7 Best Places to Find Free Uncopyrighted Music For Your Videos (2023)

Anyone who’s ever made a video knows that finding good free music is one of the hardest parts of the job.
Here’s all the info you need to make your music search (and ultimately your video) a raging success.

7 Best Places to Find Free Uncopyrighted Music For Your Videos (1)

Here is Some Background Info to Consider When Looking for Free Music for Videos

You want to find uncopyrighted music because it's free, right? Well—sorry to get all technical about it—but there's really no such thing as uncopyrighted music. Huh?

What you should look for instead is music with aCreative Commons license. Before we get into Creative Commons music (and where to find it), let's quickly clear up a few common misconceptions about music copyrights.

Why is there really no such thing as uncopyrighted music?

By law, after someone creates a piece of music and it’s put into a form that can be distributed, the music has copyright protection. Typically, though, the artist won’t win a lawsuit against someone who uses their music unless they have a registered copyright.

Is royalty-free music the same as free uncopyrighted music?

No. Don’t confuse these two, or you will find yourself with a copyright strike or Content ID claim. Royalty-free is a kind of copyright. It’s the opposite of rights-managed copyright. Just because it has the word “free” in it, does not mean you do not have to pay. (Sorry!)

So what is royalty-free?

This means that you pay the owner of the copyright one time, and then you can use the track as many times as you wish. (If you want to use a track that has a “rights managed” copyright, then you have to pay the copyright owner for every single view of your video. Not a good idea if you’re on a tight budget). If you want a royalty-free track for commercial use (monetized) you will have to pay a bigger one-time fee than for non-commercial use.

For example, you can purchase any track on PremiumBeat music production library for $59. It's a decent deal if you have the cash, as it’s all original music you can’t find in any other library. However, if you want to monetize your YouTube video or use it in a commercial, you'll have to pay $199 for that same track.

Ok, so is there any way to get some decent music that’s completely FREE?

You bet there is! When people search for “free uncopyrighted music” or “Free Music for Videos” they should really be searching for music that has a Creative Commons (CC) license.

A CC license is used when the owner wants other people to share or even build upon and reuse the song. Creative Commons music is a global effort to legitimately share music!

When you use a CC song, you’ll have peace of mind knowing that you can use the track for free—as long as you abide by the conditions that are specified in the license. Don’t worry, though, we can clear this up pretty fast. Hang in there.

(Video) Where to Get FREE No Copyright Music for YouTube Videos in 2021 (Underrated Royalty Free Music)

Types of Creative Commons licenses

There are several types of Creative Commons licenses. You’re gonna want to narrow your focus to a piece of music with a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). This gives you permission to use the tracks in any way you want. That covers commercial use, and even allows you to remix or change the track.

Just make sure that you give appropriate credit (exactly as specified by the owner and clearly visible) and also indicate what, if any, changes were made.

If you want to use a piece of music that is licensed as “CC BY-SA”, you can still use it without worries. “SA” stands for “Share Alike” and it means that when you reuse (or change) the track, it still carries the same license with it, and other people can share your track and use it on their videos. Hopefully, that’s not a problem for you…if you're a sharer!

Watch out for a license that has “CC BY-ND”. “ND” stands for “No Derivative Works” and it means that you cannot alter the piece in any way. If you want to use it as is, then it won’t be a problem.

Here’s another one to watch for: “CC BY-NC”. “NC” stands for “non-commercial” work. If you plan on using the track in a video to make money or sell a product, stay away from this kind of copyrighted music!

TIP: In general, just make sure when you use any Creative Commons music that you have documentation about the items you’ve downloaded, so you won’t run into any problems after you upload your video.

Ok, let's start searching for free music for videos already!

Ok, so now that you’re educated, we can get to the good stuff. We’ve collected 7 of the best ways to find free uncopyrighted music (.. kidding!) –Creative Commons Attribution Licensed music.

1. YouTube Audio Library

This has free music and sound effects and it’s easy to search. You’ll see a dropdown menu called “Attribution” where you can sort by tracks that are “Attribution Required” (CC-BY) or “No Attribution Required” (now that you know what this is all about, you can feel like a pro).

If you select a CC-BY track, make sure you copy and paste the credits exactly as they are written. As long as you properly credit the creator, you shouldn’t have a problem using CC-BY in YouTube or anywhere else you upload your video.

Here's a great video on how to use the YouTube Audio Library, as well as how to do a search for music channels within YouTube:

(Video) Best Copyright Free Music for YouTube Videos — Top 3 Sites

TIP: If you’re using a No Attribution Required audio file outside of YouTube, check the creator’s information to verify if the track is under a contract with YouTube. If YouTube has paid for use of the music on its platform, you should probably skip using the track outside of YouTube.

You can also just Do a Search on YouTube.

Go to the YouTube “search” tool and type in “Creative Commons Music.” You can even get more specific and type, for example, “Creative Commons Music Background Chill.”

