If you are a creator or just a person, working in media, you surely have heard about royalty-free content. There are royalty-free images, photos, videos, but what does it mean - “royalty-free”? And what is royalty-free music?

This type of tunes can be found on different sites. Here are only some of them: TakeTones, Motion Array, Music Vine… Actually, there are many more of those platforms, but what is their main product?

In this article, we will try to answer those questions, as well as many more that may arise. Royalty-free music is a powerful tool for everyone involved in media and content making. Let’s jump right into it!

A few words about copyright

As you may know, intellectual property is protected by law: both inside the country and on the international level. Thus, it is impossible for a person to use a piece of art or any content without following specific rules.

A person who created something holds the rights of the usage and copying it. It sounds obvious, but the subject is far trickier than it seems to be. 

There are various ways of using your artwork. First of all, an artist can sell its copies and get profit from his or her work (that is how musicians earn money from you listening to them in your headphones). However, an artist may decide to share your creation with the entire world - for free, but still, be credited for the work. The license they use is called ‘Creative Commons’ - no doubt you have heard of it. These pieces of art are free to enjoy and even use, following the rules established by the author. Generally, this means that you have to credit the artist in the description.

It is nice to have generous artists who are ready to share their work with the public. However, a lot of creators earn for living from their artworks and rightfully want you to pay them if using their work. The money you will have to share with the authors is called royalty and are to be paid each time the photo, music or footage is used. 

Obviously, it is very expensive to pay each time you insert a tune in your video blog. Moreover, it is inconvenient. In order to avoid this complex situation, a type of license called ‘royalty-free’ was invented.

Royalty-free music: how it works

Royalty-free music is sometimes referred to as production music or stock music. Its main idea is to facilitate the usage of music for everyone. No more recurrent payments - pay once and be able to use the tune many times.

Royalty-free music is often owned by stock sites, not by the single musicians. Thus, you purchase music from sites, not by musicians themselves. Royalty-free music is an excellent option for those who make video content, especially with a huge audience. 

As already said, you just need to buy the tune once - and you are free to use it without any additional payments. There are numerous sites that offer you royalty-free music, as well as instant licensing. You will be requested to pay different sums of money depending on your purpose: the prices for YouTubers are significantly lower than for TV producers. Once you paid for the license, you can use the music freely, without any concerns, as many times as needed.

Stock sites: how they differ

There are many platforms that offer you royalty-free music. Some of them request a subscription, some of them ask you to pay for each track you choose. Both models can be beneficial, depending on what type of content you produce.

Stock sites own the rights for each track. Usually, they hire composers to create music for sale. Also, platforms compete in the usability and uniqueness of content. In order to attract customers and ease their search, sites organize tracks by genre, duration, mood, and numerous other features. The choice is typically broad and you can find something to your taste. 

If you want to create video content, you are likely to buy some royalty-free music, sooner or later. You may be surprised that even wedding videos and student projects require licensing. Of course, those licenses are not as expensive as those for creating films, but you will still have to pay in order to avert troubles with intellectual property law. So we recommend you check various stock sites in order to find your favorite, with a good price policy.

Why use royalty-free music?

As already stated, music licensing allows you to escape any legal issues. If you pay for the music, you are allowed to use it. It is especially crucial for those who earn money from video content.

Almost each popular media platform will ban you if you act unfairly and use music you are not permitted to. Your video may be removed, you may get a penalty or even get a ban. 

YouTube is very meticulous when it comes to intellectual property. Thus, a YouTuber who misuses music can be banned, his or her account deactivated. To avoid these troubles, use stock music sites that offer a lot of music and have moderate prices for video bloggers. This precaution can be expensive but also can save a lot more money in the future and protect your income gained on monetization. And it is also nice not to worry about any legal consequences, isn’t it?

In conclusion

Whether you are a beginner in the media industry or a pro, you need to understand the legal part of content making. Copyright is one of the things you should know and use correctly. 

Royalty-free music is one of the easiest ways to avoid courts and claims, and no one likes to be sued, so better use music rightly! Have a good luck in making fascinating and absolutely legal content!

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