About

I am a programmer and I make music. I don't know why.

Gaming

XBOX GamerTag:
SaschaEnde
Nintendo Switch:
SW-1755-1225-1809
4 days ago

It's rare, but today somebody got a false claim on a video with my music. So I had an idea....

It does not happen often, luckily, but If you got any problems with Youtube Content ID and using my music, you can now just use my new Youtube Dispute Generator:
https://filmmusic.io/tools/you...

When you are logged in, it will also fill the text with additional information.

It can't be easier now :)

(I will also track the use, so I can see if there are any REAL problems)

New Website Design

Today the new website design was launched. A good clean start for new things.

Wednesday, February 28th, 2024

Based on my observations of the current exponential development and the results of my recent tests, I can now assert with 99% certainty the following prognostications for the music industry:

- The market for subscription-based library music is poised for obsolescence.
- Corporations will cease purchasing music licenses, given the feasibility of generating high-quality music.
- The creation of advertising jingles, including those with vocals, will be achievable in mere clicks, significantly reducing the fees that music producers can command.
- Analogous to the current situation with images, expenditure on music licenses will become a rarity.
- At least 90% of all commercial music studios will struggle to earn sufficient revenue for sustenance.
- Services like Spotify will be inundated with AI-generated music, which is increasingly indistinguishable from human-composed music (a trend that is already commencing).
- Consequently, manufacturers of digital musical instruments will experience a marked decline in sales.
- Music mastering, which has been predominantly better, faster, and more cost-effective when performed by AI for some time, will continue to evolve in this direction.
- AI services will automatically generate highly professional, detailed sound designs for silent videos based on the video content.
- The question remains as to what roles professional studios will retain—recording? Even this task is now achievable with comparable quality in home studios, and AI services are further optimizing the outcomes.

Although I have always pursued music as a sideline hobby, and thus am only peripherally affected, I am profoundly pessimistic about the future of the entire music market. I am particularly concerned for professional music studios. Within the next 12 months, we can expect the first noticeable changes, with dramatic transformations anticipated over the next 36 months.

Tuesday, February 27th, 2024

I played around with the current state of AI technology and looked at what is now possible in terms of music technology. I generated a text with chatGPT and used this text to generate the same song in 6 different music genres.
Music AND vocals are 100% AI-generated. Really, I only wrote prompts for the A.I.
It's fascinating and frightening at the same time.
Listen, test and download: https://filmmusic.io/song/1219...

Monday, February 26th, 2024

I have now introduced transparency information on the website. For songs where A.I. was used for the most part during production, there is now a clear indication with an "A.I." icon. So if you always want "handmade" music from me, only from my human brain, you can control this via the filter in future.

Saturday, February 17th, 2024

I am pleased to introduce an advanced artificial intelligence system designed to respond to your inquiries with precision and efficiency. Access to personalized responses from this AI will be contingent upon your support level, as determined by our donation badge system. For direct personal support from me, a minimum of a Patron badge is required, which corresponds to the acquisition of one license at the standard price. Here's an overview of the access levels:

Ally: Responses generated by the AI.
Contributor: Responses generated by the AI.
Patron: Personalized support directly from me.
Champion: Personalized support directly from me.
Pioneer: Personalized support directly from me.
I deeply value your ongoing support and look forward to providing you with both our AI technology and my personal expertise.

Send messages here: https://filmmusic.io/imprint

Friday, February 16th, 2024

Due to health reasons, there will also be no new music this Sunday. Sorry.

Saturday, February 10th, 2024

Due to health reasons, there will be no new music this Sunday. I believe things will resume next week.

Sunday, February 4th, 2024

Im digitalen Zeitalter, wo das Teilen von Informationen, Bildern und Musik so einfach wie nie zuvor ist, stößt das Verständnis und die Wertschätzung des Urheberrechts auf erhebliche Herausforderungen. Trotz zahlreicher Kampagnen und Bildungsinitiativen scheint ein grundlegendes Missverständnis darüber, was Urheberrecht bedeutet und warum es wichtig ist, weit verbreitet zu sein. Dies geht einher mit einer oft geringen Wertschätzung der Arbeit von Künstlerinnen und Künstlern. Die Gründe hierfür sind vielfältig und komplex, und eine Aufklärung auf individueller Ebene erscheint zunehmend als eine Sisyphusarbeit.

