When it comes to non-profit organizations, there’s no end to the amount of videos needed to keep them running and viable – especially when it comes to promotional and educational materials. If you’re a video professional working with a non-profit, then you need to understand how music licensing works for this type of organization. This ensures your non-profit projects are both impactful, as well as legally compliant.
Naturally, with so much video production necessary, non-profits and their videographers will also need a steady, reliable source of music to soundtrack their creative work. That’s where Musicbed comes in. No matter the project and subject matter, a non-profit can leverage the Musicbed catalog to find the track that works perfectly for their video – all comprehensively licensed for a fair price.
If you want to license music for non-profit projects, then you’ve come to the right place.
What are Registered 501(c)(3) Organizations?
First and foremost, let’s understand what Registered 501(c)(3) Organizations actually are. A Registered 501(c)(3) Organization is a nonprofit entity in the United States that’s been granted tax-exempt status by the IRS. These organizations tend to operate for charitable, religious, educational, scientific, or literary purposes. This could be a state university, a veterinary practice saving abandoned cats and dogs, a research department, a charity that helps the homeless – you name it, they all fall under the 501(c)(3) Organization banner.
The donations made to 501(c)(3) organizations are typically tax-deductible for the donor. To maintain this special status, these organizations have to adhere to some very specific regulations, such as not distributing profits to private individuals or engaging in political campaigns. You may have heard or read that due to the financial benefits and credibility it provides, the 501(c)(3) status is highly sought after in the US.
There are approximately 1.8 million active nonprofit organizations in the United States at the moment and among these, about 1.4 million are 501(c)(3) organizations. That’s a sizable amount of business for videographers.
Why Do Non-Profits Need Music?
Non-profits survive on donations, and in order to persuade people to donate and fund, they need some very effective marketing. By using music, non-profits can effectively engage an audience, strengthen their message and enhance the impact of their initiatives:
Promotional Material: Non-profits can use music in promotional videos, social media campaigns and their website content to stoke up emotions and create a strong connection with their audience. Music helps to highlight the mission and values of the organization, ensuring that their message is memorable and impactful.
Advertisements: In advertising, non-profits will often use music to capture the attention of the audience and convey the tone of their campaigns. The right music can enhance the effectiveness of a call to action, making ads much more engaging and persuasive. For example, an uplifting, hopeful song playing over footage of abandoned cats in need of veterinary attention? That’s going to inspire me to donate immediately.
Events: During fundraising events, galas and community gatherings, music sets the atmosphere and energizes the crowd. Live performances, background music or thematic playlists can all enhance the experience, making these non-profit events more enjoyable and memorable for attendees.
Educational Videos: Non-profits will often produce educational content to raise awareness about their causes. Music in these videos really helps to maintain viewer interest, emphasize key points and create a cohesive narrative. It also aids in making complex or sensitive topics a little more accessible and relatable.
Where Can Non-Profits Get Music?
So, we know it’s essential for non-profits to have access to high-quality music that can enhance their messaging and reach. But how can you license music for non-profits?
Musicbed has long been a top choice for many non-profits thanks to a number of factors. With over 60,000 songs from 1,500 artists, variety and quality are the hallmarks which keep non-profit videographers supplied with everything they need when it comes to music licensing for charities. There’s also the ease of use, with songs available for download at the click of a button, as well as an array of tools and filters that can help you navigate the extensive catalog and really hone in on what you’re looking for.
If you can’t find what you’re looking for, we have a team of dedicated professionals on hand to help you in the search, or perhaps even work on a custom piece of music with one of our artists.
How to License Music for My Non-Profit?
In terms of non-profit music licensing options, there are two ways to go about it. On the one hand, you can obtain a non-profit single song license that covers a single track on one project. However, if you think you’ll be working on various different projects and using multiple tracks (in our experience, this is often the case for non-profit videographers), then a Musicbed subscription makes more sense for the long term.
Depending on the size of your non-profit organization, you’ll need either a business or enterprise subscription (more on that below). Once you’ve subscribed, it’s a very simple process. All you need to do is browse through our catalog, find the song you’d like to use and click the download button.
What Single Song License Do I Need for a Registered 501(c)(3) Non-Profit or the International Equivalent?
A registered 501(c)(3) Non-Profit organization (US) or a registered Charity organization (International Equivalent) with 50 employees or less can select the Non-profit single song license type. The employee count used should be the global employee count of the organization publishing the video, including all full and part-time employees. For multiple and on-going projects where many music tracks may be needed, consider signing up to the business subscription tier.
If the non-profit or charity organization that you’re working for has over 50 employees, then the Enterprise license is needed instead. The price can be negotiated with an Account Executive on our Licensing Team based on the specifics of each project and your planned usage.
Wrapping up
If you’re a videographer looking to license music for registered charities and other non-profit organizations, using Musicbed is the smart choice. Whether it’s a music license for educational institutions who are creating a promotional video, or music licensing for charities looking to host a fundraising event, every track can be acquired legally from our extensive catalog with minimum hassle.
When creating videos for non-profits, it’s important to license the featured music correctly, in order to protect both yourself as a videographer and also the organization from any potential legal disputes that can lead to serious financial penalties
Musicbed enables you to spend less time worrying about music licensing and more time focused on the creative project.
