productions, as many times as you want with no further payments.
That's how you can save money. We have an article discussing
this in more detail, "What
is Royalty Free Music?"
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Can't
I use my favorite CD?
No,
at least, not without permission from the copyright owner
- you get a license from the owner's agent in each country
(for example MCPS in UK, ASCAP, BMI in USA) and these can
be too expensive. Read
our copyright advice
page for more information, found via the site
map.
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Can I use the 'streamed' audio files on your site for free?
No,
any use of these files other than for auditioning the music
on this site is not permitted. We will , however, let you
purchase higher quality 256-bit mp3 files and WAV loops to
use instead!. Read
our copyright advice
page for more information, found via the site
map.
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Exactly
what is the license Royalty-free.tv gives?
In summary our royalty free music can be used for Television,
radio, corporate productions, podcasts, music on hold, presentations,
mass-market retail distribution, Internet and films. Read
our license terms on the licence
page, found
via the site map.
Technically it's a "synchronisation" license to use the royalty
free music in timed relation to visual images, ie the license
you need to reproduce a piece of music in your audio/visual
productions (in the UK, you may have obtained these in the
past from the MCPS, in the US from ASCAP or BMI, read
our copyright advice
page for more information, found
via the site map.
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Surely royalty free music can't be free?
Although popularly known as royalty free music, a more accurate description would be "license-paid music". Not only do the tracks cost far less than many other licenses, but the other big advantage is that once you've downloaded the royalty free track(s), your license covers multiple uses. The license is to you (or your company) not the specific project you're working on, so you can use the royalty free track(s) over and over again, on as many projects as you like.
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I
bought a Loop, but I can hear a click when it loops - why?
All the loop files we sell will loop seamlessly
perfectly, so if you are hearing a click or glitch when the
file starts playing again there is another reason. The easy
mistakes people make that sometimes cause this are:
1 - converting the wav file to mp3 format. The mp3 format
will always insert a tiny amount of silence at the very start
of the file, and this will cause a click when the file loops.
We supply loop files in wav format for this reason - mp3 just
would not work. If you are loopong the music in flash (to
play on a website for example), the best method is to import
the wav loop into Flash. From there you can change the compression
settings to make the finished file much smaller, depending
on the audio quality you want to end up with. We have an article
describing How To Import
Audio In Flash.
2 - The music player itself pauses at the end of the loop,
before re-playing the loop fromt he start, causing a break.
This is a common problem among some media players including
Windows Media Player. The best way to play a music loop is
using Flash, import the wav file directly into Flash and then
choose the audio compression settings from there to compress
the file to the size and quality you choose.
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Is
it secure to pay by credit card online?
Absolutely
- our site uses the latest encryption to guarantee your transaction
is secure.
Your credit card purchase is processed
by www.worldpay.com using 128-bit SSL encryption, the standard
in safe online purchasing. Most browsers confirm this by showing
a small padlock 
in the browser window somewhere during the e-commerce transaction,
so you can look out for this. Some browsers may not show this
immediately because our site uses a 'framed on-screen' environment.
However, you can confirm the security if you wish, here's
how:
Once you start to checkout and
arrive at the "secure payment page" view the page
properties where you will see the connection security detailed,
also the page address prefixed by "https:" which
indicates a secure connection.
Internet Explorer 7:
right click, slect "properties", look at the page
address
Firefox: Right click > This Frame > Open Frame
In New Window, you'll re-open the shopping cart in a new browser
window where you can see the https tag in the address bar.
Alternatively you may wish to
click the 'checkout' option so that it opens in a new window
in your browser (methods vary for different browsers). Please
note - whether you do this or not your transaction is guaranteed
128-bit SSL encrypted and secure, but we like to provide
the extra re-assurance if you want it!
Read
more about this at our online security
page
for more information.
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I
can't get the payment to work
Our
shopping cart needs to be able to identify your computer,
in order to maintain your unique order. You will need to have
cookies
enabled,
in order to use the shopping pages to buy royalty free music.
You should also make sure any firewall on your computer or
network allows your computer to identify itself to our server.
We recommend using Internet Explorer or Firefox browsers -
very occassionally Mac OSX/Safari combination problems are
solved by using Firefox instead - it's free, Mac-friendly
and available here http://www.mozilla-europe.org/en/products/firefox/
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Do
I get A Receipt / VAT Receipt.?
A
proof of purchase with all the transaction details is emailed
to you at the time of purchase, this is your receipt. We do
not issue VAT receipts, as this website is not registered
for VAT. If you haven't received your receipt, please
check your email, including your spam filters. Over the several
years we've been selling music online, we have never failed
to automatically email a receipt to a customer, so it is likely
to be with your email client or spam filter if you take a
look.
