Where You Can Find High Quality Non Copyright Music

Welcome back to Free Music For All, a string of posts where I will be writing about non copyright music and how it applies to original content creators.

To recap my last post about non copyright music, royalty free music removes any licensing issues that could arise and allows content creators to use this music in their creations. Royalty free music is also called non copyright music, and for the sake of this string of articles, they can be used interchangeably (although it is important to note they are not the same). Utilization of non copyright music is essential for the monetization of original content, as many aspiring creators know. Copyright strikes and claims can take away all revenue from a particular piece of content, and too many strikes can lead to eventual deletion of a channel, in the case of YouTube. Finally, creators should know what type of music falls under the umbrella of non copyright. This is normally instrumental music and original beats, as well as recordings of classical music. I talk more about this in the first of this string of posts. If you want to read the full post where I talk more about this in detail, I recommend reading my previous article where I break down copyright law with regard to music and content creation.

Now to what this post is really all about; where to get non copyright free music and what the differences are in offers. I’m going to give a list of a few websites right now, and discuss what I like about each of them and where they excel. I recommend looking at T-Pain’s Twitch stream, NoCopyrightSounds on YouTube, bensound.com, epidemicsound.com, artlist.io, premiumbeat.com, and SoundCloud.

T-Pain’s Twitch stream may be one of the best places to find free beats for your videos, all with the blessing of T-Pain himself. This past summer, he has started making beats on Twitch for content creators to utilize. This is a 2 time Grammy winning artists creating beats on stream, and letting content creators use them. I think checking out his stream if worth it even if you don’t find a beat you think fits your content, because you get to see how a successful artist creates beats. His Twitch is twitch.tv/tpain. It is definitely worth the watch, normally on Mondays and Wednesdays.

At the time of writing this, NoCopyrightSounds (youtube.com/user/NoCopyrightSounds) has over 28 million subscribers. They deserve it. Although they focus mainly on music mainly in the dance and electronic genres, there is a large portion of creators that need that for their content. If you’re just starting out, this a great way to introduce yourself to non copyright music. It’s upbeat music that the viewer can enjoy but net get too distracted by. To check out their full library, you can visit ncs.io, or browse their YouTube channel.

Bensound.com may be, in my opinion, the premier place to find non copyright music. It’s free, easy to navigate, and has a variety of different genres to suit every creators need. The site is clean and responsive, and you can browse by genre or search for a specific artist or song. In addition, there is a subscription service they provide that adds some extra features and a little wiggle room in terms of licensing, but the free version is the king of the hill for now.

Now we get to the sites that offer non copyright music on the basis of a subscription. I know most creators reading this are looking a the free alternatives, but I’m providing these just in case someone really thinks their music needs warrant a subscription. In addition, if your go to site takes away it’s free component and leaves you searching for a subscription, take a look at epidemicsound.com, artlist.io, and premiumbeat.com. To put it simply, they all pretty much offer the same thing. For a monthly subscription, you can download various genres of non copyright music, with the ease of mind knowing they are 100 percent royalty free. Use them as much as you want, when you want. However, in my opinion, they are simply not worth the money. As long as there are free resources out there, don’t waste a monthly subscription on royalty free music. After all, the point of royalty free music is that you do not have to pay any royalties!

I’d like to talk about premiumbeat.com a little bit more. I wouldn’t be surprised if you just saw that the last paragraph was about subscription sites and skipped right over it. I get it, I would too. But that’s why I’m giving premiumbeat.com their own paragraph, because they have a blog feature that is completely free that has constantly updating articles on the world of not only music in content creation, but content creation in general. These articles break down scores, talk about different shots and angles, recommend non copyright music, and everything in between. If bensound.com is my highest recommendation, this is a close second, solely because of the blog portion.

Finally, there is SoundCloud. It’s a great way to represent aspiring artists and give them a platform, but they may not be willing to give you their music for free. SoundCloud is the option that depends on your people skills the most, as you may be able to talk some artists into giving you their music in exchange for the exposure. If you’re a smooth talker, this might be the option for you.

Before I end this article, I’d like to talk a little bit about monetization and growth of a dedicated following. When you’re just starting to make content publicly available, I urge you to consider to NOT attempt to monetize it. The requirements for monetization can be constraining and not allow you to make the highest quality videos you think you can. Also, the use of popular music can help people relate more to your content as you are just starting out. Basically, what I’m suggesting is that you sacrifice monetization of early videos to gain a following. This will help you grow as a creator and lead to monetization in the future. If this is a career that you’re seriously pursuing, that mean shaving long term plans, and this strategy is a long term one. Sacrificing something in the now for a greater reward later on is not a new idea, and it applies in this scenario perfectly.

Original content and the music it requires need to combine to create something noticeable. Original content creation has recently been solidified as a career that is accepted in society, which is mostly good. However, this also means that sites are seeing an unprecedented amount of congestion from content creators who want that to be their career. That means your content needs to stand out. Only having great shots and ideas or only having great music is not enough to stand out. You need to combine the two to succeed in what is the constantly expanding world of content creation. I hope these recommendations can help you get the music you need to stand out.