So I was able to look at the licence terms for the SynthV voicebanks themselves, but as for the official transparent images for PV usage, there is no paperwork on the said stuff and I started wondering what the rules actually are when it comes to this stuff. I’m very certain these images are copyrighted because nobody would be dumb enough to make something like this public domain, so I know there is an EULA on this and I’m pretty sure there’s going to be a fee for each time we use any of these in any commercial use? (Not that I’m going to monetize any of the videos I make but they’re all primarily there to tell people that a particular song is going to be in an album that my band is actually selling and last I checked, that still counts as commercial use so I’m really on edge about stuff like this…) What are the rules? I didn’t want to have to hold off on making a lyric video to some of the originals my band had done in the recent past but to say this does prevent me from being able to sleep at night is flat out understatement.
I’m doing some more research and I’m actually even more confused. Even with a permanent licence we still have to ask Animen for a commercial licence just for the voicebanks and not even the images?! Does that mean I have to pull the two recent tracks from Bandcamp and other platforms?!
According to the End User License Agreement, I think commercial use requires additional authorization, it’s needed to contact the voicebanks issuer.
(Translate with translator)
End User License Agreement
……
Article 2: (License for use)
……
3. User may use the synthetic sound produced by the product and the copyrighted character image contained therein free of charge in a non-commercial scope, including, but not limited to, non-profit activities, creation, dissemination, publication, etc., and in which cases no additional license from AnimenJP is required.
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4. User with the following intentions of commercial usage of the synthetic sound produced by the product and the copyrighted character image included is obliged to contact AnimenJP. AnimenJP will sign an additional license agreement (based on the circumstances of the agreement, an authorization fee may incur) with the user according to the user’s usage and intention.
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A. The use in commercial multimedia videos whose representation, expression, and communication may be considered to have used the synthetic sound of the product and the copyrighted character image contained, including, but not limited to, advertisement, internet video, animation, films, series, television programs, games, etc.
.
B. The use in commercial music products sold by legal entities, including, but not limited to, CD, DVD, records, cassette tapes, MD, hard drives, flash drives, IC memory cards, etc. (hereinafter referred to as commercial music products) made and recorded by legal entities themselves or commissioned by a third party and used for monetary purposes, as well as other recorded content after using the synthetic sound of this product that is publicized and provided for download and use.
My band ended up going straight to VOLOR for clearance and we got it. This goes out as a warning to everyone else that you have to get a permanent licence and get clearance from VOLOR in order to use SynthV for commercial use, I guess. At least we got the clearance and that’s what matters. Thank you~ (^ ^)/`
[email protected] is the contact address that I finally landed upon, and I explained the whole situation to them.
They will want to know the following:
character name
publish methods
estimated price for works with illustrations (in this case there was none)
quantity
estimated income
They’ll determine whether you are eligible for clearance on a case-by-case basis, and if you get to the point where you start to earn a bit too much (which I will have to worry about at this point due to the new album with 25 tracks and Spotify distribution that’s likely to get boosted due to new marketing campaigns coming down the pipeline) they’ll want a percentage cut from your earnings.
I do have to mention that the album already released yesterday but my band can’t get any marketing going until March.
Another thing to point out is that clearance in my band’s case actually worked because we only did four covers and the remaining 200+ songs we published are all originals. You can’t put a cover in any commercial works unless you pay for licencing via DistroKid.
First if all, please accept my apologies for not getting back to you sooner.
I have not been back on this forum until today.
In answer to your question - yes, I did manage to get into contact with Animen, but, to be honest, I was left more confused after speaking to them.
To summarize, I was given conflicting imformation about royalty percentages, sales amounts and permissions.
The same thing happened this week, when I asked if the licence terms are going to change when they eventually bring out Eleanor Forte Version 2.
One minute they said they would expect “several percent” for any sales over 1,000 USD, the next I could use the voice for free as long as I paid for the commercial voicebank, and did not use the Eleanor artwork.
So to conclude - yes I did manage to contact them with your help - thank you again.
But am I any closer to knowing the rules on using their voicebank? - unfortunately not.
I will try again if or when they bring out the update voicebank.
Eleanor Forte has two voicebank versions, probably depending on which version you use.
As far as I know, the SynthV Editor version is commercially available, while the Lite version of SynthV Studio is not. It’s for sound.
If you use Eleanor Forte’s copyright image, additional authorization may be required, and you can contact Animen again.
(Translate with a translator)
Hello, I emailed VOLOR to ask,
Their advice is that “before the second-generation official version of the voicebank is released,” no authorization is required to use the first-generation SV Editor voicebank sound works.
VOLOR officials are more encouraging the use of a second-generation SV Studio Lite version of the voicebank, which allows for a small commercial use until the official release.
So you can rest assured that you can use Eleanor voice created with SV Editor.
(Translate with a translator)
SV Studio - Eleanor Forte (Lite)【End-User License Agreement】
Article 2: User license
3.If the natural person users apply the synthesized voice generated by or role copyright image included in this product for commercial purpose, and the situation involves more than USD 1,000, Or if the user is Corporation or legal entity, the obligation to notify AnimenJP will occur. AnimenJP will sign additional User License Agreement with such users according to the users’ use purpose (licensing fees might be produced according to the agreement situations).
I myself have been in touch with VOLOR on and off this year, and found it a largely confusing experience, as I was given conflicting information.
Maybe it was a language barrier problem, ot I just did not explain myself to them property.
I hope when Eleanor 2.0 does eventually get released, that the purchase price covers any licence needed to release our music commerically, as it does with another well known voice synth.
But, alas, from what they told me, that will not be the case.
Huh… from what I’m reading you guys are giving me the impression that as soon as the Gen2 bank releases we’ll have to buy another licence for the bank itself…
The entire thread was actually about the illustration images but it looks like I’ll have to register for permission again?!
Is there a discount available on the Gen2 bank for the people who bought the original SynthV?
If you don’t need an upgrade, the first-generation editor/voicebanks product (Synthesizer V Editor) you’ve purchased can be used all the time.
Based on my purchasing experience, I already have a first-generation product that offers discounts when upgrading to second-generation editor/voicebanks products (Synthesizer V Studio) and much cheaper to buy during the initial period.
But if you upgrade to a second-generation product, the first-generation product can’t continue to be used unless you don’t choose to upgrade and instead re-purchase a full license for the second-generation product so that you can use both the first-generation and second-generation products.
From what I understand: when Gen2 was initially released a discount was offered to people who own a licence of Gen1 so they can upgrade for a little less. However, upgrading means that you can no longer use Gen1 (licence no longer valid?) and so are left with only Gen2.
The way to have access to both Gen2 and Gen1 is to not opt for the discounted upgrade and instead pay in full for the Gen2 licence.
Yea but that still doesn’t answer the question as to whether the transparent PV permits I got are still valid when the full version of Gen2 Eleanor releases, and whether the songs we previously made with Eleanor Lite are still good for commercial use when the new full version of Eleanor releases.
At least we got the clearance and that’s what matters. Thank you~ (^ ^)/`