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Is royalty free music legal?
Yes - what you as the producer must do is have the permission of the copyright owner to use any piece of music. Our composers grant you the permission you need directly to use our royalty free music, in exactly the same way as if you'd commissioned a piece of music from them. Royalties are still paid (not by you the production company, but by the broadcast company) for public performances such as TV broadcasts. Read our copyright advice page for more information, found via the site map.
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What
about broadcast cue-sheets and royalty free music?
If
your production is not a film, TV or radio broadcast, you
do not need a cue sheet. If you are making a TV/radio programme,
simply complete them as usual and give them to the broadcasting
TV/Radio station, telling the broadcaster the royalty free
music track titles and composer's names etc. This enables
the broadcasters to tell the relevant performance rights societies,
so that performance royalties can be distributed as usual.
This still costs you, as the producer, nothing!
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When & why must I fill out a cue sheet for royalty free music?
Composers are entitled to a performance fee from radio stations, television stations, theaters outside the U.S. for the right to publicly perform their music as synchronized in a film, television production, advertisement or other medium. Licensees must therefore prepare an accurate cue sheet of all music (including royalty free music) used in the production to assist in the collection of these performance fees by the composer or the composer's designated performing rights society. See cue sheet page,found via the site map. Licensees should contact their local performing rights society regarding cue sheet reporting requirements such as BMI (usa), ASCAP (usa), PRS (uk), France's SACEM, Germany's GEMA and Japan's JASRAC. See Performance Rights organization page.
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Do
I pay Public Performance fees on Royalty Free Music?
Not
to us - the license we give does not include Public Performance
rights. Broadcasters pay Performance
Rights Fees - Media Producers don't. With TV
& Radio it is the responsibility of the radio station
or television station to obtain a license and pay the necessary
fees, so if you are the Production Company, you will pay nothing
- but you will have to give the broadcaster a cue sheet
listing all music including royalty free music used (see cue
sheet page). Depending
on what country you intend to use our music in, some other
uses may be considered to be a broadcast or public
performance, for example podcasts, internet, and music on
hold. We really can't do anything about how these terms are
applied around the world, different Performance Rights Organisations
worldwide apply their own interpretations, all we can do is
confirm that our license does cover all synchronisation and
mechanical rights. Check with your local Performance
Rights organization about their policy and rates for other
Public Performances. Further information and advice can be
found in our article "What
are Performing Rights?" , also
on our copyright
advice page.
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What
format are the music files delivered in - MP3 or WAV?
Both!
Our music files are deliverd in WAV 44.1/16bit and also high
quality, 256bit MP3 format.
Loop files are delivered in only WAV format, 16 bit, 44.1,
ideal for importing into Flash.
All our MP3 files are high-quality encoded 256bit files so
they offer good audio quality with reduced file size, or choose
the WAV file if you are happy to have the full quality but
with a larger file size.
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What
about your preview samples?
All
our royalty free music tracks can be previewed using either
Flash (which is most probably already installed in your web
browser) or streaming Windows Media Player. If you need the
software, which is available for PC's and Apple Macs, you
can get them free from our links/resources page here.
Previews of our royalty free music are presented in these
internet-standard formats because they are widely accepted.
Flash is used in 98% of all internet browsers. They're also
fast to use - A few seconds after selection the file starts
to play, enabling you to make an informed choice.
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What
is Flash? How do I play the audio files?
Flash
is a cross-browser software that works with 98% of all internet
browsers worldwide. It often comes pre-installed when you
buy a new computer, but if you are experiencing problems getting
the high quality preview files to play you may wish to install
the latest version - it is free, very quick to install (one
click), and available here.
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I'm
having trouble getting Audio samples to play.
Have
you got the latest version of Flash installed on your computer
(version 9 available free here).
Do you have Windows Media installed to play the lo-fi files
(available free to install here).
Is your company's firewall allowing the streaming of the files
(if not, call your tech. person/webmaster and have them set
the appropriate TCP ports)? Or possibly the internet or our
site or our site is experiencing heavy traffic, in which case
please try again later.
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How do I download my royalty free music tracks?
Once you've been guided through the shopping procedure, you can proceed to download the file(s) you've purchased. Download by clicking on the link you're shown to start downloading - if you're unsure, here are some instructions.
* In most browsers, Left click link, then Click save.
(Save as 'All files' unless browser shows 'save as .mp3')
You can click the links to download WAV or MP3.
When
your download is complete, save the file to your hard drive,
and the royalty free music is yours to use! You'll be sent
an e-mail giving you full details of your purchase, including
how you can reconnect and download later if you prefer. Please
note that the download will only be delivered to the same
computer from which you made the purchase, and also that the
download must be made within 8 hours of purchase.