You can also check out some videos from your favorite YouTuber and look in the video description to find out if any of the tracks have a Creative Commons license. This is a streamlined technique for finding quality SoundCloud tracks!

2. Hook Sounds

Alvaro Angeloro and Veronica Viera started HookSounds with the aim of creating a credible site that offers quality, curated, royalty-free music. All the music on the site is exclusive. This means that you won’t find HookSounds music anywhere else.

You can use the tracks for personal use for Free, under their use and mention license. This means you are able to use it as long as you are not “monetizing” the use of it. But you can get a basic monetization use for $25 bucks which is pretty cheap for good-quality tracks.

3. NoCopyrightSounds (NCS)

If you search for “free uncopyrighted music” or “no copyright music” on YouTube you might come across this YouTube Channel. It’s a popular channel turned record label from the UK, that features free electronic music for independent Creators (it’s not free if you’re a Brand).

You just have to make sure to give credits as posted. You can use these tracks on YouTube and Twitch—even in monetized videos! However, you might receive a copyright claim if you try to use it on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.

4. Free Stock Music

Although it would seem like a self-explanatory website name, you may have to pull out your wallet in some cases. You’re going to find mostly Creative Commons Attribution Required tracks here, but some are “CC-BY-NC” (Non-Commerical Use).

Be careful and make sure you know which ones you’re looking at. Luckily, they offer you the option to buy the track for around $9 if you want to use it for monetized videos.

5. Purple Planet Music

This site offers tons of free Creative Commons music (CC-BY) and all you need to do is credit them! You can use them for your monetized video, but they only give you a 192kbps MP3 (which should be fine for background music).

(Video) Download The Best FREE No Copyright Music for YouTube - 7 Best Royalty Free Music Sites

If you want a higher quality download, you can pay $8. Pretty reasonable!

6. Take Tones

TakeTones has a really good library and you can use their music for free for non-commercial projects such as home videos and non-monetized YouTube content.

Such usage is covered by a Free Creative Commons License (which is only valid if you credit us them the video description).

You can also pay for tracks for commercial use, or upgrade to a paid monthly plan to get unlimited tracks for a pretty low price.

7. Free Music Archive

Just as the name suggests, this site has free music, and of course, most are under Creative Commons. To find out which kind of CC it is—and if it’s available for commercial use—just click on the song title and then look at the far right column.

The license info is under the box which shows the number of track downloads.

NOW—what if you need even more track options, or track customization?

7 Best Places to Find Free Uncopyrighted Music For Your Videos (2)

Ok, you’ve got 7 options that will work well for finding free uncopyrighted music for a myriad of video purposes, like background music or whatever. But what if you need a really killer track, and perhaps need it customized?

Well, when it comes to music (or anything else in life) you get what you pay for. So, you’re gonna find a much wider and richer music selection if you cough up some actual dough.

Here are a few more bonus sites for you to check out, that have subscription and pay-as-you-go models, along with a wider selection!

Epidemic Sound

Starting at just $15/month for an individual, you can download as much music as you need (including stems!) for as long as your subscription is active. You are completely copyright cleared for use on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitch.

(Video) How To Find Copyright Free Sound Effects, Music, Overlays, (And More) For Gaming Videos

For a measly $15 per month, you can have peace of mind and an awesome selection of over 30,000 songs. It’s probably worth the price if you consistently need fresh and unique tracks.

Envato Music

Envato Market has everything from word-press themes to website code to graphics templates…but they also have some decent music at decent prices. (Just hit the “Audio” tab.)

In addition to music, however, they also have lots of great sound effects as well. You can actually get any kind of media you would need for a project from Envato, it's amazing.

APM Music

If you are starting to make real money with your videos, or are getting a budget to make a commercial or whatever, you should check out APM. We owned a post-production company in Los Angeles, and we used APM all the time.

Their music is of incredible quality for the money. Plus you can get splits of everything you buy, and customization if you need it.

Artlist

Another place to find some good royalty-free music is Artlist: Music Licensing For Video. In addition to music, they also have sound effects and a royalty-free stock footage side of their business as well.

TuneReel

When it comes to highly curated royalty-free music libraries, TuneReel is a real gem. Here, you’ll find quality indie tunes and attentive customer service at shockingly attractive rates (even for commercial content!).

Work With A Freelance Composer

If you want something completely custom and totally unique to your project, you can try working with a freelance composer. There are sites like Twine, that make finding freelance creatives much easier these days!

In Conclusion

There you have it! Awesome simple tools to keep your videos packed with FREE legal music!

FAQs

Where can I find uncopyrighted songs? ›

Uncopyrighted music can be found in the public domain, under creative commons music licenses, or in royalty-free music libraries.

Is no copyright music free to use? ›

Copyright Free Music DEFINITION

Copyright free music refers to music that can be used freely by anyone. Without a copyright, the content can be used without restriction. Yet, no song is really without copyright because musicians are granted natural copyright for any produced work.

