Whether you're a YouTube creator, a professional video editor, or someone who enjoys making videos as a hobby, music is a great way to bring your content to life. However, just ripping off copyrighted music from CDs or the internet without permission is not only unethical, it can lead to serious legal consequences. At the very least, it will get your video taken down from YouTube, and at worst, you could get sued for an absolute fortune.
Fortunately, there's a legal and ethical alternative: royalty-free music. These are audio tracks you can use in your content after paying a one-time fee, without having to pay ongoing royalties. This type of music is specifically licensed for use in various media projects, including YouTube videos, podcasts, and other forms of digital content.
In this article, we'll share some of the best places to buy royalty-free music. Four of these offer royalty-free tracks through an all-you-can-eat subscription model. This means you get a direct license to use the entire library, although there will still probably limitations on where you can use them, so you'll need to read the terms and conditions carefully. Typically, though, content published during an active subscription will remain cleared forever, so even if you cancel your subscription later, that content will can still stay online.
Best royalty-free music platform overall
1. Epidemic Sound
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Epidemic Sound claims to be "the largest music and sound effects catalog of its kind". They boast a library of over 35,000 royalty-free songs and more than 90,000 sound effects. The platform regularly adds approximately 80 to 150 new tracks each week, ensuring a diverse and constantly updated selection for users.
The platform licenses all its music directly from artists, so you won't find the same tracks on other websites. They categorize their music into various styles, allowing you to easily navigate through different moods and themes, whether you're looking for background music for videos, podcasts, or other media.
Personal plans (from $9.99/month billed annually) allow use on personal channels and podcasts, while Commercial plans (from $19.99 /month billed annually) cover business and client use and digital ads. Enterprise plans (prices on request) include TV and cinema rights and customized terms.
Epidemic Sound also offers Single Track Licenses for one-off productions, and month-by-month payment options rather than committing to a full year. There's also a seven-day free trial which they describe as "Free of charge, no strings attached".
While other libraries may offer more bells and whistles, Epidemic Sound just focuses on the basics, and does this very well indeed. Overall, their extensive library, range of genres and simple licensing system makes this our number one pick for buying royalty-free music for YouTube and video editing today.
Best royalty-free music platform for free tracks
2. Premium Beat by Shutterstock
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Curated by Shutterstock, one of our favourite stock photo libraries, Premium Beat provides tracks and sound effects for use in media projects, including videos, films, apps, games, and television programming. And although there's no free trial, there's a great selection of 26 free music tracks to download with no strings attached.
The following plans offer unlimited downloads from a library of 40,000 tracks: Creator, at $9.99 per month; Standard at $24.99 per month and Enterprise (prices on request).
However, note that there are clearly identified restrictions on use. For example, you cannot use music licensed under Creator for client projects, and you can only use tracks to monetise on one social channel under Creator, and five social channels under Standard.
Best royalty-free music platform for payment flexibility
3. Pond5
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Equally interested in stock music and video? Then it's worth taking a look at Pond5, which describes itself as "the world’s most accessible marketplace of media assets video creators need". And it has a vast library of royalty-free music (with a total of 1.5 million tracks), sound effects (1.7 million) and video footage (4.2 million HD and 4K clips), all covering a wide range of genres and styles.
There's a good selection of free resources, while for everything else, you have a choice of paying per item (typically $5 per track), credit packs or subscriptions. Of the latter, you have the choice of paying $25/month for music only, $30 a month for music and sound effects, or $199/month for music, sound effects, video, photos, images and templates. However, do be aware that on all of these plans, even the most expensive, you only get 10 downloads a month.
Best royalty-free music platform for Adobe integration
4. Adobe Stock
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If you commonly use a library for stock photos, video, illustrations, icons, templates and the like, it makes sense to get your royalty-free music and sound effects there too. In which case, we'd recommend taking a look at Adobe Stock, which is our pick as the best stock photo site overall.
With Adobe Stock, all music tracks are royalty-free and cleared for commercial projects. You can use each track as many times as you need in multiple projects — in perpetuity. You have the choice of buying individual credit packs or taking out a subscription. The latter begins at $29.99 per month, billed annually, which affords you 10 standard assets (of any time but video) or one video a month. Unlike the other platforms above, there's no all-you-can-eat option.
Adobe Stock offers a 30-day free trial, in which you can download 10 music tracks for free. It's also nicely integrated into many of the most popular Creative Cloud apps, including Premiere Pro, so you can drop in your tracks to try them out first, before you license them. You won't even need to leave the interface!
Best royalty-free music platform for curation
5. BenSound
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Some people love the fact that Epidemic Sound and Premium Beat have such a huge library of songs and sound effects. However, others may feel intimidated by this, and prefer the idea of somewhere with smaller, curated collection of tracks. If that's you, it's worth checking out BenSound.
