So, you’ve started your YouTube and things are going good, right? But they could be better. You could upgrade to a camera from using your phone You could be less awkward in front of the camera. You could even just incorporate some things within your videos to make them a lil more interesting. Like what? Well, little things… Like transitions between scenes, a fancy intro/outro video, and then, of course, music. Nothing really brings together a video like good music and there is some great music out there for just about any scene you could ever shoot. The problem? It can be tough to find good, Free music for YouTube.
Have you ever watched a YouTube video and recognized the music they’re playing in the background? Probably not. This is because popular music (and most notable music, otherwise) is all copyrighted. Sure, you could buy the rights to a certain song, but that’s ungodly expensive. You could always try to put the credits down in your description or proclaim in your video that “you don’t own the rights to this song”, but even then, it’s a little bit of a crap-shoot trying to publish that video to YouTube.
You may get away with it, but you may not. If you’re not one of the lucky few (and fewer each day), YouTube can bring down the hammer on your whole operation. You may get a slap on the wrist and be asked to remove the song from the video/republish it without. If you chose not to remove it, YouTube could demonetize your video completely. Then, any kind of revenue the video produces will go to the artist of the song vs into your own pocket. In severe cases, you can even get banned from YouTube!
Pfft… That doesn’t scare me!
I get it, you could always just make another account, reupload your videos, and start all over… Ya know, “Outsmart the system”. But why? Think about all the wasted time and effort doing something like that. Why do that to yourself?
In this article, I’m going to go over some of your options for free music. Yeah. FREE. And paid, if you wanna be honest. I’ll list “which is which” when I talk about them and even create fancy sections for each. Just so you know I’m not trying to pull a fast one on you. You’re welcome. ;P
Yes, there is actually Free music for YouTube
There is actually quite a bit of Free music for YouTube on the internet. An army of artists who are just tryna get their name out there and be noticed.. Or not. Honestly, I’m not sure what is the motivation for them. Maybe I’ll do another article in the future where I ask one or maybe, after you read this article, you (or I) may be better equipped to know for yourself.
There is a bit of a problem, though…
You: “I KNEW IT!?!”
Me: Okay, calm down. It’s not THAT big of a problem… Listen.
So, while there is a seemingly endless array of free music out there, the problem is that most of it just isn’t very good. **Shrug** Maybe that’s the reason it’s free. You’ll find your various Randy’s (what I call random people) who just aren’t meant to be musicians with an awful sense of rhythm, music from who knows how many decades ago,and even songs which sound like they’re produced on a regular NES or that toy piano you had when you were a kid.
BUT… There are some good resources. Some of them may share space with the ones listed above. Though, if you’re persistent and a little forgiving, you’ll be able to find the gold amongst the dirt. So, with that… Let’s dive in!
YouTube Audio Library
Yep. YouTube has a built in audio library full of Free music for YouTube in the Creative Studio. There’s a rich library of various genres and moods for any style of video you wish to produce. They even have some sound files like rain sounds and birds chirping. We’re talking such a large number, YouTube just puts “many” for the max number. There’s almost anything you could ever want in there.
I especially like the search system found in this library. You can search for songs the traditional way by using your keywords to try to hit title names or the names of various artists. Though, you can also use filters to find just the mood and genre for which you’re looking, indiscriminate to who produced it. There’s no way to save, though. So you’ll have to straight download all your tunes and any you don’t wanna forget.
It’s not a one and done kinda situation, though. The problem with choosing the YouTube Audio Library for its Free music for YouTube is the music quality. In a lot of instances, you’re going to find those toy piano tracks. Music which just leaves something to be desired. While it may go well in the deeeep background of your video or in some sort of elevator scene, you definitely don’t want it in the title shots.
Don’t get me wrong, though. It’s not ALL like that. Actually, there are quite a few good songs I’ve already downloaded and are waiting to use, but I dug deep. Plus, I like a style which is pretty niched down. So, maybe you’re going to find something you like a lil easier than me.
No Copyright Songs
Even though No Copyright Songs is one of the oldest and most well known resources for Free music for YouTube, I felt like the list wouldn’t be complete without including it. This YouTube channel is HUGE, too! With over 27 MILLLLION subscribers, this has to be one of the leading resources on YouTube for Free music for YouTube. If there’s one bigger, please leave it in the comments below cause I’d love to know about it.
