Best copyright free music for your video content

Are you a successful blogger, vlogger, filmmaker, or Youtuber? Basically, do you make quality video content but struggle to find the perfect music, or any music for that matter, for your content?

Well do not worry, here at LikeMind Media we are here to help. We move with all the latest technology and trends in the marketing world and we know, that online video is HUGE.

With 2.1 billion active monthly users in the world and over 122 million daily users, online video content has the ability to reach a global audience.

But if your videos don’t have even a little bit of musical magic then the chances are your audience will get bored. Who wants to watch a video of you talking 24/7 (Not me).

So, then we come to the challenge of finding the music for you and your content. You don’t know anyone who makes music, you don’t know where to find any music, you have no idea about the licensing of music, and the list goes on. Therefore, how do you get the right music to make those videos look professional?

Let’s start with the challenges of music licensing.

Music Licensing Basics

Music licensing is made possible thanks to copyright laws all over the globe. To stop other artists hearing your incredible work and then taking it all for themselves.

If copyright laws are what stop people from re-using music unfairly, then what can be copyrighted?

• Your performance, the actual creation of the sounds themselves

• The notes could be copyrighted on the sheet music
• The lyrics to your song, written down

Let’s say that I have just come up with lyrics for a song called “Vloggers Paradise” that I sing to the melody of past-time paradise (Stevie Wonder, Legend). I create my own composition of chords and keys and sing “Vloggers Paradise” whilst recording it.

If I send this recording over to the Copyright Office with the relevant forms and fees, I now own the copyright to the song, the lyrics and the actual performance.

But not everyone has the time to do that right, I mean you are already producing outstanding video content.

So now you know how music licensing works you can look for alternative ways to get music for your videos.

Copyright Free Music

Going down the avenue of copyright-free music can be a great way for you to find music to accompany all of your video content. However, you must be careful most of these sites offer free downloads for the music to use on non-profit content. So, if your videos are not making a profit on YouTube, Facebook, or whatever platform you use, then you will be just fine.

Here is a list of my favourite sites that offer quality music free of charge, and free of royalties. Although, I would recommend reading the FAQs of these sites to see whether you have a suitable license for your needs.

• FreePD
• BenSound
• AShamaluevMusic
• FreePlay Music
• Brain Betty
• Partners in Rhyme
• FreeMusicArchive
• Noise Trade
• Hook Sounds
• Purple Planet
• TakeTones
• Soundstripe

FreePD.com

Free PD allows users to download copyright (or royalty-free) mp3 files to their heart’s content. Free PD boasts categories such as Horror, Miscellaneous, Romantic and Comedy. You can use the music on YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, theatres, restaurants, adverts, and movies and you don’t even have to credit the musician, but come on, play nice, after all that’s why it’s free (to get them exposure).

BenSound

BenSound allows users unlimited access to all its music, with the option on each song to download the basic or pro version. BenSounds offers categories of music such as rock, jazz, urban, electronica and many more. The FAQ page on BenSound is also very helpful when it comes to copyright issues, especially on YouTube and Facebook.

AShamaluevMusic

AShamaluev Music allows free downloads of over 150 instrumental background music tracks ranging from emotional and energetic to sad and ambient. AShamaluev Music creates categories of music and what they should be used for. Music for YouTube, Music for Weddings, Music for Films, well you get the idea.

FreePlay Music

FreePlay Music offers over 50,000 royalty-free songs for video content use. They have a very easy-to-use website with playlists of all different possible video categories. Cats, sports, seasonal posts, comedy, etc. You can also search more traditionally by genre or mood, making finding the perfect music easy peasy.

Partners in Rhyme

Partners in Rhyme has been delivering royalty-free music online since 1996. Although they also offer, free sound effects, stock video, midi files and audio tutorials. Partners in Rhyme is a great place to find the perfect song for your video or even just that little sound effect that sews your content together.

