How to Find Background Music for Videos

How music licensing works

Music licensing is obtaining permission from a copyright holder to use a copyrighted work. Music licenses are typically obtained from music publishers, songwriters, or composers. A music license grants the licensee the right to use the licensed work in a specified manner and for a specified period.

There are four main types of licenses that you'll encounter when searching for music for your video content:

Public Domain

The public domain music license is a free and open source license for music designated as being in the public domain. This means that the music is free to use by anyone for any purpose. The public domain music license is a way for musicians to give their music to the public without worrying about copyright infringement. This allows musicians to create new and innovative music without worrying about getting sued.

Royalty-Free

A royalty-free music license is a type of agreement between a composer or musician and a client that allows the client to use the music without paying royalties. One of the most common types of royalty-free music licenses is the Creative Commons license. This allows the client to use the music for free, as long as they give credit to the artist. Other licenses will enable the client to use the music without giving credit, but these typically require a one-time payment.

Commercial Use

A commercial use music license is a type of license that allows creators to play copyrighted music in a monetized video. This license is typically obtained from the copyright holder of the song, and it grants the creator permission to use the song in their video without fear of infringement. The terms of a commercial use music license can vary depending on the copyright holder.

Non-Commercial Use

The non-commercial use music license for video creators is a license that allows video creators to use copyrighted music in their videos without having to pay for the rights to the music. This license is typically used by video creators who are not making money from their videos, such as those who create videos for personal use or educational purposes. This license does not grant you any monetization rights and allows others to reuse, remix, or adapt your video.

When searching for background music for video, you may encounter these licenses being used together in different ways. This is especially prevalent when dealing with media that use the Creative Commons copyright method. Much of the free music for video editing online is under a Creative Commons license, so it's essential to familiarize yourself with it.

What is Creative Commons?

Creative Commons (CC) is a non-profit organization that helps creators come together to share and use media under a standardized set of licenses.

These licenses automatically give you permission to do various things, such as reuse and distribute the work, as long as you follow the conditions set out in the license terms. Examples of CC license terms include:

• BY - Must credit the creator.
• SA - Must share work with the same terms as the media being used.
• NC - Can only be used non-commercially
• ND - No adaptations or derivatives allowed

Creative Commons works with governments and organizations worldwide, so it's essential to pay attention to the terms of a CC license, as they are enforceable by law in many countries.

Best music selection practices when editing your video for YouTube

There are a few things to remember when selecting music for your YouTube video. First, the music should be appropriate for the video's content. Second, the music should be high quality and free of copyright issues. Third, the tune should be catchy and memorable so that viewers will want to watch your video again. Finally, it is essential to select music that will not get muted by YouTube's copyright filters.

The quality of the music is essential to consider because you want to ensure that the piece you use is high quality and will not disappoint your listeners. The ease of use is also necessary because you want to be able to quickly and easily find the music you need without any hassle. The price is also an essential factor to consider, as you want to find an affordable source within your budget.

Remember that while there are many free-of-cost music resources, many creators also use these songs. Because of that, your videos are likely to feature music that is used in thousands - even millions - of other videos. If having a unique presentation is a top goal, chances are you'll want to consider buying a song license outright. On the flip side, if you don't mind more generic sounds in exchange for saving money, going with free downloads is very economical.

1. Pixabay

Pixabay.com offers free, royalty-free music for YouTube videos, presentations, and other projects. The music is available in various genres, including classical, rock, pop, and jazz. You can also search by mood and narrow the results down to songs that are 100% approved for use in YouTube videos.

2. Free Music Archive

The Free Music Archive is a website that offers free downloads of music under a Creative Commons license. The site is operated by the non-profit organization WFMU, a radio station. The Free Music Archive accepts donations and support in kind. The site allows users to browse by genre and has many sub-genres.

3. ccMixter

CcMixter is a music website where users can upload and share their original music compositions. There are a few reasons why ccMixter is a good choice for video creators looking for background music. First, the site offers a wide variety of genres to choose from, so creators can find the perfect fit for their project. Second, the site has a search function that makes it easy to find the right track. Third, ccMixter offers a preview function so creators can ensure the track they're considering is the right one for their project.

4. YouTube Audio Library

The YouTube Audio Library is a collection of royalty-free music tracks and sound effects that you can use in your YouTube videos. You can copy, repurpose and alter these sounds in any way you like, as long as you adhere to YouTube's Terms of Service. This library is made up of permissive, non-exclusive permissions granted to you by their License.

5. MusOpen

Musopen is a non-profit organization that provides free and open access to music. They offer a comprehensive online music library of sheet music, scores, recordings, and more. Musopen also provides educational resources, such as articles and tutorials on music theory and history. Many of the recordings they have are public domain, but it's essential to pay attention as some are Creative Commons licensed for non-commercial works.

