The Complexities of Song Titles as Film Titles and Music Clearance for Your Production?

Songs are something you should take a look at before you decide on a title for your film. There are certain songs that audiences associate with recording artists and recording groups. For example, it would be difficult to call a film "BIG Poppa" without the audience thinking that the film was going to be about The Notorious B.I.G. Then again, does one associate the name with the song or the artist who wrote it? That distinction may be important.

In general, song clearance within films (as opposed to film titles) is often an issue that independent filmmakers face. If you have a clip of your character singing or even humming a tune that has been written by another artist, you must get clearance for that. If you are an independent filmmaker, that little tune may cost you more than the budget of the entire film. As with any copyright clearance, music rights need to be cleared before you go into production. This can be done with a simple call to a clearing house like Diamond Time, a copyright clearance company with offices in the US and in Europe. A simple call can allow you to rule out any songs that may be legally or financially limiting.