BenSound is a great option for those seeking a simpler, more straightforward platform. All tracks are professionally produced and mastered, ensuring top-notch sound quality. A variety of genres are covered, including cinematic, corporate, and upbeat tracks, to suit different projects. And the platform is very user-friendly, making it simple to browse and download tracks.
BenSound also offers a decent free music section: tracks that you can download directly, at no cost, and use in online videos that are published and accessible free of charge, as long as you credit Bensound.
You have the choice of paying by track or taking out a subscription. Individual tracks cost from €34 for video and social media, €65 for digital ads and apps, and €190 for TV and video on demand. Subscriptions are €9.99/€19.99 or €39.99 month, billed annually, for the same use cases.
Best royalty-free music platform that's totally free
6. YouTube Audio Library
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Want royalty-free music you don't have to pay for, without the risk of copyright infringement? Well, if you're making videos for YouTube, then you can find this through the YouTube Audio Library, which is within the YouTube Creator app.
It features a wide selection of audio tracks categorized into free music and sound effects, and lets you search by genre, mood, artist, duration, and more. To access it, just log into your YouTube Studio account, sample tracks, and download them directly.
As you're getting everything for free, there are as you can imagine, quite a lot of terms and conditions to read carefully. For instance, proper attribution is required for tracks that mandate it, ensuring that artists receive credit for their work. You're also not allowed to alter tracks without permission.
The library only contains around 1,600 audio files, and as there are so many YouTubers using them, it's likely your audience will have heard the tracks you select before. But if you're just getting started on YouTube, it's a great way to do so cheaply and easily.
FAQs
What is royalty-free music?
Royalty-free music refers to audio tracks that can be used in various projects without paying ongoing royalties or licensing fees for each use. You typically make a single, upfront payment to acquire the right to use the music multiple times in different projects.
Generally, there's no need to credit the original artist or composer. However, there may be some restrictions on usage, such as not using the music in trademarked products or reselling it as part of a music library.
This type of music is commonly used in videos, podcasts, commercials and other media productions. The quality can vary from simple loops to fully produced tracks.
Why should I buy royalty free music?
Royalty-free music is a cost-effective solution for acquiring high-quality audio tracks without the hassle of ongoing payments or complex licensing agreements. Once you've bought a track, you can use it in multiple projects across various platforms. This saves you both time and money in the long run, as you don't need to negotiate individual licenses or track usage for royalty payments.
How do I buy royalty-free music?
First, sign up to your chosen platform and create an account. Then use the platform's search tools to find music that fits your project's mood and style. Listen to full-length previews to ensure the music suits your needs. Carefully read the licensing terms to confirm they align with your intended use. Then buy the track or subscription that best fits your needs, and download the audio file in your preferred format. Finally, make sure you save your purchase receipts and license information for future reference, especially in case of a dispute.
How does royalty-free music differ from other license types?
Unlike traditional music licensing, which often requires ongoing royalty payments based on usage or audience reach, royalty-free music typically involves a one-time fee for unlimited use across multiple projects and platforms. This contrasts with sync licenses, where fees are tied to specific uses and may require renegotiation for each new project or platform.
Royalty-free music also differs from creative commons licenses, which may be free, but which often come with specific attribution requirements or restrictions on commercial use. Royalty-free tracks, while not necessarily free, usually don't require attribution and can be used commercially.
Public domain music is another distinct category, offering completely free use without any licensing requirements. However, these selections are typically limited mostly to older works, whereas royalty-free libraries offer contemporary tracks.
Another options is an exclusive license, where a piece of music is licensed to only one user, whereas royalty-free music can be licensed to multiple users simultaneously. In contrast, the non-exclusive nature of royalty-free music is reflected in its more affordable pricing.
How to choose the best royalty-free music platform
To choose the right royalty-free music platform, start by assessing your specific needs, including how often you post new content, the types of videos you produce, and your budget.
Then, for each platform, examine the licensing terms carefully. Look for companies that provide clear, comprehensive licenses covering your intended use. Some platforms offer simpler, more flexible licenses, while others may have more restrictions. If you're creating for YouTube, look for 'Content ID Safe' tracks to avoid copyright claims.
Compare subscription models with pay-per-track options to determine which is more cost-effective for your needs. Also, consider the audio quality offered. Professional-grade productions require high-quality audio files, typically in WAV format or high-bitrate MP3s.
Consider how quickly each platform allows you to find the music you need, by trying out their search facilities. Finally, some platforms offer additional features like stem tracks or custom editing tools, which might be valuable for more complex projects.
How we test royalty-free music platforms
When evaluating royalty-free music platforms, we begin by taking a deep dive into each platform's music library, assessing the variety, quality and relevance of tracks across different genres and moods. We pay close attention to the search and filtering capabilities, examining how easy it is to find suitable music for specific projects. We then analyze the licensing terms, scrutinizing the fine print to understand usage rights, restrictions and any potential hidden costs. The pricing structure is another crucial factor we consider, comparing subscription models, pay-per-track options, and any additional fees.
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