What is copyright-free music and should you use it in your content?
How does copyright-free music work, is it worth using, and is it really “copyright-free”?
You’ve probably seen the phrase “copyright-free music” sprinkled across the internet, especially if you’re in the content creation game. But what does copyright-free actually mean, is the term strictly true, and can you use it safely in your projects?
Today, we’ll cover all of that and more. We’ll discuss:
- What is copyright-free music?
- How do you know if a song is copyright-free?
- How long does it take for a song to become copyright-free?
- Is Creative Commons music copyright-free?
- Can you use copyright-free music in your content?
- What’s the difference between royalty-free and copyright-free music?
- Go beyond royalty-free music with Epidemic Sound
What is copyright-free music?
Copyright-free music is music without any copyright. That sounds pretty simple, but the term comes loaded with a bunch of ifs, buts, and hangups.
At face value, music without copyright can be used freely by anyone, across all platforms — there’s no rights holder to limit said usage. However, songs rarely come with no strings attached, given that musicians automatically gain the composition rights to any work they create. This stops the majority of tracks from being truly copyright-free.
How do you know if a song is copyright-free?
If a track doesn’t clearly state that it’s copyright-free, always assume that it’s protected by some sort of copyright. If a rights holder is listed, get in touch. If not, we’d advise against using the track — if you’re caught out, your content could be muted, demonetized, or even removed.
How long does it take for a song to become copyright-free?
The length of copyright protection varies from country to country. For example, European recordings are protected by copyright for 70 years following the last surviving author’s death. This means that, if Ed Sheeran were to live until 2080, his music would enter the public domain and become copyright-free in 2150. If you want to use Shape of You without paying, that’s a long wait.
When a track enters the public domain and becomes copyright-free, other artists can reinterpret it without fear of copyright strikes, takedowns, and other legal consequences. For example, Epidemic Sound’s Classical Essentials playlist features new renditions of Vivaldi, Mozart, Bach, and more.
However, our artists’ new versions are protected by copyright, meaning that others can’t use their recordings without the correct license.
Is Creative Commons music copyright-free?
Creative Commons-licensed music isn’t copyright-free, but it’s easy to get the two terms mixed up.
In a nutshell, Creative Commons is an organization that gives people access to creative work for free. If an artist releases music under a Creative Commons license, they’re intentionally softening some of their rights. They want their music to be consumed or edited without receiving payment, and Creative Commons provides the framework.
One of the most notable examples of Creative Commons in action is Nine Inch Nails’ 2008 album, Ghosts I–IV. The Grammy-winning band released Ghosts with a BY-NC-SA Creative Commons license, allowing users to share and remix the tracks for non-commercial use.
The album’s most recognizable track, 34 Ghosts IV, is now famous for its sample on Lil Nas X’s Old Town Road. While the specifics aren’t public, Lil Nas X will likely share royalties with Nine Inch Nails, as Old Town Road was released commercially.
And therein lies the difference from copyright-free music: there are still rules, laws, and rights protecting music within a Creative Commons license. The organization provides six licenses, ranging from the looser BY, which permits commercial distribution and remixing; to the tighter BY-NC-ND, which only allows non-commercial distribution. All Creative Commons licenses require proper attribution, and misuse can result in legal action.
Can you use copyright-free music in your content?
If you’ve found music that’s genuinely copyright-free, you should be able to download and use it in your content, whether it’s commercial or not. Podcasts, social media videos, larger commercial projects — go wild. Just double-, triple-, and quadruple-check that the music really is copyright-free before you do so.
But just because you can use copyright-free music in your content, it doesn’t mean that you should. The selection’s limited, and it can take a while to find something that fits your content.
What’s the difference between royalty-free and copyright-free music?
Royalty-free music is music you can use in content without paying royalties to artists or rights holders every time it’s played. You pay for it once, or on a recurring basis if you subscribe to a royalty-free music service. This is noticeably different from copyright-free music, as it always requires payment.
Royalty-free doesn’t mean that artists don’t receive royalty payouts, though — it just means you don’t pay for it. That buck is passed on to the royalty-free catalog’s rights holders, and you needn’t worry about it.
However, royalty-free music companies aren’t always the sole owners of the music in their catalogs. This means you might still run into issues with other rights holders.
For example, public performance rights — which you’ll need to play the track in your public content — are often excluded from royalty-free licenses. If you don’t secure the correct rights, you could face surprise fees, takedowns, lawsuits, retroactive royalties to Performing Rights Organizations (PROs), and more.
Go beyond royalty-free music with Epidemic Sound
Epidemic Sound goes beyond royalty-free music and offers a direct license. This grants a license from us, and only us, as we own the rights to all of the music in our catalog.
You can then publish your soundtracked content anywhere online, within the terms of our agreement, without worrying about copyright or royalties. It’s also cleared forever — as long as your content was published during your subscription period, you’re all good.
Our catalog is high-quality, affordable, and safe, removing the headache of licensing and freeing you up to do what you do best. You can enjoy the safety of our license hand-in-hand with our massive catalog of 50,000 tracks, covering just about every genre you can think of. You’ll also gain unlimited access to our advanced search functions — finding the right sound’s never been easier.
It’s better than royalty-free. It’s worry-free. Get started with Epidemic Sound below.
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