FreeMusicArchive

FreeMusicArchive’s tagline is “It’s not just free music: it’s good music”. An apt tagline I have to say. FreeMusicArchive offers a range of royalty free music. From searching through specific curators (Once you have found someone you like) or for the perfect mood for the genre of your video content, FreeMusicArchive offers a great variety of copyright-free music.

Hook Sounds

Hooks sounds offers a huge range of royalty-free music to use on not-for-profit videos, for free. You can alternatively buy several packages based on your musical needs. Their genres range from cinematic and motivational, to acoustic and ambient, give you the perfect vibe for any video.

Purple Planet

Purple Planet is an easy-to-use platform with an effective design to make finding the perfect music, simple. From logo background music to upbeat, acoustic and chilled, there is music for everyone’s taste. They have no cap on downloads and it is all free. The only catch is that you must credit Purple Planet in the content you create. A small price to pay if you ask me.

Envato Elements

Envato Elements is a one-stop shop for music, sound effects, graphics, graphic templates, stock video, images and much more. It is a paid solution that offers a wide array of styles and genres that match any video you are creating.

These sites are not the only way that you can access copyright-free music. There are many other methods to get the perfect song for your online video content.

YouTube Channels

Below is a list of our favourite YouTube channels offering copyright-free music:

• Audio Library – Music for Content Creators
• Vlog No Copyright Music
• Music for Creators
• No Copyright Sounds
• RFM
• Ross Budgen
• Our Music Box
• Spike’s Vibe

Audio Library- Music for Content Creators

Audio Library is a YouTube channel dedicated to the search, catalogue, sort and publishing of royalty-free music for content creators. The channel offers everything from Hip-Hop and Electronica to Rock and Alternative music.  With 4.7 million subscribers Audio Library are one YouTube’s biggest distributors of royalty free music. They also have their own website.

Vlog No Copyright Music

Vlog No Copyright Music promotes great music that’s free to download and use on YouTube and Twitch videos. But you must always give credit to the artist. All the music can be used by any YouTube or Twitch user in their monetized content. This is a rarity. You MUST add the producer social links and a link to my video on the description. With over 1.14 million subscribers Vlog No Copyright Music are a trusted source for copyright free music.

Music for Creators

Music for Creators bring you the freshest music for your vlog, travel, summer video, montage, intro, whatever you want to create. With over 344,000 subscribers Music for Creators offer one of the best selections of royalty free music on YouTube.

No Copyright Sounds

Record label, NoCopyrightSounds is dedicated to giving a platform to the next generation of Artists in Electronic Music, representing genres from House to Dubstep via Trap, Drum & Bass, Electro Pop and more. NoCopyrightSounds music is free to use for independent Creators and their user generated content on YouTube & Twitch. Again, you must always remember to credit the Artist, track and NCS and link back to our original NCS upload. Boasting over 24.6 million subscribers this is perfect place to get that intense music your videos have been craving.

RFM

RFM offer Dubstep, EDM, Chillout, Pop and Rock, plus many more. Each video description contains the link to a free download and comes with the copy you must include in your content to credit the channel.  RFM offer a new free song every day, so there is plenty of content to choose from.  Boasting an impressive 99.3k subscriber list, RFM are an excellent choice for your royalty free music.

Ross Budgen

Ross creates music perfect for all types of video. His style mainly suits use in films and dramatic videos, creating tension and suspense with his music. His channel has 177k subscribers, meaning the content is going to be of great quality to gain such a following. His content falls under the creative commons license 4.0, meaning you are free to use it commercially and non-commercially. You are free to mix, remix, adapt, add to the songs without prosecution, making Ross Budgen a fantastic channel for all of your online content.

Our Music Box

Our Music Box offers over 5,000 tracks in a wide range of genres. Our Music Box has a smaller following of 27.1k subscribers, this is by no means reflected in the quality of his music. His compositions create an atmosphere that is much needed to make your videos look professional. The channel offers everything from full songs to introduction jingles and channel intros.