If
you'd like a "test run" then visit
free mp3 track at
site map to
try out the downloading procedure as many times as you want
until you're happy.
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What
if I can't download?
Most
downloads work perfectly, but occasionally you may encounter
a problem getting access to your download. This is usually
caused by a failure in communication between your browser
and the server containing the file. The most common symptom
of this is that the file appears as a php file instead of
the MP3 you need. The first solution we suggest that fixes
this most times is simply to close your browser (all windows)
and re-launch it. You'll need to revisit the download page
here http://www.royalty-free.tv/download_link.php
and re-enter the two ID codes elready emailed to you when
you made your purchase. This clears 90% of the problems reported
to us. The other cause of this problem can sometimes be caused
by a firewall on your computer or network being set too exteme
- the simplest solution is to either temporarily disable it
while you download, or re-adjust it's settings to a less severe
rating. If using Safari bowser, make sure you are "saving"
the file, not "downloading" the link to it.
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of page
The
file I bought won't play!
The files on our server are WAV 44.1/16bit and high
quality 256bit MP3 files, and WAV files for loops, but when
you choose to download them your Internet Browser may give
you an option to select the file type, depending on how you
have your own browser configured . Make sure you choose file
type of either MP3 or wav (as appropriate), or the file will
be downloaded and saved as another file type, and will not
play. An easy fix, if this happens accidentally when you download,
is to simple re-name the file once it's on your computer,
including ".MP3" (without the " marks) at the
end of the filename, and it will now show as being an MP3
file on your system. For loop files, simply use wav instead
of mp3 when you rename the fle. If you need to convert your
music file to a different audio format, our article "Converting
Audio Formats" describes several easy ways to do
this using freely available software.
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of page
I
Lost my Internet Connection!
If
your download is interrupted for any reason, or you lose the
file on your hard drive, (or any other such disaster!) don't
panic. We email you a confirmation of your order, and include
instructions on how you can re-download this file. You can
download again (if you need to) as often as you want for 8
hours from this link http://www.royalty-free.tv/download_link.php.
If you get repeated problems, email us directly and we'll
help & advise you in any way we can.
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How can I download my royalty free files later, or download them again?
If you have completed the royalty free music purchase procedure
but did not download all/any of your files for whatever reason,
or you want to re-download a file you purchased earlier, that's
easy to do. Simply click the link download
area found at the site map,
where you will be required to re-enter the security numbers
emailed to you when you purchased the track(s). Then you can
proceed with the download of the royalty free music files
you've purchased. Please note that the download will only
be delivered to the same computer from which you made
the purchase, and also that the download must be made
within 8 hours of purchase.
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Can I share my download with my friends?
No.
The music files for the royalty free music on our site are
copyright protected intellectual property. Customers or users
that download music files cannot copy or distribute them outside
of their organization (see our license) without our authorization.
All tracks are watermarked to prevent unauthorized useage.
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Popup pages - Why won't they appear?
The additional track details on your search results appear in a popup page when you click "track details". If you are running popup disabling software on your computer (perhaps to 'kill' those annoying ads that appear on some sites) the page will appear in the main body of the page instead. In this case, you may wish to turn off your anti-popup software, or temporarily bypass it when clicking, most packages allow you to do this by holding the 'Ctrl' key down.
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What Browser should I use and how should I set it?
We
recommend a recent version of Internet Explorer or Firefox.
You can get them & upgrades here for free from the 'software'
section of our links/resources
page at the
site map.
You will need to have cookies
enabled, in order to use the shopping pages to buy royalty
free music. You should make sure that your computer displays
the maximum number of colours, for correct display of these
pages.
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What
Computer do I need?
System
Requirements for Applications that may be needed to utilize
Royalty-free.tv. Links can be found to get the free software
from our links/resources page
at site map.
To listen to
the hi-fi audio samples we recommend you have the latest version
of Flash installed on your computer (available free here).
Alternatively to play the lo-fi samples you'll need Windows
Media installed (usually installed automatically as part of
Windows, also available free to install here)
Windows (PC)
Recommended minimum system requirements:
Pentium processor (or equivalent)
Windows 98 onwards
16 bit Sound Card and Speakers
56 Kbps Modem or Faster
Internet connection and web browser (Microsoft Internet Explorer
or Firefox)
Apple Macintosh
Recommended minimum system requirements:
Mac OS 8.1 or later
16 bit Sound Card and Speakers
56 Kbps Modem or Faster
Internet connection and web browser (we recommend Firefox)
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