Ein Hauptgrund für das fehlende Verständnis des Urheberrechts ist die Natur des Internets selbst. Die digitale Welt macht es unglaublich einfach, Inhalte zu kopieren, zu teilen und zu verbreiten, ohne dass dabei sichtbare Spuren hinterlassen werden. Viele Nutzerinnen und Nutzer verstehen nicht, dass hinter jedem Bild, Lied oder Text, den sie online teilen, tatsächlich jemand steht, der Zeit, Mühe und oft auch Geld investiert hat, um dieses Werk zu schaffen. Die Anonymität und Leichtigkeit des Teilens im digitalen Raum entpersonalisiert die künstlerische Arbeit und führt zu einer Entwertung.

Mit dem Aufkommen von Streaming-Diensten und der ständigen Verfügbarkeit von kostenlosen Inhalten im Internet haben sich die Erwartungen vieler Menschen dahingehend verschoben, dass sie glauben, Zugang zu jeglicher Form von Kunst und Unterhaltung sei ein kostenloses Recht. Diese Mentalität untergräbt die Anerkennung der künstlerischen Arbeit als etwas, das Wert hat und daher auch eine entsprechende Entlohnung verdient.

Die Aufklärung von Einzelpersonen über die Bedeutung und Wichtigkeit des Urheberrechts stellt sich als besonders schwierig dar. Erstens gibt es eine natürliche Resistenz gegenüber Botschaften, die als Einschränkung der eigenen Freiheit wahrgenommen werden könnten. Zweitens sind die Konzepte des Urheberrechts oft abstrakt und nicht unmittelbar einsichtig, was sie schwer zu vermitteln macht. Drittens ist die schiere Masse an Menschen, die aufgeklärt werden müssten, überwältigend, da das Internet eine globale Plattform ist.

Angesichts dieser Herausforderungen erscheint es sinnlos, allein auf die Aufklärung von Einzelpersonen zu setzen. Vielmehr bedarf es eines systemischen Ansatzes, der sowohl Bildungsinitiativen auf breiter Basis umfasst als auch die Schaffung und Durchsetzung von Gesetzen und Richtlinien, die den Schutz geistigen Eigentums effektiv gewährleisten. Darüber hinaus ist es wichtig, dass Plattformen und Dienste, die digitale Inhalte verbreiten, in die Verantwortung genommen werden und aktiv an der Aufklärung ihrer Nutzerbasis mitwirken.
Die Anerkennung und Wertschätzung künstlerischer Arbeit sowie ein umfassendes Verständnis des Urheberrechts sind wesentliche Säulen einer kulturell reichen und fairen Gesellschaft. Der Weg dorthin erfordert jedoch ein Umdenken auf vielen Ebenen und eine gemeinschaftliche Anstrengung, die über das bloße Ansprechen von Einzelpersonen weit hinausgeht.

Saturday, February 3rd, 2024

- I added a "License Check" tool. so you can verify every license now: https://filmmusic.io/tools/lic...
- You will also find a verify link in your extended licenses section: https://filmmusic.io/user/exte...
- Extended license documents now also contain the verification link

Example: https://filmmusic.io/tools/lic...

Friday, February 2nd, 2024

Update:

- New Menu Section: Filmmusic.io -> News & Updates
- When searching for music, you do not have to press the button "Search" anymore. Search will be automatically triggered when you change something.

Thursday, February 1st, 2024

Finally, the "I promote other artists' music" era has come to an end. I'm really so happy to finally have time for myself again.

Anyway, A.I. will have a huge impact on the musivc business, soon. "71% of music creators fear multi-billion dollar music AI business could stop songwriters from earning a living, says new report"
https://completemusicupdate.co...

