In the past here at HPM we’ve published posts on selling your Handpan music via Bandcamp, and making money from your videos using Google’s adsense program. And in a similar vain, with this post, will be taking a look at the idea of selling (or indeed, buying) Handpan music, in a royalty-free format.
What Does Royalty Free Mean?
Royalty-free, or RF, refers to the right to use copyright material or intellectual property without the need to pay royalties or license fees for each use or per volume sold, or some time period of use or sales.
Or, for our purposes here - when you sell your Handpan music royalty-free, you charge the buyer a one-off fee, for the right to use your work without requiring them to pay yourself future royalties (all very self-explanatory).
With royalties being: ‘a sum paid to a patentee for the use of a patent or to an author or composer for each copy of a book sold or for each public performance of a work.'
Selling Your Music Royalty Free
Selling your work royalty-free for a one off payment is something that is ultimately a judgement call. Should some Disney executive stumble across it and decide that your composition is the perfect fit for their next summer blockbuster, a one-off payment, compared to a small fortune lost in residuals, could make you wretch later down the line. But if you judge the chances of that happening unlikely, you’re just trying to keep the lights on and some food in the fridge, or just fancy making a little extra money for whatever your reasons - selling your music in the royalty-free marketplaces, could be of interest to you.
Pond 5
And you wouldn’t be alone if you’re keen. Because over at the Pond 5 website, a New York based online marketplace for royalty-free media - Handpan music is already being bought and sold. Primarily under the ever-popular "Hang Drum" moniker, at time of posting, but also as the more conventional, Handpan.
With royalties being: ‘a sum paid to a patentee for the use of a patent or to an author or composer for each copy of a book sold or for each public performance of a work.'
Selling Your Music Royalty Free
Selling your work royalty-free for a one off payment is something that is ultimately a judgement call. Should some Disney executive stumble across it and decide that your composition is the perfect fit for their next summer blockbuster, a one-off payment, compared to a small fortune lost in residuals, could make you wretch later down the line. But if you judge the chances of that happening unlikely, you’re just trying to keep the lights on and some food in the fridge, or just fancy making a little extra money for whatever your reasons - selling your music in the royalty-free marketplaces, could be of interest to you.
Pond 5
And you wouldn’t be alone if you’re keen. Because over at the Pond 5 website, a New York based online marketplace for royalty-free media - Handpan music is already being bought and sold. Primarily under the ever-popular "Hang Drum" moniker, at time of posting, but also as the more conventional, Handpan.
