Music

The right music can make or destroy a radio advert. We can't put any music in an advert as the genre has to relate to the product, or matter of the advert. In my opinion, the music used in a radio advert is the most important element in an advert as people recognize or remember a certain advert just by its song.

Without music, many adverts would lack ambiance and will lack the listeners to be drawn into the advert. We all have that one advert we have always remember for example, webuyanycar.com's advert has a catchy beat and  memorable lyrics. This shows that the music and the advert goes hand in hand.

Licensing agreements that let radio stations play songs for entertainment purposes do not cover commercial adverts. Although if a radio station lays an advert that uses an unauthorized music in an advert, the responsible all comes down on the advertiser and their creative team as they are the one who created the advert, not the radio station.

Fair use - It is illegal to use copyrighted content when it exceeds what is called "Fair use". According to the definition of fair use, if core components of the material are used, then fair use has been exceeded. As a rule of thumb, it's illegal to use music in a radio advert if you don't have the authorization and the tune can be recognized.

Licensing - It is possible to obtain permission to use copyrighted music through a licensing agreement. But you will actually need two licenses. The first is from the party that owns the copyright for the song and the second is from the party owns the copyright for the recording.

The 7 second rule - May radio advertisers operate under something called the "7 second rule", or the idea that you can include any song in an ad as long as it is plays for 7 seconds or under. From a legal perspective, the 7 second rule - any unauthorized inclusion of music from a copyrighted song violates copyright law.

Strategies - Although you can't skirt copyright law altogether, there are some strategies you can use to minimize the need for expensive licensing. One other option is to purchase the copyright for the song, but have it performed by someone other than the original artist.

This is the music library we are provided with by college which they have paid the license too.