Wednesday, January 24th, 2024

A Cautionary Note on Pixabay: The Public Domain Implications

When it comes to sourcing free, high-quality content for creative projects, Pixabay stands out as a go-to platform for many. However, there’s an important aspect of Pixabay's licensing that content creators need to be keenly aware of. In this article, we’ll dive into the implications of uploading content to Pixabay and how its licensing terms affect your work.

The Public Domain Reality and Licensing Conflicts

When you upload content to Pixabay, it automatically becomes part of the public domain. This means that your work is freely available for anyone to use, modify, and distribute without permission or attribution. But there's a twist: some users have discovered content on Pixabay that was originally published elsewhere under different licensing terms. This raises important questions about the origin and licensing of the content found on Pixabay and underscores the need for vigilance and due diligence when using the platform.

The Scope of the Content License

--> https://pixabay.com/service/license-summary/

Pixabay’s content license is quite broad and user-friendly. According to their license summary, users are allowed to:

- Use Content for Free: There’s no cost attached to downloading or using content from Pixabay.
- No Attribution Required: You can use content without crediting the author, which is not common with most free content platforms.
- Modify or Adapt Content: Users are free to alter, transform, or build upon the content to create new works.

What This Means for Content Creators

If you're considering uploading your work to Pixabay, it’s essential to realize that you are relinquishing a significant amount of control over your content. Once it’s uploaded:

- It’s No Longer Yours Alone: Your work becomes a communal asset that anyone, anywhere, can use for any purpose.
- No Credit Required: While this can increase the likelihood of your work being used, it also means you won’t necessarily receive recognition for your creation.
- Endless Modifications: Others can modify your work in ways you may not approve of, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

So be REALLY careful :)

Tuesday, January 23rd, 2024

I do like numbers and statistics... okay, I'm a programmer and I enjoy doing SEO (Search Engine Optimization) ... 😉 Just today, up to this point, 94.67% of all downloads on filmmusic.io were solely for my music - even though the music of other artists is still accessible. For example, you can access it by directly calling up the artists, finding them through Google, or clicking on the music link under a video. Registered users can still find the music of other artists on their dashboards after logging in.

When you look at the overall statistics of the website in the first image and consider that I moved the other artists to a separate area more than 2 weeks ago - even I am visibly surprised. It is simply absolutely unchanged and constant with the normal fluctuations.
In the second image, you can clearly see how all the traffic (downloads and plays) has completely shifted to my own music.

What surprises me even more: In the last two weeks, user registrations have tripled in just under 5 days and are now maintaining at this high level. And this is despite the fact that I have re-enabled guest downloads two weeks ago, which usually causes registrations to plummet.
The increase in registrations may possibly be related to the new model for extended licenses - the fact that users can now determine their own price may have sparked a sense of play.
I'm curious to see how the new strategy of 'releasing a new song every Sunday' affects visitor numbers. Will there now be a big rush every Sunday, or will it not have any direct impact? I find all this very exciting.

Monday, January 22nd, 2024

A Last Reminder....

Hello Artists of Filmmusic.io!

It's Sascha Ende here, your friendly neighborhood composer and occasional bearer of important news. I'm dropping in your inbox today with a blend of updates, a dash of humor, and a hint of urgency. Let's dive in:

The Artist's Sunset: Starting February 1st, artist profiles on Filmmusic.io will become a part of internet history, as in, they won't be accessible anymore. And yes, that means your music will also be taking a bow and exiting stage left at the same time.

Data Backup Time: You've got until the end of March to back up your data in a nifty CSV file. Think of it like a digital scrapbook of your Filmmusic.io journey. You can find the “Download My Data” button lounging around on your Dashboard, probably sipping a digital cocktail.

Link Redirection: Once your songs take their final curtain call and are deactivated, any links to these now-mythical tunes will be rerouted to your personal website. It's like a magic portal, but less sparkly. You can set this up at Your Profile.

