How do you get the license? Here are some options:ġ) This can be as simple as sending an email to an indie artist you like and asking permission.Ģ) For major recording artists you need to get in touch with their publishers and recording labels and negotiate the license. If you have explicit permission or license from the rights owner, you can certainly use that music on YouTube. This can be a good option for a hobby channel but certainly will not work for monetized or promotional videos. That is, the ad revenue goes to the music owners. But (!) your videos won’t be eligible for monetization. If you don’t mind the ads, this can be a great opportunity to use top music in your videos. Many recording labels and publishers signed a deal with YouTube that allows creators to use their music in exchange for placing ads in videos.

This may not be the best option if you plan to monetize your videos. However, depending on the specific license, you have to credit the author or only use the music in non-commercial videos. Many composers distribute their music under Creative Commons license.

Here are some types of copyrighted music that you can legally use on YouTube: 1. However, that owner may be perfectly OK with you using their music on YouTube. Don’t leave just yet!Ĭopyrighted means that each piece of music has the legal owner. However, when most people say “copyrighted”, they typically want to know:Ĭan I use this music on YouTube (Facebook, Instagram, …) without getting in trouble? Is it possible to legally use copyrighted music on YouTube? This applies to both the compositions (the melody and lyrics) and their actual recordings. In this post we will look at some practical tips how to check music for copyright and explore several options how you can legally use copyrighted music.įrom the legal perspective, with exception of music that is already in public domain (a.k.a. Wouldn’t it be nice to see if a particular song or piece of music is copyrighted before uploading it? If you make YouTube videos, you will agree that copyright claims are super annoying!

Non copyright music