There’s also a very good reason why it’s such a good resource: The music mostly doesn’t suck. Like with any of these Free music for YouTube resources, you’re going to find the songs you’ll from which you’ll wanna avoid. Though, for the most part, you’re going to find great quality sounds to fit your vlogs. Hell, the old ThenX videos even had a NCS song for their intro screen. Chris Heria now makes his own music, but clearly it’s a valuable resource.
Once again, there’s an issue here, though. The entire channel is pretty much limited to electronic style music. Think EDM, Dubstep, Trap… Genres of that nature. You can always search for keywords within their videos for various styles of music (I tried “jazz”), but your results are still going to be electronic songs with those genres as added flavoring.
Also, one quick note here is the channel being SO well established and followed now, some of the songs are no longer free. A lot of the songs I’ve heard in the older years of this channel have hit their stride and now have a copyrighted status. There’s still too many songs for you to ever feel this a problem, but it is something to consider.
SoundCloud
Now, not all the music you’ll find on SoundCloud is free, but it’s definitely a viable resource when it comes to finding Free music for YouTube. Just about every independent artist I know personally has a SoundCloud and it’s the go-to place for them to put their audio files. This means you’re going to find a huge variety of the kind of music for which you’re searching. I’m not just talking about genres, but levels of professionality.
The general vibe behind SoundCloud is one of being laid back. So, artists can pretty much upload whatever they want to it without having to worry about that track being completely cut, edited, and polished. There’s a very real potential for finding some awesome raw sounds here.
A coupla of my favorites I found while researching for this article are I Love You Miss Jazz by Beat Gates and Jazz Beat by TromaBeats. I definitely had to do some digging for these, but that’s how it goes with most resources of Free music for YouTube.
Another couple issues with this resource is that not all songs listed as “free” are actually free (think clickbait) and some free songs are still copyrighted. In some cases, all you have to do is ask the artist for the download link of the song, but in other cases, they’ll just send you to a site where you have to buy the song. In the latter issue, there are a lot of mainstream songs on here where people have modified something minor and are trying to republish it. Fair warning, if it’s well-known pop, it’s not likely free.
Bensound
This is another half-ish free option which has a lot of good Free music for YouTube. While you can pay for a few of the “better” songs (there’s even a subscription service), the free songs actually sound pretty good. The songs “All That” and “The Jazz Piano” are actually very good! I may even use em for upcoming episodes.
Otherwise, there’s really not much to say about this one, that I know at this time. There are some rinky dink songs in there, but as we’ve seen, that’s par for the course.
Chill Out Records
Chill Out Records happened to be a wildcard in my research for Free music for YouTube and one which I think may become one of my favorites. I have yet to find a song I wouldn’t use in one way or another for my vlogs, and I don’t see any paid services on the site. Although, it does say something about, “This section is entirely free to download” or something like that at the top. So, maybe there is and I just haven’t seen it, yet.
If I had to draw out a bad thing to this resource, it would be that the selection isn’t ginormous. Yeah, it’s really good, Free music for YouTube, but I just wish there was more. BUT ALAS… Beggars can’t be choosers… And this is quite the find already.
Not So Free music for YouTube
I suppose I don’t HAVE to include this option in here at all. This article is, of course, supposed to be all about Free music for YouTube, but I dunno… I just feel like it’s necessary because it’s an AWESOME resource. That resource is called Epidemic Sound.
Now, if you’ve been on YouTube at all recently, you’ve probably already heard about this site. Every top YouTuber out there seems to be using this service and will give you their affiliate link. I won’t lie, that link up there is my own referral link, as well. I just feel like, “when in Rome… Dooo what YouTubers do?” Ha. If you sign up with that link, it helps me out, and why would you not want to do that, right? **Shrug**
Epidemic Sound is quite the entity. All their songs are just lovely. Honestly, when I’m “shopping” for songs, I just let them play in the background and add the ones I enjoy. A lot like what I do when listening to Spotify or whatever platform to which I’m listening. It’s just that good.
I also very much so enjoy their search system. It’s a lot like the one YouTube features, but better. First of all, it does have both the songs and sounds like YouTube. It also features the same mood/genre filters YouTube has. Although, unlike YouTube, it has an “Add to Playlist” function. So, you don’t have to immediately download (and potentially lose) a track. Instead, you throw it on a custom list and save it for the right time.
The DIY Option for Free music for YouTube
If you’ve watched any of my YouTube videos, then you would know that I try to throw in an idea which is new and maybe not spoken so much. Considering, at the time of writing this, I only have a few videos out. So, that may not be the strongest point, yet. Though, I can assure you, it will be a theme I’ll be trying my damnedest to which to stick. The topic of Free music for YouTube will be no exception.
