Podsafe music is music which is safe to broadcast over the internet through podcasts. The term Podsafe is a broad term that may refer to any one of many given licenses granting permission for use of music explicitly in podcast broadcasting, although the use of said music may not be implicit to other forms of broadcasting such as radio or television. Many of these licenses, but not all, are valid generally upon the satisfaction of giving attribution to the artist or creator, and an implied agreement to noncommercial use of the works.
The use of music which is not considered to be podsafe could result in legal action, fines, or retribution for works used. Now as many podcasters are beginning to look to turning a profit from their podcasting, the distinction between what would be considered noncommercial and what would be considered commercial is becoming a little more vague.
Unfortunately as podcasting continues to grow wildly in popularity the use of music which is not licensed and is not podsafe continues to grow as well. Many of these podcasters may not even be aware that the music that they use is not properly licensed for podcasting. It wouldn't be surprising that if in the future the RIAA would begin to aggressively target podcasters, both those who willingly infract on artists' licensing rights, and those who unknowingly do so.
The use of music in podcasting is varied ranging from daily radio shows, sampler shows, band reviews, and simple background music. For those who have decided to use music which has been established as podsafe there are several web sites, where aspiring and established podcasters can go, that list and offer podsafe music. Most notable, and my personal favorite, is GarageBand.com, a fantastic website for aspiring artists, clearly has music marked whether or not it is under a Creative Commons License. Another site with a large availability of podsafe music is PodsafeAudio.com.
The single general rule of using music in your podcast should be that if you're not sure if it's podsafe, then don't use it. It's better to be safe than sorry. Nobody wants a wonderful hobby to turn into a financial liability, considering the fact that over the past decade the RIAA has turned from a simple guard dog into a ravenous and rabid 800 pound bear, who would want to chance it.
The use of music which is not considered to be podsafe could result in legal action, fines, or retribution for works used. Now as many podcasters are beginning to look to turning a profit from their podcasting, the distinction between what would be considered noncommercial and what would be considered commercial is becoming a little more vague.
Unfortunately as podcasting continues to grow wildly in popularity the use of music which is not licensed and is not podsafe continues to grow as well. Many of these podcasters may not even be aware that the music that they use is not properly licensed for podcasting. It wouldn't be surprising that if in the future the RIAA would begin to aggressively target podcasters, both those who willingly infract on artists' licensing rights, and those who unknowingly do so.
The use of music in podcasting is varied ranging from daily radio shows, sampler shows, band reviews, and simple background music. For those who have decided to use music which has been established as podsafe there are several web sites, where aspiring and established podcasters can go, that list and offer podsafe music. Most notable, and my personal favorite, is GarageBand.com, a fantastic website for aspiring artists, clearly has music marked whether or not it is under a Creative Commons License. Another site with a large availability of podsafe music is PodsafeAudio.com.
The single general rule of using music in your podcast should be that if you're not sure if it's podsafe, then don't use it. It's better to be safe than sorry. Nobody wants a wonderful hobby to turn into a financial liability, considering the fact that over the past decade the RIAA has turned from a simple guard dog into a ravenous and rabid 800 pound bear, who would want to chance it.
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