Did you ever watch a film and think, “That music is weird” or “I wouldn’t have chosen that song”? If you did, you know how essential background music can be for a movie. Music can negatively alter the perception of a movie just as it can enhance it and make it look incredible. In both cases, music has an impact. And with an overloading amount of online resources online, it’s easy to get lost and miss out on the perfect track for your project. Thus, let’s see where to find the right songs and background music for video!
Copyright free sources
Copyright free music is the option that a lot of creators go to in order to reduce their production budget. It’s indeed the most economical way to get music legally (for free, most of the time). And why not, as money is obviously the main struggle for independent content creators. So, where do you find such music? There are two reliable sources of copyright free music. First, YouTube Audio Library. You can find it on the YouTube Studio page of your channel. There you can browse through a bank of songs, available for free to sync to your video. You can apply filters by genre, mood, and duration to assist your search. You can also find sound-effects, which is a real plus.
The other source we recommend is the Facebook Sound Collection, in the same vein as the YouTube Audio Library, it gives you access to around 8,000 sounds for use in your creation, and to upload legally on social media. You can apply the same filters to find the right track for you. Sound effects are also available.
Those two platforms are great sources of copyright free music, being very easy to use. The downside is that they are both well known, so if you’re looking for a more original sound, you might want to look elsewhere instead.
Just digging
Sometimes, finding the perfect track is like discovering a hidden gem, by pure luck. Places conducive to such discovery are the major music or video-sharing platforms. YouTube and Soundcloud are the go-to sites to find unknown and yet qualitative sounds from artists that allow use of their works online. YouTube’s algorithm makes suggestions of music based on what you watched, that way you’ll find more content that can interest you. Soundcloud gives you a weekly discovery playlist that matches your preferences, to help you discover different musicians and singers! Thus, by digging around on those platforms, going from one style of music to another you’ll discover tons of independent artists. Get in touch with these artists and see if they’re willing to let you use their music for your project!
Music license: single track license
If you don’t have the time to do intense research to find the track that suits your work. But if you want your content to have a high-quality soundtrack, then you should definitely check out music licensing companies. They offer original and quality sounds, especially designed for content creators. It comes with a price of course, but it can be worth it if you want to add a professional touch to your creation. The single-track license system is a good start.
So, where to find such licenses?
One great example is Audionetwork, as one of the oldest companies in that sector. They provide content creators with various songs from a large catalogue of music.
BAM Music is a new and innovative company that has grown rapidly over the last few years. BAM Music offers more than 30,000 tracks for you to use in your creation, through a user-friendly single-track or customized license system. You’re sure to find the right songs there.
Music license: subscription license
If you plan to use a lot of songs in the future, you might want to try a subscription to a licensing company. By paying a monthly fee, you can have access to all the songs from their catalogue, which can be beneficial if you produce a lot of content. Artlist and Soundstripe are libraries that provide such services. Depending on your needs, the monthly payment will differ.
Hopefully, this gives you a clear overview of where to find the right songs to use legally online. Now if you’re interested in catchy music to use in your movie, don’t hesitate to check this Indie Road Trip playlist from BAM!
