Why does music stop when recording video?
Have you ever been in the middle of recording a fun video on your phone while your favorite song was playing in the background – only to have the music suddenly cut off as soon as you hit record? This jarring experience is all too common, as music abruptly stops when users try to capture video. One moment you’re rocking out and capturing the moment, and the next your party soundtrack goes silent, leaving you disappointed. In this article we’ll explore the reasons behind this music muting phenomenon.
Music Licensing Restrictions
When a song is copyrighted, the copyright holder has the exclusive rights to control how their music is used. This includes restricting the broadcasting or public performance of their songs without permission and proper licensing. Most popular commercial music is protected by copyright and cannot legally be used in videos without obtaining the proper licenses (https://idearocketanimation.com/21919-music-licensing-for-video/).
Music licensing for videos involves securing the rights to use a copyrighted song from the rights holders, typically music publishers and record labels. There are licensing companies like Lickd that simplify and speed up the licensing process for content creators (https://lickd.co/licensing). Proper music licensing for videos grants creators the legal permission to use the song in their video without getting a copyright strike.
However, music licensing can be complex, with multiple parties involved in controlling different rights. Not obtaining the proper licenses before using a song in a monetized or broadcast video can lead to legal issues and blocks on the content. Understanding music copyright and licensing restrictions is key for anyone creating videos with popular songs.
Automatic Copyright Detection
Video sharing platforms like YouTube utilize advanced audio fingerprinting technology to automatically detect copyrighted music in uploaded videos and mute the audio when matches occur. As explained on YouTube’s Content ID support page, content owners provide reference files of their copyrighted work, which YouTube analyzes to create “audio fingerprints” and stores in a database. When a video is uploaded, YouTube similarly analyzes it, creates audio fingerprints, and compares them to the database to identify matches. If a match is found, YouTube can automatically mute the audio, block the video, or allow it while tracking viewership statistics for the copyright holder.
This automated detection system allows YouTube and other platforms to comply with copyright law and prevent infringement at massive scale. According to a Reddit user, the system is based on U.S. copyright law, so it applies to all uploaded content regardless of the uploader’s location. While not perfect, advancements in fingerprinting accuracy have made it very difficult to circumvent the system and use copyrighted music without permission or proper licensing.
Legal Concerns
Recording copyrighted music creates legal liability for videographers. According to the U.S. Copyright Office, when you record a song, you may be infringing on two separate copyrights – the musical composition and the sound recording. Simply having a song playing in the background of your video requires permissions from the rights holders of both copyrights.
As outlined in this overview of legal issues in the music industry, copyright owners control the rights to publicly perform or reproduce their works. Videographers who do not obtain the proper licenses can face legal consequences like takedown notices or lawsuits. Platforms like YouTube may even mute or block videos containing unauthorized music.
According to this article on copyright issues, navigating music licensing and royalties represents a major challenge. With two separate copyrights, it can be complex for videographers to identify and contact all rights holders. As a result, most video platforms prohibit unauthorized music to limit their own liability.
Technical Limitations
Smartphones typically only have one microphone and audio system that handles both music playback and recording (https://www.ijser.org/thesis/publication/TH_2NS6O8.pdf). When you start recording video, the phone switches the microphone function from receiving audio for music playback to capturing audio for the video recording. This switch stops any music or other audio that was previously playing through the phone’s speakers or wired headphones.
Phone microphones are designed and optimized for recording voices, not music reproduction. So when recording video, the phone changes modes to utilize the microphone best for speech capture. The audio from music playback would likely be degraded if both were captured simultaneously due to the microphone limitations (https://gotricker.com/how-to-record-high-quality-audio-on-your-phone-for-social-media/). Recording vocals or speech requires different microphone settings compared to playing back high fidelity music.
In summary, the switch from music playback to recording mode when starting video capture is largely due to the technical limitations of having a single microphone system in smartphones. The phone cannot both play music and accurately record ambient sounds at the same time, so it prioritizes the video recording function.
Audio Quality Issues
Having both background music and recorded audio playing simultaneously can lead to audio quality problems in your video. The two audio tracks are mixed together, which can cause distortions, clipping, or muddy sound. This is especially true if the music and vocal audio are at similar volumes and frequencies.
When music and speech overlap in the same frequency range, the sounds start to mask each other, making both tracks less clear and intelligible. The music essentially competes with and drowns out the recorded audio track. Even with compression and limiting, undesirable artifacts are introduced and clarity is compromised.
Smooth, undistorted vocal narration is essential for engaging videos. Viewers will become frustrated and lose interest if dialogue is difficult to discern over loud background music. Maintaining audio quality for speech should take priority over background music in most cases.
Turning down the music volume helps reduce conflicts, but it’s difficult to find the right balance between music and narration. It’s better to remove the background music altogether during voiceover recording to ensure the cleanest vocal audio capture.
Creative Workarounds
There are a few techniques you can use to legally add background music to your videos without licensing copyrighted songs:
Use royalty-free music. Websites like Universal Production Music offer a large selection of music that can be licensed inexpensively for use in videos.
Produce an original soundtrack. Compose and record your own background music if you have the skills and resources.
Use audio from video sharing sites. Some platforms like YouTube offer free-to-use audio libraries you can legally include in your videos.
Add a voiceover. Narrate your video with an engaging voiceover rather than relying solely on background music.
Use ambient or natural sounds. Sounds like wind, birds, crowds, or traffic can set the mood without needing composed music.
Go without music. Let the visuals speak for themselves or use text/graphics to creatively replace music.
Impact on Viewers
When music abruptly stops while viewing videos, it can negatively impact the viewer experience. Studies show that jarring audio changes while watching videos can be annoying or distracting for viewers.
According to research by TechSmith, video quality alone is often not the main reason viewers stop watching a video. Audio issues like sudden music changes play a big role as well (TechSmith). Viewers find it disruptive when the music cuts out unexpectedly while scrolling past a video or advertisement.
Music starting and stopping abruptly disrupts the immersive experience that viewers seek from video. It can be jolting, frustrating and may cause viewers to disengage. Maintaining a seamless audio experience helps keep viewers focused on the content.
Best Practices
When recording video on a smartphone, it’s best to use an external microphone to capture higher quality audio. The built-in microphone on most phones is not able to isolate the sounds you want to record from background noise. An external mic allows you to get much cleaner audio. Just make sure the mic is compatible with your phone.
It’s also a good idea to use a mobile video editing app like Filmorago or Adobe Premiere Rush to edit your videos after recording. These apps allow you to easily trim clips, adjust audio levels, add graphics and titles, insert background music, and more. Doing some quick editing can really enhance the quality of your final videos.
When using editing software on a computer, look for options to detach and edit the audio separately from the video track. This makes it easier to adjust audio levels, reduce background noise, add voiceovers, or insert music beds. Just make sure to sync the audio track back up to the video when exporting your final edited video.
Conclusion
When music stops recording in videos, it’s often due to licensing restrictions or concerns around copyright infringement. Platforms like YouTube use automated systems to detect copyrighted music and mute sections of videos as needed. While this can be frustrating for content creators, there are valid legal and technical reasons behind it.
The main takeaway is to be mindful of copyrights when selecting background music for videos. Seek out royalty-free or original music whenever possible. Double check platform guidelines and consider fair use exceptions. With some creative thinking, you can find music alternatives that won’t get muted. Most importantly, make great content that engages viewers with or without a soundtrack.