If you\u2019re wondering\u00a0how to know if a song is copyrighted<\/a>, it\u2019s always best to assume that it is. That doesn\u2019t mean that you can\u2019t use it, but you will have to establish who owns the copyright and then buy or negotiate a license to use it.<\/p>\n The leading platforms for sharing videos, such as YouTube, Vimeo and Facebook, have slightly different procedures if a copyright holder reports someone for using their content without permission, but they are very similar.<\/p>\n If a copyright holder suspects that you might be using their music in a video without permission, they can submit a takedown notice to the platform hosting your video, for example, YouTube, Vimeo or Facebook. A takedown notice is a legal document stating a copyright holder\u2019s claim and demanding the claim is recognized. In this instance, the hosting platform will remove the offending video and issue you with a notification. This is often referred to as a \u201ccopyright strike\u201d. If you think that the takedown notice was issued in error, you can submit a counter-claim, providing the necessary information, and your video should be restored.<\/p>\n Anyone who repeatedly uses copyrighted material in their videos without permission can have their accounts terminated by their host platforms. Most of them work on a \u201c3 strikes\u00a0and you\u2019re out\u201d policy.<\/p>\n It\u2019s worth noting that YouTube also operates what\u2019s called a Content ID Claim. Here, copyright holders try to come to an agreement with the copyright infringer so that they can profit from the video rather than remove the video altogether. We have an article dedicated to\u00a0copyright claims<\/a>\u00a0where you can read about it in more detail.<\/p>\n If this all sounds a bit daunting, don\u2019t worry! There are lots of ways that you can\u00a0add music to a video<\/a>\u00a0without breaking the law. We\u2019re going to explore music that is free to use and licenses that you pay for and discuss what different licenses mean and which is best for you.<\/p>\n When your budget is very tight, you might want to look for music for your videos that is completely free to use. You can do this by using\u00a0public domain music<\/a>\u00a0or music that has been released under Creative Commons licenses.<\/p>\n Public domain music is music where the composition has fallen out of copyright and so can be performed and recorded without needing the composer\u2019s permission. Theoretically, that means there is a huge amount of public domain music available, but the chances of there being an out-of-copyright\u00a0recording<\/em>\u00a0of it are lower. However, there are sites out there that allow you to download music that is completely free and within the public domain. The\u00a0Free Music Archive<\/em>,\u00a0MusOpen<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0SoundBible<\/em>\u00a0are good places to start.<\/p>\n By its nature, a lot of public domain music is very old or religious, which means it might not be right for your video. Then again, it could be perfect. Some creators do release their music with Creative Commons licenses, which allows you to choose free\u00a0background music for your videos<\/a>\u00a0that\u2019s a bit more up-to-date.<\/p>\n When a creator releases their work with a Creative Commons license, you can make use of it without having to pay a fee, but you will have to meet certain conditions. For example, some licenses will let you remix and adapt a piece of music and use it commercially, but you must give attribution to the original creator. Other licenses will not allow you to adapt the work or use it commercially, and you must still give credit to the creator. When finances are limited and you need\u00a0non-copyrighted music for YouTube videos<\/a>, exploring the\u00a0Creative Commons<\/a>\u00a0is a good place to start. But, for the best range of music for videos, you are best to investigate paid-for licensing options, which includes\u00a0stock music.<\/p>\n There are generally 2\u00a0types of music licenses<\/a>\u00a0that you might encounter if you choose to pay for music for your videos. The first is rights-managed, which is divided into \u201cneedle-drop\u201d and synchronization licenses. Needle-drop licenses refer to radio play, so you don\u2019t have to worry about those. Synchronization licenses are for when you want to use a commercially released track, for example, Taylor Swift\u2019s\u00a0Shake It Off<\/em>, as part of a film, advert, TV program, video game or any other type of audiovisual production. This will likely be an expensive route to take and not something that\u2019s realistic unless you\u2019re working on a big-budget production.<\/p>\n A better choice for you is almost certainly a royalty-free music license. Here, you pay a flat fee to license a track that you can use in your videos. This type of royalty-free music<\/a> is usually created specifically for background music for videos and is available from libraries like Artlist.<\/p>\n Depending on where you purchase your music, the terms of the license can vary a little. For example, some licenses might restrict where a track can be used or have a time limit, which means it\u2019s vital to check it meets your needs.<\/p>\n A quick note on terminology. \u201cCopyright-free music\u201d isn\u2019t the same as public domain music, out-of-copyright music, or free non-copyrighted music.\u00a0Copyright-free music<\/a>\u00a0is another term for royalty-free music. This is important because you need to purchase a license to use copyright-free music or face copyright infringement claims.<\/p>\n When you\u2019re looking for royalty-free music for videos, including\u00a0royalty-free music for YouTube videos<\/a>, we think you don\u2019t need to look any further than Artlist<\/a>.<\/p>\n For a start, Artlist has thousands of royalty-free songs in its library that you can download and use in any type of video project. Need\u00a0music for a Twitch stream<\/a>? Artlist has you covered. It\u2019s not limited to visuals. If you have or are considering starting a podcast<\/a>, the\u00a0Artlist music licensing<\/a>\u00a0covers you for that.<\/p>\nWhat happens if I use a piece of music without permission?<\/h2>\n
![\"742\"](\"https:\/\/artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/1be6abe1fb8fcda9cd553aef9bacff9743a50da7.png\")
<\/p>\nWhat music can I use in my videos, then?<\/h2>\n
How can I find free music for videos?<\/h2>\n
![\"788\"](\"https:\/\/artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/a17d67528ac8f700d4719d76ee88926d7b5e3cb5.png\")
<\/p>\nRoyalty-free music for videos<\/h2>\n
![\"796\"](\"https:\/\/artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/c3fbd60966c883dfe3cde328dd172decd2552744.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nWhy is the Artlist license the best?<\/h2>\n