How to license music for your app and ask the right questions

If you’re trying to figure out how to license music for your app, you may be asking the wrong questions. In fact, it’s likely that you’d get more from seeking out a music licensing partner with the knowledge and experience to ask you the questions. The best music solutions include a data-driven approach and provide you with insights about the music and licensing services they recommend for maximum success on your app. 

Asking the right questions means opening up a dialogue so that you can learn from the music solutions provider and they can learn from you. Sometimes, this means letting go of some preconceptions and expectations, and allowing the conversation and exchange of information to evolve organically.

For example, instead of asking:
“Can you get me Beyoncé’s ‘Crazy in Love’?”
You could ask:
“Can your music catalogs deliver the right music for my audience?” 

Instead of asking:
“What’s popular with Gen Z right now?”
You could ask:
“How can I determine the best music for my app’s demographics?”

Rather than asking:
“How much will I need to pay in music licensing fees?”
You could ask
“What are the services and options included in your unified music system?”

Instead of asking:
“Do you have royalty-free music?”
You could ask:
“What kinds of music are available and how might they fit with my licensing and budget needs?”

When you are shopping music licensing companies, it’s important to remember that your business is unique, and you deserve a music solution that appreciates and understands the intricacies of your product, your customers, and your brand. As we all know, “one size fits all” tends not to fit anyone perfectly.

When you’re working out how to license music for your business, a knowledgeable and experienced music partner can pose the kinds of informed questions that will result in a harmonious fit with your company’s vision and goals.

A great music solution will solve problems you haven’t even thought of

When you’re trying to figure out how to license music, sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know, and that’s the perfect time to have an expert in your corner. Just like you’d seek out a stockbroker for advice on how to wisely invest your money, an experienced music streaming service can create value for your business with their expertise. You may think you know the genres, artists, or songs you need music rights for, but there may be priceless data available that could guide your music licensing choices more effectively.

Working with the right music partner can provide unimagined opportunities and possibilities that present a clear market advantage for your business. For example, the Feed.fm unified music system offers the option for filtering explicit content from popular music, and an MPAA-style music rating system to categorize musical tracks (e.g., G, PG, etc.) to better align the music with your brand.

When people think about music for businesses and apps, they often come in with certain assumptions that may or may not hold. Subjective opinions and experiences with music aren’t the most reliable signposts when licensing music for commercial use. Data-driven processes, however, can pave a clear path forward.

CityRow partnered with Feed.fm for our licensing and curation expertise, and found that the data insights available could push their success even further. For example, they learned that their users really cared about being able to adjust the music volume and instructor voice volume independently. By offering that function in their devices and apps, CityRow personalized the in-app music experience for users and increased user satisfaction. A music solution that leverages evidence-based knowledge on behalf of your app opens the door to unprecedented music-led growth for your business. 

Feed.fm’s unified music system has the answers you’re looking for

With over ten years of experience in music licensing for business, Feed.fm not only knows all the right questions to ask, but we have the answers too. Our seamless experience wraps up music licensing, curation, and streaming into one neat package, giving your business access to a rich library of music and a treasure trove of user data. With an emphasis on customization for your business and personalization for your users, Feed.fm has carefully thought through and addressed every aspect of the in-app music experience.

Our music specialists are ready to deep dive into creating the optimal music solution for your business needs. Give Feed.fm a shout and let us help make your app shine.

Disclaimer: Please note this article not a substitute for legal advice,