Where to Find Music for YouTube Videos Without Getting Demonetized

If you’re a YouTube creator, you know better than anyone how important music is for taking your videos to the next level. You wanna pump up the energy? Music. You wanna set a tone? Music. You wanna get your viewers all in their feels? Music! The biggest challenge, though, is choosing music that isn’t going to get your videos taken down or demonetized due to copyright infringement.

So, for those who don’t want to risk their YouTube revenue but also don’t want second-rate free-to-use songs, where do you go to find high-quality royalty-free music that actually sounds good? Well, let’s take a look at some of the best music libraries to find songs that will increase the production value of your YouTube videos without the worry of demonetization.

What Are YouTube’s Copyright Policies?

Before we get into the thick of it, it’s probably a good idea to go over what YouTube’s copyright policies actually are. (If you’re a new YouTuber, you should definitely pay attention to this part.)

YouTube’s copyright policies are straightforward. Only upload content that you have made or that you’re allowed to use. That’s it. Do you want to use something someone else made? Get authorization. You can’t? Then don’t put it in your video. And this goes for everything: music, clips from movies or TV shows, or even other YouTube videos.

Are There Exceptions?

Yes! YouTube does recognize copyright exceptions, including “fair use,” which is a United States copyright law that essentially states that short excerpts of copyrighted material can be used without permission under certain circumstances, like for news reporting, teaching, or criticism.

Keep in mind, though, that copyright laws can be confusing and will vary depending on the country you’re in. So, if you’re not 100% sure if you’re permitted to use a song under fair use, avoid it.

How Will YouTube Know I Used Copyrighted Songs, Though?

For copyright owners, YouTube has developed a handful of powerful tools that protect their copyrighted material, including its Copyright Match Tool and Content ID, both of which are automated and pretty effective at finding copyrighted material.

The lesson? Don’t use copyrighted material, including music — it’s not worth the risk of your video getting taken down or demonetized. A safer route is to use royalty-free music.

What is Royalty-Free Music?

First, what are “royalties?” Royalties are payments you make to a creator each time you want to use their content. For example, if you wanted to use a copyrighted song in your video, the owner of the copyright would want to be paid a certain dollar amount per month/quarter/year for your right to use that song in that video.

So, “royalty-free” music is music that you can license without having to pay perpetual royalties. You only pay once. In other words, once you’ve purchased the license to the royalty-free song, you own the rights to use it in your YouTube video.

No takedown notices. No demonetization. Just an easy, inexpensive, and legal way to get music on your videos.

Where to Find Royalty-Free Music for Your YouTube Videos

Now that we know more about royalty-free music, let’s go over where you can find it. Here are a few reputable resources whose libraries are stocked with great, high-quality royalty-free music you can use in your YouTube videos worry-free.

PremiumBeat

If you want high-quality royalty-free music that is good enough to be featured in a Hollywood movie soundtrack, PremiumBeat is the first place to go. Not only does PremiumBeat have a ginormous library of over 40,000 tracks, but every single song is curated into customized collections to make it easier for creators to find exactly what they’re looking for. (In fact, they have a page specifically dedicated to music for YouTube.) Plus, you get unlimited downloads, which is a huge plus if you’re cranking out daily or weekly YouTube content.

Subscription and Licensing Price

PremiumBeat offers multiple subscription tiers and payment options. Here’s a breakdown:

• Creator: $14.99/mo (if paid monthly) | $9.99/mo (if paid yearly)
• Standard: $59.99/mo (if paid monthly) | $24.99/mo (if paid yearly)

There are also a bunch of licensing options available for both songs and SFX, ranging in price from $39 to $999 for tracks, and $4 to $99 for SFX. If you’re a YouTuber making videos for your own personal channel, you fit nicely into the “Creator” tier. If you’re making videos for multiple clients and/or YouTube channels, you’d want to look at the Standard tier. So, good news there—the subscription and licenses you’d purchase are the least expensive ones!

CREDIT: PremiumBeat