Add Music to Your Video Content Without Spending a Dime
Free music for videos may not be the first thing you think about when you start planning your video editing projects. But, it should be on your list of priorities. With video being king right now and so much content out there, music is definitely one of the elements that can make your video pop. On top of that, you wouldn’t want any copyright infringement claims stopping your video in its tracks. No, sir.
You will definitely need to check if the free music you are using is public domain or what type of Creative Commons license it is under. Ideally, you’ll want to use music that is under CC0. That means music you can freely modify, use, and publish without restrictions. Other CC license types include:
- CC BY licenses – require attribution
- CC BY-SA licenses – require Attribution-Share-Alike
- CC-BY-ND licenses – require Attribution-No-Derivatives (no mixes allowed)
- CC BY-NC licenses – require Attribution-Non-Commercial (no commercial use allowed)
We’ve established that not all free music for videos is just up for grabs. However, it’s not all bad. There are still some darn good options out there to help you make the most of your content at no extra cost. Just keep your eyes on the licensing details and you’ll be fine.
So, let’s dive into our list of best sites that offer free music for video content. I mean, who doesn’t love a good freebie?
1. Bensound
License: CC BY-ND
Bensound is a great source for royalty-free music for videos. It has numerous genres you can choose from like pop, rock, jazz, or folk. Plus, you can order the results by popularity or newest. You can also choose to order the results of your search by how long they are. This is a great time saver since you will probably know exactly how long your video is.
There is also a convenient search tab you can use to search for music using specific tags.
Most music available on Bensound can be used under an CC BY-ND license. That is with attribution and noderivatives. So, you’re free to use it as background for your videos if you make sure you properly credit Bensound for it and you don’t use it to create new songs or mixes.
2. Free Music Archive
License: Public domain & CC types
Free Music Archive is one of the most popular sources for free music. It has millions of monthly visitors. Be it for videos, animations, or other types of content, whatever your music need is, you’ll find it here. There are 16 genres of music available, from blues to soul music, and instrumental to experimental. You can also browse by curator once you find a favorite.
FMA’s biggest pro is that every MP3 you find there has been pre-cleared for use and is no longer subject to copyright restrictions. On top of that, all of the thousands of sound clips on FMA have been hand-picked by professional audio curators.
Because licenses may vary for different tracks, you should double-check allowed uses on FMA’s FAQ section.
3. Mixkit
License: Free
You can use Mixkit’s intuitive platform to browse for free music for videos by genre, mood, or tags. Genres range from ambient to cinematic or funk. Moods go from happy to upbeat to sad. And the tags are so diverse that you won’t have any trouble finding the best option for your video editing project. The platform also has a library of sound effects.
If you stick to the free stock music library, all clips are royalty-free and require no attribution or sign up. The platform also offers unlimited downloads. So, have as much fun as you want!
4. Soundstripe
License: Royalty-free with subscription
Sounstripe is a collection of radio-quality music for videos offered royalty-free to subscribers. The way it works is Soundstripe acquires the rights to a certain song, and then instead of charging royalty fees for the use of that song, they compile collections that they give for free to users who access their subscription program.
Finding background music for your videos is quick and painless and you can also create your own playlists. Subscriptions start at $12.5/month and the basic plan includes unlimited music licenses, curated playlists, stem audio files, and an Adobe Premiere Pro extension.
5. YouTube Studio
You can find the YouTube Audio Library in the new and improved version of YouTube Studio. It includes royalty-free music and sound effects that you can use for free in your videos. The tracks available in the library are updated twice a month.
To access the Audio Library, all you have to do is sign into YouTube Studio, select Audio Library from the menu and start your search. The free music tab has filters and a search bar you can use to easily find the right videos for your project. You can browse by mood, genre, track title, or artist name, as well as duration.
You can also save your favorites and download them. Some tracks require attribution, but you can also use the “Attribution not required” filter and browse music with a standard YTAL license.
6. Jamendo
License: Various CC types
Jamendo offers two platforms. One is Jamendo Music, where you can discover fresh independent artists and tracks licensed under a Creative Commons license. On the other hand, the Jamendo Licensing platform offers royalty-free music for videos, including for commercial use. You may be tempted to try Jamendo Licensing for your video project, but if it’s free music you’re after, Jamendo Music is what you should go for.
However, if you want to browse Jamendo Licensing for your background music, make sure you click on the licensing information of any song you intend to use to check what conditions apply.
7. ccMixter
License: CC BY and CC BY-NC
ccMixter is one of the largest platforms offering free music for videos. It is a community project where musicians upload derivative works with contributions from thousands of different artists and tens of thousands of different tracks. When you browse, you can choose tracks by genre, style, instrument, or use the tag search. You can also set the Filter to “free for commercial use” and get awesome royalty-free tracks available under Creative Commons licenses.
8. Incompetech
License: CC BY
To access Incompetech’s music library, you’ll need to create an account. No worries, it’s completely free. Once you create an account, you’ll get access to the advanced search functions. This means you can browse tracks by keyword, genre, mood, length, or artist.
With the standard (free) license, you get access to royalty-free music that you can also use commercially. You won’t, however, have access to premium songs. You will also need to give credit for using the tracks. For no attribution requirements and access to premium songs, you can get the extended license for €20.
9. Musopen
License: Public domain & CC types
If classical music is what you are after, Musopen is the place to find it. It has a great collection of orchestral tracks you can browse and choose from. Think Bach, Beethoven, or the Barber of Seville.
Because it’s a non-profit platform, Musopen offers music for videos completely free. All the music on this platform is either registered as public domain or under a Creative Commons license.
There you have it. Free music for videos is not as impossible as you would expect, and great options are still available. We hope our list of sites with free music for videos will make your next video project stand out and gather millions of views from adoring fans!
We’d also love to hear from you and learn what other great sources for free music for videos you’ve come across in your queries and want to share with the community. Keep ‘em coming, we’re all ears!