Whether you are working on a video blog project or creating a promotional video for your website you are likely going to need background music and sound effects. While it may be tempting to use your favorite songs, you should avoid doing so if you can’t get those songs licensed. Otherwise, you may find yourself in some trouble down the road.
In this article, we will go over why you shouldn’t use any song you find online in your projects, what is royalty free music, and where you can find royalty free music.
Why Can’t You Use Any Song In Your Projects
Using any song that you like as background music in your video projects can be problematic because most songs are protected by copyright laws. Copyright gives exclusive rights to the creators of the music, like songwriters, composers, and record labels.
To use a copyrighted song legally, you usually need permission from the copyright holder or a license that allows you to use the music. This ensures that the original creators are recognized and compensated for their work.
If you use copyrighted music without permission or a license, you could face consequences. For example, platforms like YouTube have systems that can detect copyrighted music, and they may take down your video or place ads on it, monetizing it for the copyright holder. This could negatively impact your revenue from ads on the video, deter people from watching your video entirely, and get it served less by the platform which will result in fewer views. In some cases when the video gets taken down, you won’t be able to reupload it putting all your hard work to waste. This also includes content on YouTube Shorts.
To avoid these issues, it’s best to use music that is in the public domain (not protected by copyright) or find royalty-free or Creative Commons-licensed music. These options often provide a variety of music that can be used legally in your videos, either with proper attribution or under specific usage conditions.
What is royalty-free music
Royalty-free music refers to a type of music licensing that allows you to use a piece of music without the need to pay royalties or ongoing fees for each use. When you use royalty-free music, you typically pay a one-time fee upfront, or sometimes no fee at all, and then you have the right to use that music in your projects without any additional costs.
Royalty-free means that once you’ve obtained the license, you can use the music without having to pay additional royalties based on factors like the number of views, the region of distribution, or the duration of the use. People love royalty-free music because it’s convenient and cost-effective. It’s perfect for adding a professional touch to your videos, films, podcasts, presentations, or anything else you’re working on.
The license agreement usually mentions things like how many projects you can use the music in, whether you can broadcast it or perform it publicly, and if you need to give credit to the composer.
Where Can You Find Free Royalty Free Music
While not all sources of royalty-free music are free to use we have put together a list of sources you can find free-to-use royalty-free music.
YouTube Audio Library
YouTube provides a vast collection of free music tracks that you can use in your videos. You can filter the music by genre, mood, instrument, and duration to find the perfect fit for your project. YouTube’s Audio Library is one of the best places to find free royalty-free music.
Free Music Archive
It’s an extensive library of free music tracks that are available for various uses, including commercial projects. You can explore different genres, browse curated collections, and download the tracks you like. Free Music Archive is very simple to use and makes finding the right audio easy.
Incompetech
This website offers a wide range of royalty-free music composed by Kevin MacLeod. You can search for music based on genres or moods and use it in your projects with proper attribution under a creative commons license. However, for some music tracks, you will need to purchase a standard license to use.
Pixabay
Known primarily as a platform for free stock images, Pixabay also provides a collection of royalty-free music tracks that you can use in your videos or other projects. Here you can find some very high-quality royalty-free music tracks you can use in your projects. Instead of filtering songs by genre, Pixabay allows you to filter through their music tracks by popular use case making it easier to find the right music for specific parts of your project.
Bensound
Bensound offers a collection of high-quality royalty-free music across various genres. By purchasing a premium license you can use any of the tracks on their site on any project you want.
SoundCloud
While not all tracks on SoundCloud are royalty-free, there are artists who upload their music under Creative Commons licenses, allowing you to use their work for free as long as you comply with the specified license terms. This can be as simple as crediting them.
More Royalty Free Music Sources And Digital Marketing Tools
If you want to find more places to get royalty-free music or easy-to-use digital marketing tools that will improve your website’s performance check out our blog. We have articles on social media, SEO, and more.
Originally published . Last updated .
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