I have a scene in my new project where people are singing karaoke in a bar. For the most part, I am okay with not naming songs, like "Bob belts out a top 40 rock song." I am writing one scene with a particular song in mind but I've heard that I should not use specific songs due to licensing. Should I just stay generic or can I put the specific song I want in the script and have that be someone else's problem if it ever moves forward?
Screenwriting : Question about putting songs in a script by Krista Crawford
Question about putting songs in a script
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If the song is specifically important to the plot with a realization that if it's not in the public domain it can stop a script from being picked up due to licensing issues or it can be changed and possibly the entire script will be altered to account for the song change. But it really depends on how instrumental it is to the plot. If you don't have to name a song it's ideal but if naming the song is important you should because the reader needs to believe in your story.
If you really want to add a particular song in your script, you type MUSIC CUE: "Song Title", then the artist or performer, then continue with regular format. Hope that helps. Your song might not necessarily remain in the finished product for various reasons, but at least you express a certain mood or whatever element you wish to enhance using that song.
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It's fine. It's just words on a page. Just don't make the specific song integral to the story or get too attached to using it.