Fantastic Youtube Music and Where To Find Them

One of the things that I put focus on and spend the MOST time looking for my Youtube videos is MUSIC. Typically I spend about 2-5 hours just looking for the perfect music to put in my videos. Of course, while looking, I also download songs that I think will be useful in the future.

I know I'm not the only one doing this as music helps move a story/sequence forward or help set the mood for the videos you're doing.

One challenge you might encounter is of course the dreaded COPYRIGHT STRIKE. Using copyrighted music such as those from mainstream artists or signed artists under a record company may land your channel a Copyright Strike which when repeatedly acquired may deem your channel banned or even deleted from the platform.

Finding music is easy on Youtube, finding NON-COPYRIGHT music is HARD. So how else will you get that awesome mood and feel for your Youtube videos? This article will tackle this.

NOTE: This article includes both FREE Sources and PAID Sources. Also, there's a referral code in this article for a music service that I personally use, this code will give me 30% off my next subscription payment so it will be of great help for me as a content creator :)

Debunking Myths

Before I share with you the sources I use for my own Youtube content, I first have to clear some of the myths pertaining to usage of music inside the platform.

NOTE: This will only cover YOUTUBE and not other platforms. Also, I'm not a copyright lawyer or anything but these are all based on experience and personal research.

1) "I can use ANY music as long as I put 'No Copyright Infringement Intended'"

- This is so wrong in so many levels. First off, if this is even remotely legal, then what's the point of having a body of work be copyrighted, patented, etc? This disclaimer will not protect you from any lawsuits from the artists themselves. Heck, it's like even admitting that you know you've done something wrong.

Second of all, the algorithm for claims of Youtube is automatically working in the background while you are uploading a video, the content IDs from the Rights Owners/Studios/Artists/etc will get a match just by the soundwaves from your video (which is also why when you get a claims email, you will get to see what particular song and whose it from) right away. 

2) "Using x amount of seconds will not trigger a claim/copyright strike.."

- You may have gotten away with this in the past, but once someone reports you to the rights owner/artists/record companies, they can actually trigger manually a claim to your video. Also sometimes it takes some time before a claim is triggered by the algorithm. 

3) "Putting credits in my description will not trigger a claim/copyright strike."

- See #1, putting credits is okay, but it will not protect you from a claim or copyright strike or even lawsuits.

4) "I downloaded music from a NO COPYRIGHT MUSIC channel on Youtube, so I won't get copyright strikes!"

- Okay, this is a bit tricky. First, they are the ones asking permission from the artists to post those music and distribute them as "no copyright music". While most of these artists really want others to use their music, these channels don't control the artists' decision when signing to a record company who may file Content IDs as protection to these artists which eventually can trigger a claim/copyright strike on your channel. 

Second, you may still get some claims from OTHER companies while using these music only to find out that THEY are the ones who infringed the rights by using it as a backing music for their own music(Like used a song as the overall melody and then putting lyrics on it). These ones, you can actually file a dispute and hopefully release the claims.

Fighting Claims

When receiving a claim, you can check and analyze if first before deciding on the next action. On your Youtube Creator Studio, you can check the claims in VIDEO MANAGER > COPYRIGHT NOTICES.

As an option, you can manually "Play Match" on the music that is reported as copyrighted.

What I do here is play match and then also check the CLAIMANT's Channel to see if it's a legit record company or someone who's just using the music as a backing track and claiming to be their own music. You may note these details later when you decide to click on DISPUTE. 

Disputing the claims is relatively easy, just follow the steps after pressing the DISPUTE button. Make sure you also mention your notes during your "research" as mentioned above as supporting evidence that you are not infringing any copyrights. 

Otherwise, you may opt to just let the original artist/publisher to take the money earned from ad clicks on your video OR remove the song entirely (it will leave your video without music on parts where you use the claimed music).

WHERE CAN WE GET MUSIC FOR YOUTUBE?

It is very hard to find music and it's even more hassle if the music you used turns out to be a copyrighted one. So here's a list of sources where you can get the best music for your Youtube Videos.

1) YOUTUBE AUDIO LIBRARY - FREE

Youtube actually has their own AUDIO Library from independent and commissioned artists for Youtube Creators to use. They even have an audio effects library too! The only downside to this is sometimes, there will be claims from Channels/Publishers who used these audio files as backing tracks or the artists signed to a record company. It's a hit and miss really.

2) SOUNDCLOUD - FREE

Soundcloud is tricky as well since you have to find artists here that offer FREE DOWNLOADS to their music and also free to be used anywhere. Most of them are independent artists which is why they are willing to give others permission to use their music as long as you credit/link to their soundcloud channels. You may also write an email to the artists themselves and ask permission to use their music. You may get a few rejections though. But this is a great source as well for free music.

3) EPIDEMIC SOUND - starts at $15/mo 

Epidemic Sound is what I personally use ever since I started planning out my content and also when I needed really good music for a video I was editing. These artists are signed under epidemic sounds and anything you use from their wide range of artists and genre(even FX too!) will totally be claims/copyright free as long as you stay subscribed.

They are offering a 30-day trial before fully subscribing to their service where you can try out music from their library and if you decide not to subscribe, the tracks you used will not be flagged as copyrighted. So win-win for you! :)

If you decide to subscribe, it does come with a hefty price of $15/mo, this is okay for those wanting to have amazing array of music in their arsenal or those actually earning from their youtube careers :D

4) Musicbed - starts at $9

Musicbed offers a similar service to Epidemic Sound and is worth including in this article since they also offer a wide range of music and audio effects.

They also give new users a 30-day Trial for those wanting to explore and use their libraries without the cost! :)

Conclusion

Music is an integral part of your Youtube video production and shouldn't be rushed in. It helps your content be more interesting or set a mood for your films/vlogs. These sources that I've mentioned is just the tip of the iceberg and there are lots of similar services available out there. I might check them out and do another post. 

Investing in subscription services definitely helps in leveling up your content especially since it will make your music choices standout from the crowd and give you alot of options. 

But if you're tight on the budget, then the free sources work too, you just have to choose carefully and of course acquire proper permission of use from the artists(if you want songs from Soundcloud).

Anyway, I hope this article helped you in any way. 

If you are interested to hear the music from Epidemic Sound in action, you can check out my Youtube Channel: www.youtube.com/gabjornacion

Subscribe too! :D 

Thanks for reading!