Royalty-free Music

Juri Kobayashi
Musicinfo
Published in
4 min readJan 31, 2024

Originally Published at Musicinfo.io

What it Royalty-free Music?

Royalty-free music refers to a type of music licensing that allows individuals, businesses, and organizations use music in their projects or content without the need to pay ongoing royalties or fees. When you purchase a royalty-free music license, you typically pay a one-time fee for the right to use the music within the terms specified by the license, which most often allows the user to use the music indefinitely. This is in contrast to traditional music licensing, where you might have to pay royalties each time the music is used such as in public performance, broadcast, or distribution or for any other usage like sampling.

Do You Need to Pay for Royalty-free Music?

With royalty-free music, you pay a single upfront fee to obtain the right to use the music in your projects. This fee may vary depending on the type of license you purchase and the intended use of the music. Royalty-free music licenses often come with a set of terms and conditions that specify how you can use the music. These terms can vary, but they are typically more permissive than traditional music licensing.

Once you’ve purchased a royalty-free music license, you do not need to pay additional royalties or fees each time you use the music, regardless of how many times you use it. There is a wide variety of royalty-free music available, covering different genres and moods, making it suitable for various projects, including videos, presentations, podcasts, and more.

It’s important to note that royalty-free music doesn’t mean the music is entirely free. You still need to purchase a license for the specific track you want to use, but the license grants you the right to use the music in your projects without incurring additional costs. The terms and conditions of the license may vary, so it’s essential to read and understand them to ensure that you’re using the music in compliance with the licensing agreement.

Royalty-free music is a popular choice for content creators, video producers, and businesses looking for cost-effective and convenient solutions to add music to their projects without the complexity and ongoing financial obligations associated with traditional music licensing.

Where Can You Find Royalty-free Music?

There are numerous services and websites that provide royalty-free music licenses, allowing you to find and use music for various projects without the need for ongoing royalty payments. These services offer a wide range of music genres and styles, making it easy to find the right track for your needs. Here are some popular royalty-free music libraries and platforms.

Tunetank: simple affordable way to browse through sound with a user-friendly interface and functions.

AudioJungle: a part of the Envato Market, AudioJungle offers a vast collection of royalty-free music tracks, sound effects, and audio files for various purposes.

Epidemic Sound: Epidemic Sound provides a subscription-based model for creators, offering a vast library of high-quality music tracks and sound effects.

Pond5: Pond5 offers a wide range of media content, including royalty-free music tracks, sound effects, and stock footage, which you can purchase individually or via a subscription.

PremiumBeat: is a music library by Shutterstock, offering high-quality royalty-free music tracks for use in videos, films, and other projects.

Artgrid: is a subscription-based platform offering a collection of high-quality royalty-free music and video footage for filmmakers and video creators.

AudioBlocks: provides a subscription-based model, offering a vast audio library with royalty-free music tracks, sound effects, and loops.

Free Music Archive: This is a resource for finding free and open-source music for various uses. However, be sure to check the specific licensing terms of each track.

Jamendo: offers a library of royalty-free music tracks that are suitable for content creators and businesses, with different licensing options.

Incompetech: offers a wide selection of royalty-free music in various genres. It’s a popular choice for YouTube creators.

YouTube Audio Library: provides a library of music and sound effects that YouTubers can use for free in their videos, with clear licensing terms.

Machinima Sound: royalty-free music and sound effects that are often used in gaming content and videos.

Slip.stream: is the largest music platform for creators with over 70,000 creator-safe tracks and 60,000 sound effects.Before using music from these services, make sure to review the licensing terms for each track to ensure you’re in compliance with the specific requirements. Some may require attribution, while others may have restrictions on usage in commercial projects. The availability of tracks, licensing terms, and pricing can vary between these services, so it’s essential to choose the one that best suits your needs.

Musicinfo Newsletter Signup

--

--

Juri Kobayashi
Musicinfo

Musician and writer at Musicinfo, helping artists expand their musical careers and get global visibility.