It’s no secret, music can really take your YouTube videos to the next level.
If you’re skeptical of just how important a few well-placed melodies can be, imagine a whole film without a score.
Yuck!
Music is right up there with a good screenplay, direction, and cinematography. It can also cover a multitude of sins… something not landing the way you want? Add a little song here or there and you can often create the mood you need that isn’t conveyed through the visual.
The problem with music, however, well I wouldn’t call it a problem – every artist should be paid/credited for their work – the problem is it can be expensive.
This is why many novice creators rip off someone’s composition for their videos in the hopes they won’t get flagged by YouTube. They learn pretty quick that the platform will shut them down faster than they can say “I don’t wanna pay for music.”
So, if you’ve wondered how you can add tunes to your YouTube videos without stealing it, the answer is… don’t steal it!
The truth is, there’s no reason to, it’s just ignorance if you do because you can find FREE music that respects the creator’s wishes in all kinds of places.
Look for songs that have a Creative Commons’ license. This means the artist still owns the copyright but has given everyone the legal right to use and mix them for their videos. Discover them on platforms like EpidemicSound.com, Artist.io, and bensound.com. You can also go directly to YouTube’s Audio Library which carries Creative Commons’ tunes from sites like Thematic.
Another option is to get on the YouTube Creator Music bandwagon.
This has more mainstream music, but you’ll have to pay for it.
Not everyone is eligible though as you have to be part of the YouTube Partner Program. That requires having 1,000 views and 4,000 watch hours to qualify. Shorts-focused creators need 1,000 subscribers and 10M shorts views in over 90 days.
Once you’re a member, you can access YouTube Creator Music directly from your studio dashboard and get to picking out songs to add to your content. The catalog gives you two ways to pay for the compositions – through an upfront fee or a rev-share deal where you split your earnings with the music rights holder.
There are, however, some issues you want to be aware of.
As explained on Thematic – “Creators are better off with lifetime music licenses, instead of confusing and changing terms with the song licenses in YouTube Creator Music.” That’s their opinion, but yeah… it is something you have to understand – licenses change and you have to be on top of it if you opt for YouTube Creator songs. Whatever the case it is an option.
The important thing is to use SOME music in your videos, it really does make a huge difference. Just do it legally and support the person that created music – whether through pay, credit or a common license.
Photo credit: istockphoto.com/GOCMEN
—
Alyssa Collins hails from Minnesota, where snowy days were the perfect excuse to stay warm inside and write. Over the years, she turned that joy into a career and has authored numerous articles for various publications (under pen names). Email Alyssa via alyssa@ynot.com