Any guesses? Give up?
Alright… I’m talking about making your own music.
**!?GASP?!** … No! Not that…
Yep, that. Hear me out. It’s not as scary as you think. There are actually a good amount of resources on the interwebs for making your own music. I was actually surprised how many free or inexpensive options there were, considering I didn’t go that route back when I was first in the market (I went with Ableton). Although, I do remember making tracks a decade ago on something like Fruity Loops, and even a decade before that on PS2’s Ampliture by Harmonix (My favorite game of ALL time! (Seriously, one day I will have a sleeve tattoo dedicated to this game)).
Anyway, the process isn’t as hard as you think. It can be, but it doesn’t have to be. So, here are a coupla resources for making your own music for vlogs.
Chrome Music Lab: Song Maker
I don’t know when this was made or why, but this is the most fun I’ve had in an afternoon for a long while. Granted, I geek out in music production, but still.. It’s terribly simple; terribly straightforward, and yet, I love it. If you’ve never tried to make your music via music production software, then this is a MUST for you. Even if you do go with one of the options listed above, you owe it to yourself to check it out.
I made myself a simple drum track, which I would consider is the most important part. Then tried a coupla note squares. Not really knowing what to do, I drew a squiggly line and I’ll be damned if it wasn’t magic. Okay, maybe not magic, but it wasn’t bad. I finished out some basic-ish chords, added some bass, fancied up the drums, and voila! I didn’t even have to touch the advanced settings.
The best part about this tool is you can download your creations instantly and use them at your discretion. While I don’t think you’re going to create the next billboard #1, you never know! You can surely at least make yourself a cute lil cutscene or intro/credits theme song of sorts. I may just do the same with mine.
Soundation
(As I’m starting this section, I’m remembering that I have music playing in the background by Epidemic Sound still from the point above. That’s not bad, it’s just very close to bedtime and I’m getting super pumped from whatever genre is playing. Time to put on something sleepy…)
Anyway, It’s time to talk about the Soundation Music creator. At the time of writing this, I haven’t actually used the software, but it definitely looks legit. It also has the potential to be completely FREE. Of course, there are paid plans which give you advanced features, but if you’re looking for a simple and seemingly professional solution for making your own Free music for YouTube, then I think this one is definitely worth checking out.
One of the things I thought was cool about this site was the Sound Shop. The Sound Shop is just what it sounds like… **Facepalm** Sorry, I had to… Anyway, if you want more options for sound files, you can check out the shop and pick from a pretty vast number of additional sound packs. Here you can find anything from something like “Wobble Wobble House” to “Country Cookin”, and everything in between, I’m sure.
There’s also a pretty interesting collaboration mode within this site. Have friends who wanna make music? Wanna create a song with a certain blogger/vlogger who’s telling you about such things? It’s apparently possible with Soundation. I’m definitely interested. If you want to try something out, lemme know! I’d be down to make a song with you, if I have time..
Whatever you choose…
If you’ve made it this far, then you’re well equipped to go out and find some Free music for YouTube. If not, well… Then I guess you won’t be reading this and I can leave you out of it. Whatever option you choose, I think having good music will help the quality of your vlogs. It’s the little things that make your YouTube come across clean and professional, and choosing the right music is a crucial “little” choice. It won’t be the end of the world, if you choose wrong (unless YouTube deletes your account), but it could make all the difference.
Consider adding this to your YouTube board on Pinterest
If you found this article useful or if you have any other resources (or if you wanna collab a song on Soundation), drop a comment and lemme know! I’d love to hear from you. You can also stop by my YouTube channel and see what choices I’ve made when it comes to music for my vlogs. While you’re there, subscribe and gimme some thumbs up! It’ll very greatly help my cause.
If you have any questions, you can either leave a comment for me, or you can fill out the form below! I’d be more than happy to help you in any way I can, feasibly.
Lastly, you should probably know some (but not all) of the links I provide in my articles are affiliate links. This doesn’t mean much and doesn’t cost you anything extra for using them. It really only gives me a portion of the profit if you click on them which does help my cause to create quality content for you. I would NOT endorse anything in which I don’t fully believe to be great, but legally speaking, I have to tell you.
In the meantime, I appreciate you and your time! Thank you for checking out my page and don’t forget… Take it easy.
