New soundtrack service for videographers

updated 8:30 a.m. ET July 10, 2006

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Want a jazz riff to accompany your video of cat tricks? How about an interesting kazoo piece to go with your compilation of biking bloopers?

Pump Audio, a company that licenses the music of independent artists for use in television shows and commercials, will launch Monday a soundtrack-creation service aimed at the growing crop of amateur filmmakers pervading the Internet.

Users of the MyPump Soundtrack service could go online to check out its library of original music and digitally synchronize a tune to their videos — all with the permission of the copyright holders.  Users could search the catalog by genre, mood or speed, then edit a song to match their video before dubbing it.

The concept could help budding auteurs head off copyright troubles as they display their work on a worldwide stage at popular video-sharing Web sites such as YouTube and MySpace.

Until recently, no one could make much money or get a wide audience for amateur videos, so obtaining copyright permission was less a concern if the videographer was using, say, part of a Rolling Stones song.

But now anyone with a camcorder can easily post their work online.  As the delivery of videos over the Internet increases and accompanying revenue from advertising or other sources grows, so do the legal risks, analysts say.

"Content creators are scrambling to find legitimate audio that they can use in their videos to complete the story," said Allen Weiner, a digital media industry analyst for market researcher Gartner Inc.  "This begins to solve the problem."

Pump Audio, a 5-year-old company based in Hudson Valley, N.Y., specializes in licensing music only from independent musicians.

Steve Ellis, the company's founder and chief executive, says television outlets such as NBC and MTV Networks, as well as major advertisers, frequently draw from its music catalog of about 65,000 pieces, ranging from classical instrumentals to indie rock bands.

Prices will vary for the consumer-oriented MyPump Soundtrack service, with basic licensing for the one-time use of a song starting at 99 cents.

Pump Audio is also looking to team up with video-sharing Web sites or video-editing providers, so the service could potentially be free for users if accessed through a company partner.

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