What You Need to Know About Copyrighted and Free Music

What You Need to Know About Copyrighted and Free Music

Music lights up our social media experience, influencing us and setting our mood. When integrated with the right music, your video can do wonders. A person’s emotional responses are also evoked by music, engaging them and keeping them hooked. A typical consumer hears around two and a half hours of music daily. This shows how readily music is used in social media content, yet it can be one of the hardest areas to get right.

Did you know that the music used in the videos posted on social media like YouTube or Instagram must be copyright-free? Copyright is a legal term describing an owner’s control over their product. 

What Happens If You Use Copyrighted Music?

You might want to add your favorite music to the background of your vlog while posting it on YouTube, but make sure you know the copyright rules of the song first. If not, you will get a copyright strike on your account. 

The first copyright strike may affect various channel features, such as your ability to monetize or live stream. If you get a second strike during your 90-day period, you won’t be allowed to post anything for two weeks. Your YouTube channel will be terminated after three copyright strikes, and further channel creation will be prohibited. After three months, copyright violations are over.

Illegally utilizing copyrighted music on social media platforms, primarily YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook can even end up with the system deleting your material, allowing someone else to monetize your video, or altogether prohibiting your channel. Music copyright is most likely the significant cause of copyright claims on YouTube, and you cannot utilize copyrighted music just by providing credits. The key is to always stick to a fair policy. 

How Can You Get Copyright-Free Music?

Copyright-free music is available on the web to keep you in the game. This will let you use music in your content, whether it’s for entertainment or any social promotional strategy that aims to attract a new audience. Have you been looking for it but had no luck? In addition to free music for YouTube videos, here are three ways to use music in your content to elevate your videos without getting any strikes:

1. Stock Music

You can find music and sound effects that are free to use in your videos in YouTube Studio’s Audio Library and some other libraries as well. The YouTube Audio Library’s free music for YouTube videos is protected for use by copyright laws. Besides these, some websites provide access to an extensive library of songs from across different genres. By subscribing to them, you will have no trouble accessing the music on the websites.

2. Royalty-Free Licensed Music

You only need to make a one-time payment for royalty-free music to obtain a license to access the music far and wide. You’ll have to approach the creator and ask for their permission. It’s the best way to use music from established artists in your YouTube videos. 

3. Public Domain Music

An artist’s copyrighted work joins the public domain about 70 years after their death. This music is available for use by anyone utterly free of cost. You can use many classics, especially instrumentals, without worrying about the legalities involved. 

Endnote

Free music is a critical need for social media creators so they can make their video content attractive. The bottom line is that you can’t just use any type of music available on the web without considering the consequences. There are sites and libraries available online that offer royalty and copyright-free music. Being a creator, you now know how not to get a copyright strike because of your music content.