- When it comes to video background music,
there's a ton of options for royalty free stock music,
but they're definitely not all created equal.
So in this video,
we're going to cover our top recommendations,
including my top picks for the best royalty free music sites
in every category,
and what we're using at Primal Video,
from totally free options to all you can eat subscriptions.
Hey, it's Justin Brown here from Primal Video,
where we help you grow an audience
and scale your revenue with online video.
If you're seeing value in this video,
make sure you're giving it a thumbs up.
It really makes a huge difference.
And all the links to everything I mentioned in this video,
you can find the link in the description box below.
Let's jump into it.
Music is a key element of every video,
which is why it's so awesome to see
so many new music options for video creators these days.
But be warned though,
this is an area that you definitely need to tread carefully.
Royalty free doesn't mean free to use for whatever you want.
And licensing terms can vary pretty significantly
between different platforms.
So you want to make sure that you can legally use
the music or the sound effects that you're grabbing
so that you avoid the risk
of getting any painful copyright strikes on your channel
in the future.
So we're going to mention some of the key considerations
for each of the options listed as we go through,
but as always make sure that you do your own research
for your specific use case
to make sure that you don't get into trouble.
So we're going to start off by looking at some
of the free options,
and then move into some of the paid solutions
that are definitely worth your consideration.
So the first free option is to use YouTube's audio library.
Yes, YouTube themselves actually give you access
to some audio tracks that you can download
and use in your YouTube videos.
So to access this,
all you need to do is to log into your YouTube channel,
open up the YouTube studio dashboard area,
and then in the menu on the left, you'll see audio library.
So it's not just music that's in there.
You also get access to some sound effects
that you can use as well.
But these files are only to be used in your YouTube videos.
You're not supposed to be using these on Facebook
or on any other platform.
These are YouTube specific.
You'll also find that these tracks are pretty popular
because a lot of people are coming here to find free music
for their videos.
So they tend to use the same ones.
And some of the music tracks in here,
you will need to credit the creator of that track.
Either in the video itself or in your video description.
Now outside of YouTube audio library to other websites that
you could check out for free music,
there's Free Music Archive and Tune Tank.
Again, both of these offer free music
that you can download and use in your videos,
depending on the specific music tracks that you're using,
is likely you're going to need to, again,
credit the author or the creator of that music,
but Tune Tank does make this process really easy
by giving you some texts that you can just copy and paste
into your video description.
And again, no matter which free site you're using,
you want to make sure that you are in compliance
with whether you can legally use that track or not,
and if you need to attribute or give credit
to the content creator.
But for me personally,
I would much rather pay for my music
so that I know that I get the correct license,
and that I am compliant with wherever the video
is going out.
So it's not something that's going to come back and haunt me
potentially years after I've created that content.
Now, in terms of the paid services,
to find music for your videos, again,
there are so many different options out there.
Some services you can pay on an individual
track by track basis.
So you just pay for the songs that you're using.
Whereas others, you pay a yearly fee
and you get access to their entire music catalog.
But besides the licensing piece,
being generally so much easier
with the paid options versus free,
what you'll also find is generally
you're accessing a much larger music library
and the higher quality of music that is in that library,
but also the tools and the categories
and how everything is cataloged.
They generally make it much easier to find the tracks
that you're looking for as well.
So from trying and testing a ton of
the music options out there,
I've narrowed my shortlist down to two.
I really like both of these because they make
the whole licensing thing really, really simple
without the need to add credit or attribution
inside of your videos or inside of your video descriptions.
Again, lots of other services are way too complicated
when it comes to this legal stuff.
So the first one of my top two is Artlist.
This one is the most straightforward
when it comes to licensing,
and also the most flexible when it comes to licensing,
because you can pretty much use your music tracks
everywhere.
You get access to their entire music library
of 18,000 plus music tracks, it's always growing.
And they've also got a sound effects library
in there as well.
The overall interface and the platform is really intuitive,
making it really quick and easy to find music
with lots of different categories that you can use
to narrow down your selection based on the mood,
the theme of your video, the genre, or even by instrument.