Spike’s Vibe

Spike from Spike’s Vibe mostly creates hip hop beats. From “chill-out“ to some darker and more tense beats, make for some great video content. The more relaxing tracks in the collection would work great in many vlogs. All of his music is royalty-free if you credit him with a link to his channel.

Paid Music

Now I know this blog is about free music, but sometimes, just sometimes, you might find the perfect beat/song on one of these and have to fork out a little cash. It can be worth it too. There are many sites that offer more complex music, sometimes with lyrics (Most free music is instrumental). So, if you have the budget, you may want to consider some of these options.

• Legis Music
• MusicBed
• Marmoset Music
• Premium Beat
• StoryBlock
• Epidemic Sounds
• Soundstripe
• SongFreedom
• Artlist
• Envato Elements

Legis Music

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Legis Music offers a range of 5 different license types ranging from $29 to $299 depending on your use of the song. This is the most pleasing website to look at, with one of the easiest user journeys. Easy-to-select tiles boast genres such as Best Sellers, Children, Funky, Corporate, Happy and Inspiring music. All in all a very effective royalty-free music site.

 

MusicBed

MusicBed’s website brags a very sheek, simplistic design. You can buy songs one at a time or you can become a member and for $9.99 a month, you can have unlimited access to all of the royalty free music that MusicBed have to offer. Through paying for your music on MusicBed you have peace of mind about copyright laws. SyncID is a program by MusicBed, this means all of their artists are already licensed with YouTube and there will be no mix-ups with your copyrights.

Marmoset Music

Marmoset Music is again another easy to navigate website. The design makes it easy to find whatever it is you are looking for. Search tools such as Vocals, Mood, Energy, Arc, Length, Instruments and Genres are then sub-divided to make sure you are getting exactly what you want.

Premium Beat

Premium Beat are a Shutterstock company that supply quality music to video creators, film makers, etc. They allow their users to select the music based on genre, mood, instruments artists and more. They have two types of license: Standard, $65 and Premium, $199, but you only pay once, after that you can download to your hearts content.

StoryBlocks

StoryBlocks are more than just a music service for all your video needs, they offer audio, video and images.  The musical genres span old rock and blues through to cinematic and corporate. Also allowing users to find what they are looking for through a selection of moods.  Video offerings include; a selection of footage, background videos and after effects. You have three choices of plans: Basic audio, $8.25 per month, Unlimited audio, $12.41 per month and Unlimited audio, video and images, $29.08 per month. All three plans are charged annually.

Epidemic Sounds

Epidemic Sounds offer a wide range of quality music for a subscription fee. £100 per month for unlimited access or you can get in touch with them to create a custom plan. They are also offering a free 30-day trial. You can browse through the music based on genre, mood, movement, place, tempo and song length, making it very easy to find exactly what you want. They also offer a range of sound effects to download too.

Soundstripe

Soundstripe offer a huge range of royalty free music. Subscription is $135 a year, $11.25 a month, which is very good value. They are trusted by Tesla, Microsoft and Amazon, which gives their quality content some further credibility. You can browse the music through categories such as recently added and staff picks, as well as the usual genre sub-sections. Soundstripe also offer a blog covering topics such as copyright infringements and vlogging essentials. Helping you to not only find the perfect royalty free music but giving you advice on creating a professional standard of video.

SongFreedom

SongFreedom has an annual subscription fee of $60, $5 per month, one of the cheapest subscriptions for royalty free music. You can easily browse music finder either specific songs or playlists to suit your video needs. SongFreedom is one of the only websites that I have seen that offers music by well-known artists such as Imagine Dragons and Christina Perri, giving your videos that ultra-professional feel.

Artlist

Artlist offers a subscription for $16.60 a month, $199 billed annually. This gives you unlimited access to all royalty free music and sounds for commercial and non-commercial projects. You can browse their royalty free music via filters such as mood, genres, video theme and instrument. This easy to use interface and easily naivgated site makes it one of the best sites for royalty free music, currently on the web.

