If you’re on YouTube, Twitch, or some other video creation site, odds are you’ve heard the term royalty free music tossed around. So what is royalty free music? If you’re a content creator, it’s something that can benefit you greatly.
Yet there are also a lot of inaccuracies regarding royalty free music. This can lead to people developing misconceptions on account of not understanding it.
Keep reading for a guide that’ll explain exactly what it is, what it is not, and how you can use it.
What Is Royalty Free Music?
Have you ever uploaded a video to a video sharing site, only to receive a notice that the music you chose is in violation of copyright policy? Royalty free music is the answer to those unfortunate situations.
Royalty free music is a type of music license that requires you to pay for a license one time. After that, you can use it as often as you want, for as long as you want. If you make videos with the purchased song everyday for the next 10 years, you won’t have any problem. This is different than many other types of music licenses.
Most of the confusion comes from the name royalty free, but what it means is that the music license you’ve purchased is free of royalties. When TV and movie producers use music in their productions, they have to make a payment each time a network airs their work. Royalty free music is the opposite of this.
For smaller content creators, royalty free music is a better, more affordable option. All the agreement requires is a single, upfront payment.
How Does it Compare With Other Kinds of Music?
Many people use the term royalty free music interchangeably with other music types. But how does it compare?
Copyright-free music is another type of music you may have heard about. This type of music is exactly what it sounds like, free of copyright. The creator who made the track decided that the music could be used without limitation. This type of music is uncommon and should be used carefully.
Many songs that say copyright free do have copyright, but the creator chooses not to stop people from using it. However, nothing is stopping them from suddenly deciding to act if your video becomes too popular.
Stock music is another category of music. If you’ve used YouTube’s Audio Library to find tracks before, you’ve explored this type of music. Publishers allow content creators to use these tracks freely. The problem is that the quality of these songs may be lower and that the selection may be limited.
Royalty free music differs from both of these music types in that it isn’t free, and that you have a license to use it.
Where Can You Find Royalty Free Music?
There are a variety of different websites you can choose from that offer you royalty free music options. Many have different songs and payment options.
Comma is one option where you can find high-quality original music. Big brands, such as LG, Canon, and Intel have all used their songs in advertisements and productions before. Comma provides the highest song quality in the market.
Yet the site is also perfect for smaller content creators. Choose between an individual, business, or industry subscription, and Comma will tailor songs to suit your musical needs. You can also search by keyword and music type, letting you find the exact track that you need.
Many other royalty free music creators rely on third-parties to create low-quality music. Although these tracks might be suitable for home videos, they shouldn’t be suitable for you. Comma works with composers who have spent their entire lives creating music, ensuring a level of quality that others can’t beat.
Why Should You Use Royalty Free Music?
You may feel that using royalty free music isn’t worth it because you have to pay for it. However, there are a ton of benefits that go along with using it.
Perhaps the biggest advantage is that you’ll never have to worry about copyright infringement. Oftentimes when choosing other types of music, you may feel that you won’t have an issue, but the site still takes your video down. As any content-creator knows, a change in music can cause the whole mood of your video to shift.
If you cancel your subscription to a royalty free music provider, you won’t be penalized. If you’ve used the song in a monetized video, you will continue to earn money from that video. For smaller creators, this allows them to not have to pay high fees, but still get to use the music.
Royalty free music is also higher-quality than other types of music. If you’ve ever used copyright-free music, it can be a struggle to find a song that you like enough to use in your video. Once you do find one, the quality may not be good enough.
Yet royalty free music will give your videos a professional appearance. You’ll also have thousands of songs to choose from, ensuring that you’re able to find the perfect one each time.
Take Your Content Creation to the Next Level
If you’ve been on video-sharing platforms for a while, you may be wondering: What is royalty free music? After reading this guide, you hopefully now have a better understanding of what it is, and might even be ready to put it in your own videos.
Do you have any other insight on how to make the most of royalty free music? Let us know in a comment!
For more tech-related articles, don’t forget to check out some of our other blog posts.