Why all these changes, you ask? Well, let me tell you a story. It’s about embracing change, focusing on the future, and me wanting to provide the best music without the cacophony of confusion. It’s all detailed in my latest post: https://filmmusic.io/u/SaschaE...

Keep creating, keep inspiring, and remember, the world needs your music. Just now, it'll be from your own platforms.

Musically Yours,
Sascha Ende 🎵🚀

Restructuring Filmmusic.io: A Return to Solo Offerings

SHORT VERSION:

Filmmusic.io, solely operated by me, Sascha Ende, will return to offering only my music starting end of January, due to trust and licensing issues caused by guest artists registering their supposedly copyright-free music under YouTube's Content ID system, contravening Creative Commons 4.0 License terms and impacting the platform's integrity.

----------------------

LONG VERSION

Restructuring Filmmusic.io: A Return to Solo Offerings

As the sole operator of Filmmusic.io, I've made a significant decision regarding the future of my website, which I want to explain. Starting from the end of January, guest artist profiles on Filmmusic.io will be deactivated, and a backup download of their data will only be available until the end of March. This marks a return to my roots, focusing solely on offering my music, as was the case until 2021. This decision wasn't made lightly, and I believe it's crucial to explain the rationale behind it.

My platform has always prided itself on being a hub for creative and copyright-free music, under the Creative Commons 4.0 License. However, recent events have compelled me to reevaluate this approach. For the third time, an artist, surprisingly a well-known one with a substantial catalog, has registered their complete music collection with YouTube's Content ID (CID) system. This was unexpected, especially since their music was promoted as "copyright free" and distributed under the Creative Commons license on various platforms.

The artist argued that registering music with the CID system offers security to users. Yet, this claim does not align with reality. In an experiment, I registered a song through two different publishers in the CID system and ended up receiving two separate claims on YouTube.
Source ("On the same asset"): https://support.google.com/you...
Source: https://soundscape.io/blog/a-2022-guide-to-music-licensing-and-content-id

This incident clearly demonstrates that such registration does not provide the security it claims to. More so, YouTube explicitly forbids uploading Creative Commons licensed music into the CID system, a policy clearly outlined in their support documentation.
Source: https://support.google.com/you...

Anyway, Youtube also says: "Content that is sold or licensed at scale for incorporation into other works must be routed for review. For example, matches against the following content types must be routed to manual review before claiming: So-called "royalty free" production music libraries typically licensed for use in game, film, TV or other soundtracks."
--> That means, that it is not allowed to automatically claim every video. Every match has to be reviewed BEFORE claiming it.
There are some providers like frequency music, that automatically scan video descriptions for attribution. But they do not scan attribution INSIDE of the video. So videos will be still claimed.
Source: https://support.google.com/you...

Furthermore, Creative Commons licenses themselves prohibit the registration of music in digital fingerprinting systems. They explicitly state that legal terms or technological measures that restrict others from exercising licensed rights are not permitted. This includes the use of digital rights management software or similar technologies.
Source: https://wiki.creativecommons.o...

The ramifications of registering hundreds of music pieces in the CID system retrospectively have been profound. It has led to a significant loss of trust among users, impacting not just the artist in question but also Filmmusic.io as a platform and all other artists featured on it. This loss of trust could potentially spill over to my music, which I cannot risk, especially if such incidents become frequent.

I believe that resorting to measures that contravene the licenses we issue and YouTube's guidelines, in an attempt to protect against content theft, places us on the same moral ground as those committing the theft. This goes against our ethos and the trust we've built with our community.

Given these reasons, I've decided that continuing to operate the platform in its current form is no longer viable. The risks are too great, and the potential damage to the trust also in MY music is something I cannot afford. Therefore, the decision to revert Filmmusic.io to solely offering my music is a step towards maintaining control and upholding the values my platform stands for.

I understand this change may be unexpected, but I believe it's a necessary step to preserve the integrity of Filmmusic.io and the trust you've placed in us. I appreciate your understanding and continued support as we embark on this new chapter.

Sascha Ende