Royalty Free Music

Royalty free music has grown in popularity over the last few years. With the rise in videographers, documentary films, streaming videos, marketing videos, and YouTube videos, music is used more often than than many other media types. We can only see this genre growing more rapidly in the next several years as technology improves and new types of technology enters the marketplace where unlicensed music can be integrated into personal and professional projects.

Royalty free music is production music that is licensed/purchased for a fee and has no additional fees or "royalties" to pay once the music has been bought. It can be used as many times as the purchaser wishes to use it. It can be used in any production the purchaser wishes to as long as the license purchased with the music grants the purchaser the rights to do so.

Royalty free music is usually composed for TV, film, computer games, marketing, or videos. Music is an essential part of most video productions. It is made to target certain moods, genres or themes. It can change the feel of the scene, or stir up emotions in the audience. When was the last time you heard hip hop music in a cowboy movie, or heard an uptempo song in the background when the mother of the hero was murdered in a movie? When used with the appropriate scene music can turn a regular video into a professional production.

As we've pointed out, the right music can make or break a video. But with copyright infringement and licensing lawsuits at an all time high we must be careful about placing music into our videos, marketing, restaurants, films, multimedia, and other productions. This is where royalty free music comes to the rescue.

What to Look for in Royalty Free Music

Quality

In order to have a professional video you need to have high quality sound. If you've used the techniques on our website to create high quality audio from your production would you want to add low quality music? We don't think so. If the website you use to obtain your music allows you to do so preview any and all music files before purchasing them. Even the best audio tools may not be able to correct some of the worst audio files.

Quantity

You want to make sure that the site you make your purchase from has a large quantity of music available. If you are purchasing a music volume with multiple tracks compare the number of clips to the price of single slips to make sure you are getting a good deal. The best volumes have several versions of each song. This could include several variations of a song, different file lengths (:30, 1:00, full songs or loops), and different file types.

File Types

Most royalty free music websites provide MP3 and WAV file formats. Most individuals who listen to these files will never be able to tell the difference between the two. But there are some differences which may be important to you when adding music to your project. MP3 files are smaller than WAV files. They are optimized for streaming videos and file sharing. WAV files are a Windows format. Because of this MP3 files are compatible with more devices than WAV files. Make sure the website where you get your music from offers files in a usable format that your video editing program supports.

Stale Music

You may find a great tune that you think is perfect for your project. You buy it and put it in your project and it works great with the video. Next thing you know you start hearing the music you used everywhere. Chances are you bought old music. The older the music the more likely it has been used in multiple projects before yours. If the music is free or it is really cheap, see if you can find out when the music was produced. If it is more than a few years old you may want to weigh the pros and cons of using it.

The End-User Agreement or License

Who wants to spend money on music that you can't use the way you need to use it? Even though most royalty free music websites allow you to use the music you purchase however you want there are some exceptions. Some music may not be able to be used commercially. Some may not be able to be used without giving credit to the producer and their label. Be sure to read the End-User Agreement, Terms of Use, or the license agreement on the site before you make a purchase to see if you have a royalty, needle drop, in perpetuity, creative commons, blanket, or royalty free license. You want to abide by any necessary actions you need to take when using the music. It may make the difference between purchasing from one site or another.

Price

Need we say more?

The Video-Editing-Software-Guide.com Royalty Free Music List

Here is a list of some websites where you can find royalty free music. They are not listed in any particular order.

There are some sites that provide free royalty free music but there is a catch (you didn't think there wouldn't be one did you?). In order to use the music on these sites you must list the creator of the music in your video. If you neglect to do so you void the licensing agreement and the creator/owner of the music can therefore come after you for any applicable fees. You can get free royalty free music from RoyaltyFreeMusic.com and DanOSongs.com. Keep in mind, because the music from these sites is free the selections have probably been used by millions of people prior to you using them. The music will be on a lot of other videos and it may be stale as well.

Using royalty free music can bring your videos to the next level. It is an integral part of creating a successful production. You must think carefully about which music will be used. Use the chart above to check out the different sites and come to a decision on which ones will work best for you. Then get out there and find the right music for your next production.

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