Getting Royalty-Free Music to Use On Your Next Project

When creating content for social media on TikTok and Instagram, as a business profile, you are very limited to the music you have access to. Many times I've seen reels and TikToks from content creators with no audio because it's been taken down due to copyright. It has actually happened to me once before, as well! Although I will probably never be able to use the next Beyonce or Taylor Swift hit on one of my product promos, I can turn to other artists to find music to accompany my videos.

The. answer is royalty-free music. I personally use Adobe Stock for music content. However, it is expensive and not everyone has access to this program. So once again, I've turned to ChatGPT for help.

I asked for a list of free website with access to royalty-free music. Here's what I got:

1. YouTube Audio Library - Directly from YouTube, this library offers a wide range of free music and sound effects that can be used in your video projects.
2. Free Music Archive (FMA) - A large library of high-quality, legal audio downloads. FMA is a great resource for finding music that you can use for free, as long as you adhere to the license indicated for each track.
3. Incompetech - Created by Kevin MacLeod, Incompetech provides a vast array of music tracks that you can use for free with attribution.
4. Bensound - Offers a collection of music in various genres, free to use under Creative Commons License with attribution.
5. Purple Planet Music - Provides a wide range of royalty-free music, free to use for non-commercial purposes with proper attribution.
6. Jamendo - A platform offering free music for personal use and licenses for commercial use. The site hosts a large community of independent artists and their music.
7. ccMixter - A community music site where you can find music that falls under the Creative Commons license, allowing for free use with attribution.
8. Storyblocks - Offers a subscription-based service, but you can also find free tracks and sound effects. It's worth checking their free section or taking advantage of any free trials.
9. SoundCloud - Although primarily a platform for artists to share their music, you can find royalty-free tracks for use. Look for tracks labeled with a Creative Commons license, and make sure to follow the attribution requirements specified by the artist.

After going through all nine platforms, I do not think these are suitable for commercial use except two: Bensound and SoundCloud. These platforms offer free music for personal use. That means you cannot use them for YouTube videos, Instagram, or other social media projects. Some do allow commercial, but you must credit the author/platform from which it was acquired. This might not be an issue with YouTube videos as you have an unlimited amount of characters where you can attribute the rights of the music. However, in other platforms such as Instagram reels of TikToks, the real estate is much more limited.

For that reason, I think Bensound and SoundCloud are the better free options for royalty-free music. Bensound was my favorite because it allows you to quickly filter through thousands of music files by genre or mood. Just don't forget to check the "Free Music Only" filter so you don't have to worry about buying a license later on!