Music for Client Projects: Who Needs Which License?

When you edit a video for your own channel, things are simple: you buy a license, use the track, and you are responsible. Client projects involve at least two parties. You produce, your client publishes.

That is where gaps appear. A license that only covers your own use does not necessarily cover a third party running the finished video on their website, their social channels, or in ads. Before you drop a track into a project, check whether the license explicitly allows client work.

This applies to freelancers and editors as much as to agencies, photographers who also shoot video, and social media managers producing content for several brands. If you want a refresher on the basics, read What is royalty-free music?

There are two basic routes. Both work as long as the license terms allow them. The main difference is who holds the proof.

Which route fits depends on the relationship. For one-off projects, it is usually easier if you handle the license and bill for it. For long-term clients with their own marketing team, it can make sense for the client to license directly. That way the proof stays with them even if they switch providers later.

What matters is that you put it in writing up front, for example in your quote or order confirmation. Then everyone knows later who is responsible for the music rights.

Once delivered, the music is part of a new work. As a rule, your client may then use that video within the scope of the license, for example on their website, on social media, or in a presentation.

The scope of the license is what counts. Before the project starts, check that it covers the planned channels. If the video will also run as a paid ad, the license must include paid advertising. Read more in Using music in ads and paid campaigns.

Clarify these questions with your client before delivery:

Many clients want the project file or raw assets along with the finished video so they can make changes later. For footage and edits, that is often fine. For music, be careful.

Production music licenses usually allow use within the finished work, not passing on the music file itself. If you send the WAV or MP3 along, you are handing over the music independently of the video. Most licenses rule that out, even when the recipient is your own client.

In practice, that means:

Months after publishing, a platform may flag a track, or a client may ask where the music came from. At that point, only clean records help. Create a fixed entry for every project.

The simplest option is a spreadsheet you update with each job. Share the key details with your client too, so they can respond to questions themselves. The article How to prove your music license shows what that proof looks like in practice.

Each entry should include:

Music is a real cost, so it belongs in your quote. If you quietly pay for licenses out of pocket, you cut into your margin and make part of your work invisible.

There are two common approaches. Either you list the music license as its own line item, or you fold it into a flat fee for production and materials. A separate line item is more transparent and shows the client that the rights are cleared.

If your license covers many tracks across many projects, you can spread the cost across your jobs. With subscription models, check whether older projects stay covered after you cancel.

Also budget time for picking music. Finding the right track often takes longer than expected, and that work is part of what you deliver.

The Tontable license allows, among other things, client projects and paid advertising. It is non-exclusive, worldwide, and perpetual. It does not allow reselling or passing on the music as such, or registering it with a collecting society or with YouTube Content ID. The details are in the license terms.

Every license has a unique license ID in the format LIC-YY-XXXXXX, which you can look up in your account at any time. The lifetime license costs a one-time €49 and includes every track, currently nearly 900 instrumentals, plus future releases, with no subscription. Single tracks cost €9.90 each. See pricing for details.

To speed up selection, drag a video into the video check: Tontable suggests matching music, and you hear the video and track together. Your video is not uploaded.

This article is a general overview and not legal advice. For specific contract questions, talk to a lawyer.