[asterisk-users] Royalty for On Hold Music ?

[Jared Smith]

On Tue, 2007-07-31 at 06:36 +0100, Deepak Naidu wrote:
> I think we need to pay for the later, but I am not sure if we need to
> pay for the inbuilt asterisk(freepbx) on hold music.

I'm no lawyer, but here's what I understand.  (Please consult with an
attorney in your area, and don't consider this legal advice.)

The hold music that comes with Asterisk is provided by Digium under
license from Freeplay Music Corporation for use in conjunction
with the Asterisk software only.  It's my understanding that you don't
have to pay any kind of royalties to use it, as long as you're using it
with Asterisk.

You *do* have to pay royalties on music (or MP3 files) by commercial
artists.  These royalties vary by country.  Using commercial music as
hold music is considered broadcasting the music, which requires
different licensing arrangements with the copyright holder.  In the
United States, you can buy a license from ASCAP (the American Society of
Composers, Authors, and Publishers) to be able to broadcast music from
the major record labels.

There are also several other places you can get royalty-free music for
hold music.  I've had good luck looking online, especially at sites like
MagnaTune.



-- 
Jared Smith
Community Relations Manager
Digium, Inc.