Or there's also a good search functionality
in there as well.
Now, in terms of pricing,
you get to access the entire Artlist music library
for $199 per year, billed annually,
which works out is around $16.60 per month.
So that's for the music.
Now, if you want to access the sound effects as well,
then it's an extra a hundred dollars per year.
So billed annually, that's $299, or around $25 per month.
But what I really like about this is
it's just one fee, one plan,
and you can use this music pretty much anywhere,
even for client work as well.
If you're a video producer and you're producing videos
for your clients, then your license will cover them as well.
Now, the other thing I really like about Artlist is that
to date, after using it in a lot of our YouTube content,
we have not received any copyright claims,
copyright flags or anything to do with the music from them.
There are other stock music sites out there
where it is normal for your videos to get a copyright claim.
And then you have to go through the process
of white-listing your channel or removing those claims
from your videos afterwards.
For me, that's an extra headache that I don't want.
I'd much rather, again, pay that one fee,
know that I'm good to go,
and to date, we've had no issues with Artist.
So the second option, option number two is Epidemic Sound.
I would say this is probably one of the most popular options
out there when it comes to music,
especially for YouTube videos.
And again, just like Artlist,
it's got a really great, easy to use interface,
making it easy for you to browse through,
to search and to find music.
But one thing I do think is a cool little addition
is that there is a button there
to help you find a similar music.
So once you find a track that you like,
you can press the find similar button,
and it will show you other tracks that are similar.
Finding the perfect music track for your videos
can be a massive time sink.
So anything that anyone can do to help me
speed up that process, I'm all for it.
And this is a great addition.
Now, Epidemic Sound also gives you access to stems
where you can download different pieces
of the overall music.
So think of these like music layers from the overall track.
So you've got a melody stem, instrument only, bass, drums,
and they come down as their own individual music track.
So you can either just use that piece of the track,
just the drums,
or you could even change up the music in your editing,
using a combination of these to really build out the track
that you want to use to create the feeling you need
for your video.
Now, in terms of pricing and licensing,
it is straightforward, but it's not as flexible as Artlist.
So there is a personal plan for $15 per month,
or $144 per year.
Or there is a commercial plan for $49 per month,
which works out as $299 per year.
They'll both cover you for your YouTube channel.
And let's say the personal plan will let you use their music
or their sound effects on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram,
Twitch, and podcasts.
Whereas the commercial plan,
we'll let you use it on all online platforms, websites,
and in digital ads as well.
So if you're just wanting music
for your YouTube channel right now,
the personal plan could be the one for you.
Or if you're someone like me,
who just wants to know that the licenses I'm getting,
I don't have to come back in and keep checking in
where I can and can't use things,
and which license I purchased in the first place.
Then I'm going to go the commercial plan,
just so I know I'm covered.
If I do want to turn it into an ad,
or use it on a website or something later.
So Artlist and Epidemic Sound are my top two picks
right now for where you can go to get great music
for your videos.
They both make the whole licensing thing really simple.
They're both got amazing music catalogs.
And they both make it really quick and easy for you
to find the music tracks that you're looking for
for your videos.
Now, in terms of the overall music quality,
I'd probably say the Epidemic Sound is maybe
just a little bit above the quality of what you'll find
on Artlist.
There's nothing wrong with Artlist,
but Epidemic Sound seems more like the stuff
that you hear on the radio,
or the stuff that we're used to hearing.
Whereas Artlist, it seems to have a lot more
of the instrumental music on there as well, which is fine.
And that's actually what we use for a lot
of our YouTube videos.
So that's why we have a mix.
At Primal Video, we have a subscription to both,
and we actually use both in our YouTube videos.
Now, I'm definitely not saying that you need to run out,
and have a subscription to both.
Just pick the one that ticks the most boxes for you,
right now with the content that you are creating.
And again, links are in the description below,
to go and check them out.
So now that you've got your music platforms sorted,
and you know where to get your music from,
if you want some help in finding which music tracks
you should be using in your videos,
then check out the video linked on screen,
and I'll see you in there. Cheers.