music use

Hi, I'm a resident of Washington (the state, not the capitol) and I have a question about the use of music in an independent film I plan to make. Sorry if this question isn't in the right forum; I wasn't sure what category this would fall under.

If I want to use, say, a Matchbox Twenty song in my film, how might I go about obtaining permission to do so? I have searched for some way to contact whoever is in charge of that, but I've failed miserably. Should I contact the record company directly? Or what?

Any help would be appreciated.

Try BMI or ASCAP and the Harry Fox agency -- if you can't get the proper license from these people, they'll tell you where to go.

BMI or ASCAP would likely be able to provide a license for the "sound recording" and Harry Fox Agency should be able to provide a license for the underlying "musical work." You'll need both licenses, unless you plan to record a cover of the song yourself, in which case you'll only need the musical work license. If you want to use an actual MAtchbox 20 recording, however, you'll need both licenses.