6. Incompetech

Incompetech is a website created by musician and composer Kevin MacLeod. The website offers a large selection of royalty-free music and sound effects that can be downloaded and used for various purposes. Kevin allows usage of his work for commercial purposes as long as he is credited in your project. This is a prevalent resource for free music for video editing and contains many songs that you might recognize.

7. FreePD

FreePD offers public domain, no attribution, and copyright-free music for use in videos. Users can sort the music based on themes and moods. All the music is completely free, though; for convenience sake, you can opt to download all of the songs on the site at once for $10.

8. The Internet Archive's Audio Archive

The Internet Archive's Audio Archive is a collection of free, public domain audio recordings. The archive includes music, spoken word, and other audio recordings. Some music is not public domain but is offered by CC licensing.

9. Teknoaxe

Teknoaxe is a website created by musician and composer David Fesliyan. The website offers a wide variety of free and royalty-free music tracks, sound effects, and loops for use in various multimedia projects. All of the music is under a CC-BY license, which means it's free to use commercially so long as you attribute the artist to your project.

10. Chosic

Chosic's free website for music is a collection of royalty-free songs that can be used for personal or commercial purposes. The music is available for download in MP3 format and can be used in any video or audio project. Some songs require attribution, and the track page has a credit you can copy-paste.

1. Bensound

Bensound is a website that provides royalty-free music for video creators, YouTube channels, and filmmakers. In order to use the theme for online video productions, users can either pay €34 per track or a €144 per-year subscription for unlimited downloads from the entire catalog.

2. Loudly Soundtracks

Loudly Soundtracks is a site that allows users to create and share their music playlists. Users can add tracks and tracks from other users to create custom soundtracks for any occasion. All of the music is pre-cleared for use across multiple platforms, including YouTube and Instagram. Users can try the service for free for seven days, then decide if they want to pay the premium.

3. Envato Elements Music

Envato Elements is a subscription service for creative professionals that provides access to royalty-free music, graphics, photos, and more. There is a 7-day free trial, after which users can buy a $16.50 per month subscription to access the entire library of creative assets with commercial licensing.

4. Snapmuse

Snapmuse's royalty-free music for YouTube videos is a great way to access high-quality, affordable music for your videos. With this service, you can search for and download songs that are perfect for your video content without having to worry about paying royalties or fees. Individual creators get a 30-day free trial. Afterward, you can subscribe for $8.99 a month or pay $77.88 per year.

5. Pretzel by Songtradr

Pretzel is a music platform that helps artists and labels connect with other creators looking for new music. Starting out as a Twitch and YouTube-safe music streaming program for gamers, it now offers downloads of over 5,000 of their YouTube-safe music for use in videos. The Download tier of their subscription service is $14.99 per month.

6. Jamendo

Jamendo's music licensing is a set of licenses that allow for the unrestricted use of music in various ways. The licenses are designed to allow for the benefit of music in multiple media, including video, film, and television. Standard license users will pay $49 per song for online commercial use.

7. Soundstripe

Soundstripe is a subscription-based service that provides unlimited access to a library of royalty-free music for use in video and other creative projects. They also offer sound effects. At the lowest price Creator tier, you can clear and monetize one YouTube channel for $14.99 per month. In order to use the music in more media and unlimited commercial use, the Pro tier is available at $29.99 per month.

8. Storyblocks Audio

Storyblocks Audio is a website that offers a subscription-based service for downloading royalty-free audio tracks and sound effects. For $29.99 per month, users of Storyblocks have unlimited downloads and usage of a library of thousands of royalty-free music, audio clips, and SFX, including widespread sound effects such as buzz, crickets, and explosions, and Tarzan yells.

9. Uppbeat

Uppbeat offers unlimited downloads of premium, royalty-free tracks and sound effects for $66.99 a year. With this premium subscription, you have access to 100% of the Uppbeat catalog, as well as having your YouTube channel added to their whitelist to avoid copyright claims.

10. Foximusic

Foximusic is a digital music service that allows you to stream and download songs for use in monetized YouTube videos. The Personal Basic License allows commercial use in YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok videos. You will pay $24 per track but can bundle up to 10 tracks for $89, which is $8.90 per track.

Add your finished videos to email campaigns

Adding a video to an email can be a great way to increase engagement and get your message across. Videos in email marketing can be used to show off a new product, highlight a special offer, or simply provide more information about your company or service. Including video content in your marketing efforts can also help you reach a broader audience on YouTube and other social media platforms.

Using video content blocks

There are a few ways to add a video to an email. One way is to use Mailchimp's video content block feature. To do this, add a video content block to your project layout. In the video content block, you can paste a link to a video that is hosted on Youtube or Vimeo. You can also add a title and description for your video. We'll automatically grab the thumbnail image from the video and turn it into a clickable link. You can move it around and resize it just like any other content block. When you are finished, click on the "Save & Close" button.

Most email companies do not allow for the actual embedding of video. However, with video content blocks, you can make your videos more accessible to your customer base. These video content blocks allow for easy video integration into your email and make it possible to watch videos on any device.