One of the most important (and most difficult to obtain) parts of any good film is music.  Not just in an artistic sense that it must match up perfectly with the video, but in a legal sense as well.  Music legal uses, especially in YouTube videos are an especially confusing subject.  Not helping the matter is the fact that any time that you attempt to search for “free music” or even “royalty free music” online you end up with either illegal alternatives or music that is “royalty free” but that you still have to pay money to license.

Over the years, I’ve managed to cobble together a great list of quality websites that offer free and legal royalty free music for use in videos.

Most of these sites have a lot of offer in terms of Royalty Free and Creative Commons licensed music files.  Please note though, that some creative commons licenses do not permit you to use songs in a commercial aspect, so if you plan on making money off a video that you use the music with, make sure it is legal.

This is a list that I have amassed over several years of creating videos.  Most of these sites have a lot to offer in terms of royalty free and creative commons licensed music files.

CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSED MUSIC

- Free music that can usually always be used for non-commercial works and occasionally commercial works as well depending on the license offered with each song.  Expect to usually have to credit the musician by name or a link to their website.

ccmixter.org/ – This is a community music remixing site featuring remixes and samples licensed under Creative Commons licenses.

freesound.org/ – The Freesound Project is just that, free sounds.  They are licensed under the Creative Commons and uploaded collaboratively.  Unlike CCMIXTER, The Freesound Project only concentrates on sounds, not songs.

audiofarm.org/ – Audiofarm is another Creative Commons licensed music website.  There are a lot of options here.

http://www.joshwoodward.com/ - Josh Woodward offers a ton of music for free licensed under the Creative Commons.  Just give him credit and you can use his stuff.  It’s a little more rock and country oriented, but he has some chill stuff too.  A great mix of songs that I have used multiple times.

incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/ - Kevin Macleod offers all of his musical creations under the Creative Commons license.  He has some really great stuff, I’ve used his music in numerous videos.  You can even use his music in your YouTube Partner program videos, just make sure that you link back to his site and give him credit.

soundclick.com – Soundclick offers a lot of great Creative Commons licensed music, all you have to do is dig for it a bit.  Create an account and change the license type under your searching to Creative Commons and you’ll find some good audio.

derekaudette.ottawaarts.com/music.php - Derek Audette has plenty of good songs under the Creative Commons license.  Just give him credit!

opsound.org/ – More Creative Commons licensed music from a variety of artists and genres.  Use the menu on the left under the “Music” heading.

http://www.beatpick.com/ – Beatpick offers a wide variety of licensed music for download.  If you are making a student or non-profit/non-commercial film then you are free to use any song on their site under the creative commons license.   Just create an account and select that option when downloading the music.

http://bush-of-ghosts.com/remix/bush_of_ghosts.htm – Offers creative commons licensed music from their cds.

http://podingtonbear.com/?cat=1 – Podington Bear offers all of their music under the Creative Commons Non-Commercial license so use all their music in Non-commercial works.  All of the music is also free to be used in student films and festivals.

http://www.jamendo.com/en/ – Jamendo offers a lot of free Creative Commons licensed music.

http://www.mobygratis.com/film-music.html – Moby has set aside music for independent and non-profit filmmakers, film students, and anyone in need of free music for their independent, non-profit film, video, or short.

http://audionautix.com/ – All the music at Audionautix was created by Jason Shaw and released under the Creative Commons license.  You can even use the music for commercial purposes, just credit Jason Shaw.

TOTALLY FREE/PUBLIC DOMAIN MUSIC

-Free music that is in the public domain and can be used for any works commercial or non-commercial.  Some artists may still ask you to credit them by name or website.

pacdv.com/sounds/free-music.html -Pacdv offers a few free instrumentals for you to use royalty free. They just ask that you mention “Music by pacdv.com/sounds/” in your credits.

sonnyboo.com/music/music.htm - Peter John Ross has a few free songs here that you can use Royalty Free in your videos, just make sure you give him credit for them.

taylorhayward.org/freemusic.htm
Taylor Hayward offers a few piano songs that are completely copyright free so you are free to use them in any way, commercial or non-commercial.  No crediting or any other references required.  Just download and go.

publicdomain4u.com/ - This site contains recordings of songs that were published prior to 1922 and are now in the public domain which means the public is free to copy and use the works in any way.  They may be old, but they’re classics.

openmusicarchive.org/ – This site is a little tricky if you’re in the USA.  It offers public domain musical works that have expired copyrights in the UK.  So, if you live in the UK download away, but if you live in the USA you should read the FAQ on the site before using the music in your video.

archive.org/details/audio – You can get a ton of live recordings of bands here.  Most of the audio can only be used for non-commercial works though.  Check their Music FAQ for more information.

freeproductiontracks.com/ - Free Production Tracks has a few styles of music that can be downloaded for free and can be used for anything, commercial or personal, without any royalty fees.

royaltyfreemusic.com/free-music-resources.html – Most of their stuff costs money but they have a few shorter clips that are totally free for personal/non-commercial use.

internetaudioguy.com/iag/freemusic/freemusic.htm - Internet Audio Guy usually sells a lot of audio, but they have a few nice tracks for download.

http://www.musopen.com/ – Another site that offers music that has had the copyright expired.  You can get a lot of the classics on here and can search by composer.

http://whoismatt.com/curtvernon/ – My friend Curt Vernon has a complete CD that he has recorded for God’s glory.  All of his music is free to use in any way you wish.

http://www.mattmcfarland.com/index.php/musicdownloads.html – McFarland Beats offers music composed by Matt McFarland for free use in any project.  Just credit the songwriter.

Please leave me a comment letting me know if I missed any music sites, I will gladly add more to this list!