Sound Choices: Cedarville Partners with WavMaker for Ethical Music Use
At Cedarville University, students are taught to prioritize ethical media use, creative excellence and integrity for how content is sourced and produced.
In today’s digital-first world, it’s easy to unknowingly infringe on intellectual property. With the growth of artificial intelligence (AI) and the rapid pace at which content is created, shared and reshared across platforms, the line between legal use and copyright violation can blur — especially for content creators and filmmakers looking for music to help them tell compelling stories.
That commitment to ethics is part of what led Cedarville to partner with — a music licensing company founded by Matt Arcaini, Mark Stuart and Caleb Grimm. The company helps creators access high-quality music that complies with copyright laws, supporting storytellers while protecting artists’ rights.
WavMaker partners with independent artists who create a wide variety of music, then provides licenses for this music to individuals and organizations to meet their content needs. With a subscription, users gain access to tracks with full copyright protection.
The model is extremely helpful for institutions like Cedarville. In the past, the platforms students used to access legal music but often came at higher prices or with low-quality tracks.
Through mutual connections at Kingdom Story Company, Sean O’Connor, associate professor of broadcasting, digital media and journalism, connected with Mark Stuart, leading to the university’s partnership with WavMaker. Now, Cedarville broadcasting and digital media students can enhance their storytelling with licensed music — ensuring both creativity and compliance.
“We don’t just teach our students how to use a camera and how to edit a video,” said O’Connor. “But how are they sharing God through their projects? How are they living differently?”
As students strive to fulfill Cedarville’s mission — Love for God. Love for Others. Integrity in Conduct. Excellence in Effort. — partnerships with organizations like WavMaker help bring that mission to life through responsible, impactful storytelling.
Cedarville University, an evangelical Christian institution in southwest Ohio, offers undergraduate and graduate residential and online programs across arts, sciences, and professional fields. With 6,384 students, it ranks among Ohio's largest private universities and is recognized by The Wall Street Journal as being among the nation’s top three evangelical universities. Cedarville is also known for its vibrant Christian community, challenging academics, and high graduation and retention rates. Learn more at cedarville.edu. &˛Ô˛ú˛ő±č;