How do I get copyright free content? ›

To find copyright free and royalty free content, images and music:
  1. https://freerangestock.com/
  2. https://pixabay.com/
  3. https://www.freeimages.com/
  4. https://www.flickr.com/creativecommons/
  5. https://www.free-stock-music.com/
  6. https://incompetech.com/
  7. https://www.freesoundtrackmusic.com/

What popular songs are not copyrighted? ›

Top Six Most Popular Royalty-Free Songs
  • Take Me Out to the Ball Game. Singers Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer recorded the original version of Take Me Out to the Ball Game in 1908. ...
  • Happy Birthday. ...
  • House of the Rising Sun. ...
  • Rockin' Robin. ...
  • Everybody Loves My Baby. ...
  • That's All Right.

What is the best free app to add music to a video? ›

YouCam Video is the best video editor app to add music to videos. Users can choose from 750 stock music options or upload their own music. It is a free and easy-to-use app, but still has all the features you're looking for.

How can I use music in my videos legally? ›

Put simply; you can legally use music in videos if you have permission from the person, people, or company who owns the rights. Since the publisher and the record label usually hold music rights, you'll have to get permission from both. From the publisher or composer, you'll get a synchronization (or sync license).

Can you use 30 seconds of a copyrighted song? ›

Any use of copyrighted material without permission is, according to U.S. copyright law, copyright infringement. It does not matter if you use one second or the entire song, using copyrighted materials without the consent or permission of the copyright owner, constitutes copyright infringement.

Can you use 15 seconds of a song without copyright? ›

The "15 Second" or "8 Bar" Rule

The reality is that there is no legal protection in copyright law for these types of use. If you use a piece of a composition or sound recording that is copyrighted, you will need a license.

Is a song still copyrighted if I edit it? ›

Only the owner of copyright in a work has the right to prepare, or to authorize someone else to create, a new version of that work. Accordingly, you cannot claim copyright to another's work, no matter how much you change it, unless you have the owner's consent.

What content is not copyrighted? ›

Not Protected by Copyright:

Titles, names, short phrases and slogans; familiar symbols or designs; mere variations of typographic ornamentation, lettering or coloring; mere listings of ingredients or contents.

Can you use 10 seconds of a song without copyright? ›

Or merely a ten-second refrain? Unfortunately, there are no fixed standards as to how much of a song you can use without infringing the song owner's copyright. Of course, the shorter you can make the clip, the stronger your argument for fair use protection.

Can I play 10 seconds of a copyrighted song? ›

Any use of copyrighted material without permission is, according to U.S. copyright law, copyright infringement. It does not matter if you use one second or the entire song, using copyrighted materials without the consent or permission of the copyright owner, constitutes copyright infringement.

Does changing pitch avoid copyright? ›

Changing the pitch will not avoid copyright infringement. You would need to substantially change the original work in order to make it truly original.

What are some uncopyrighted songs? ›

Top Six Most Popular Royalty-Free Songs
  • Take Me Out to the Ball Game. Singers Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer recorded the original version of Take Me Out to the Ball Game in 1908. ...
  • Happy Birthday. ...
  • House of the Rising Sun. ...
  • Rockin' Robin. ...
  • Everybody Loves My Baby. ...
  • That's All Right.

Are there any popular songs that are not copyrighted? ›

  • 50 popular songs in the public domain. ...
  • "After You Get What You Want, You Don't Want It" by Irving Berlin. ...
  • "Some of These Days" by Shelton Brooks. ...
  • "Darktown Strutters Ball" by Shelton Brooks. ...
  • "Alabama Jubilee" by George L. ...
  • "Because" by Guy d'Hardelot, Edward Teschemacher. ...
  • "Jelly Roll Blues" by Jelly Roll Morton.
Aug 16, 2021

How do you get Uncopyrighted music on SoundCloud? ›

You can sign up for a free account, which will allow you to favorite tracks and make collections to come back to later.
  1. Step 1: Start a Search on SoundCloud. ...
  2. Step 2: Filter Your Search Results. ...
  3. Step 3: Download the Right Track for Your Project. ...
  4. Attribution. ...
  5. Sharealike. ...
  6. Non-Commercial. ...
  7. NoDerivatives.
Apr 20, 2022

Can you use NoCopyRightSounds music? ›

Yes, you can use NCS (NoCopyRightSounds) tracks used in commercial content (content that solely promotes or advertises a Product or Service) requires a Commercial License Agreement to be signed and a License fee to be paid before an NCS track can be used in this way.

Can you use under 30 seconds of a copyrighted song? ›

This is one of the most common misconceptions. Unfortunately, this is not true and there is no bright line rule that says a use is an acceptable use as long as you only use 5, 15, or 30 seconds of a song. Any use of copyrighted material without permission is, according to U.S. copyright law, copyright infringement.

How old does a song have to be to be copyright free? ›

Typically, music enters the public domain when the copyright on the recording or sheet music expires, around 70 years after the original artist's death. As of January 1, 2022, that will change to any composition before 1926.

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