TakeTones

TakeTones offers two subscription services at $39 and $49 per month. This will get you an unlimited number of licenses to use on any song for your online content. They have a range of music, with everything from corporate and cinematic music to folk, rock, pop and hip-hop tunes that are sure to make your video really stand out from the crowd. The interface is very easy to navigate and you will find what you are looking for with no problem. 

Well now that you are all caught up on the options available to you when it comes to copyright-free music, it’s time for the fun part.

The 10 best copyright-free songs

First things first, let’s get this straight, this is my opinion, music is subjective (or is it? 😂) this is not a definitive list of THE BEST songs to use. You will find some right royal (free) bangers on many of these sites.

Anyway, rant over. Here is a list of 10 songs that I thought would be useful for a variety of videos. I have done my best to replicate what these songs will sound like over a certain type of video.

• Otis McDonald- Not for Nothing
• Quincas Moreira – Trapp
• Twin Musicom – Talky Beat
• Vibe Tracks- About that Oldie
• Kevin MacLeod- Ether Disco
• Bad Snacks- Fender Bender
• Bad Snacks- Shibuya
• Dan Lebowitz- Say What
• South London HiFi- After the soft rains
• South London HiFi- Sunrise Drive

1) Otis McDonald- Not for Nothing (Hip-Hop)

This smooth, hypnotic beat from Otis McDonald is perfect for your Vlogs. Keeping the vibe chilled and capturing the essence of your video’s mood.

2) Quincas Moreira – Trapped  (Hip Hop)

This techno futuristic hip-hop beat from Quincas Moreria is perfect for those sporting compilations. The music feels utopian and will give your videos that inspirational effect.

3) Twin Musicom – Talky Beat (Hip Hop)

This old school funky boom bap beat is perfect for those nonchalant unboxing videos. The mellow sound will give you the ability to talk over the beat and explain all those purchases.

4) Vibe Tracks- About that Oldie (Pop)

This pop track from Vibe Tracks carries a theme-tune-like presence. The ascending tones create a great introductory vibe and are catchy enough to be recognizable to your audience.

5) Mike Leite- Happy (Pop/ Funk)

The pop/funk piece from Mike Leite is perfect for those montages with lots of energy. The constant hi-hats with a funk melody create a pace that is needed in these shorter videos.

6) Bad Snacks- Fender Bender (R&B/Soul) Together

This track from Bad Snacks is perfect for those videos which need to feel effortless. Representing a moment of bliss in your hectic life. The R&B, soulful feel makes it perfect for room tour videos or tours of places you have visited.

7) Bad Snacks- Shibuya (Dance/Electronic)

This dance, electronic track from Bad Snacks really gives the gaming vibe a whole new level. The relaxed verses leave a whimsical impression on the audience and the chorus gives it a much-needed intensity.

8) Dan Lebowitz- Say What (Rock/Funk)

This rock, funk fusion is perfect for try-on haul videos. The laid-back tone of the piece makes for easy listening and will not take attention away from your video content.

9) South London HiFi- After the soft rains (World/Happy)

Want to feel like your toes are running through white sands and your head is full of dreams and pina colada? This world type beat from South London HiFi is perfect for all those travel videos from your days of exploring.

10) South London HiFi- Sunrise Drive (Hip-Hop/ Funk)

This funky hip-hop beat from South London HiFi is perfect for the times when you can’t find any music to fit what you are doing. The chilled-out vibe means you can easily speak over it without detracting attention from your video content. All round essential backing music.

Honorable music mention

Kevin MacLeod – Fluffing a Duck (Cinematic)

Finally, an honorable mention for all those out there who just haven’t had a good day. Filming hasn’t gone well, or maybe it did and you just feel like making the blooper reel anyway? This light-hearted cinematic piece from Kevin McLeod is perfect for making a fool out of yourself.

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