How To Use Copyrighted Music On Youtube Legally?

What kind of music may you use in my videos if you’re a YouTuber? What songs do YouTubers like? This blog will address that question and a slew of others. Let’s dig into the depths of utilizing music on YouTube!

If you’re a content producer or even a casual YouTube user, you’re probably aware of the complicated interplay between copyright laws and YouTube.

Over time, the platform has evolved from a site where anybody could post anything to a polished company that respects the intellectual property, monetizes its services, and provides opportunities for content producers to create a career. Consequently, YouTube has increased its emphasis on copyright to guarantee that everything is legal.

“How can I legally utilize copyrighted music on YouTube?” is a frequently asked topic among video makers. There are no shortcuts or cheats – that’s what gets you in trouble with the law.

The best way to protect oneself is to educate yourself about music licensing. That way, you’ll know exactly how to license music for YouTube videos lawfully to allow you to launch or build your channel.

What Does “Copyrighted” Even Mean?

Before we get started, let’s define what copyrighted music is. Technically, it includes every song ever composed, even some that were never recorded. That’s true, every piece of music is immediately copyrighted.

What does this indicate? It indicates that creative works are always protected by law, regardless of whether the authors are renowned rock stars or bedroom hobbyists, and regardless of whether they have registered them. That implies that no one may utilize that creative work for any reason without authorization.

Unfortunately, this means you can’t use it in your YouTube video without permission, and in most situations, you’ll have to pay if you do. If the music is by your roommate, knock on their door and inquire, then buy them a taco or anything else they want, and you’re set.

How does Youtube’s Copyright work?

YouTube has a variety of music restrictions in place to assist in the fight against copyright violations on the network. They have two methods in place to enforce these copyright restrictions. The automatic Content ID system is the first, while the more manual strike system is the second.

What’s Content Id?

YouTube’s automatic Content ID copyright technology checks all submitted videos and matches the audio to their inventory of songs and tracks.

When a video is reported by Content ID, the copyright proprietor of the identified song(s) notifies and is given the option to ban the content, prevent it from being monetized, add its adverts to claim the money or have the video deleted. Some owners can also ban your videos.

In most circumstances, you can still publish the video, but you won’t be able to profit from it. If you have permission from the song’s owner, you must submit a dispute with YouTube, which may be complex and time-consuming.

Even if you use any software to license a song, Content ID will still identify the track(s) you’ve used. So use the software that works in collaboration with YouTube, works with Content ID, and eliminates the need to worry about copyright issues.

If you’ve already received copyright allegations, the manual strike method may be less lenient. Because Lickd licenses cannot apply to existing videos with copyright claims, you may need to appeal. It is why it’s essential to get a music license before including a track in your next video.

How Does Music Licensing Work For Youtube?

If you decide to attempt licensing music without the support of a fast and simple platform, there are a few things you should know. Licensing is a fundamental concept.

In actuality, meanwhile, the music business is filled with red tape and unusual complexities. You’ll probably find the music you’re searching for via a record label or publisher. Specifically, a label owns the recording, while a publisher owns the song.

Now you have to figure out who to seek permission from, and if it’s a huge corporation, its cost may be prohibitively expensive.

There are numerous methods of paying for licensing music for YouTube. Assume you forced your roommate to let you use their music for a taco and agreed to an upfront license price.

That may not satisfy your roommate. Maybe they want a burrito every time they see your video. Or, even better, a portion of your total ad earnings.

And you can bet that if you want to license a tune from a major label like Warner, you’re not going to be dealing in tacos or burritos. Music corporations may negotiate to license for tens of thousands of dollars.

Wouldn’t it be good if there was a simpler, less expensive way? It is where Lickd comes in, allowing you to access popular songs for a fraction of the time and money it would take to license these tunes straight from the music business.

For YouTube, it’s critical to use licensed music. You must ensure that you have the necessary permissions to use it, and for YouTube, you must be aware of the previously stated Content ID system, music royalties, and a few other crucial music copyright terms.

How Can We Legally Use Copyrighted Music On Youtube?

Here are three legal methods to incorporate copyrighted music in your YouTube videos:

1. Use Work That Is Available Within The Public Domain:

Over time, copyrighted materials lose their copyright protection and slip into the public domain. Consequently, anybody may utilize public domain music. In the United States, any song or musical piece released before 1922 is in the public domain.

Visit The Public Domain Information Project’s website for further information about public domain music. The website has compiled a list of musical pieces that have lost their copyright protection throughout the years. However, do not solely depend on the website’s information.

Conduct your investigation to ensure that a song has a copyright date of 1922 or before. Furthermore, if you are not from the United States, check your nation’s youtube music copyright rules to discover how to use public domain music in your country.

2. Obtain A License Or Permission From The Owner Of The Copyrighted Content:

To utilize music that is not in the public domain, you must get permission. Stanford University Libraries has outlined a five-step method for getting permission to use copyrighted materials.

• Determine if copyrighted work needs authorization.

• Determine who created the content in the first place.

• Determine which privileges are required.

• Make contact with the owner and work out a payment plan.

• Obtain a written authorization agreement.

Keep an eye out for the copyright terms for the music you’re utilizing. It is because specific recordings hold both copyrights for the song and copyright for the recording of the song itself. So you’ll need two licenses to use the song.

3. You Can Reuse Music From Youtube Videos With A Creative Commons License:

Some YouTubers seek the Creative Commons license to allow others to utilize their work. Such users may add a CC BY license to their films on YouTube. The YouTube Video Editor allows anybody to use these films for commercial and non-commercial reasons.

When you create a YouTube video using Creative Commons material, the title of the original video is automatically acknowledged beneath the video player. The procedures for finding Creative Commons material on YouTube are as follows:

1. Search.

2. Select “Filters” from the drop-down menu.

3. Under “Features,” choose “Creative Commons.”

4. All of the videos that appear in the search will license under a Creative Commons license.

What Are The Steps To License A Song?

A song is an artist’s labor of love. The track costs a lot to record labels. After that, legal teams (for the record label) must safeguard the music against copying.

That means music may be owned by a dozen people. And each individual has a portion of the copyrights to that music. Copyrighted music may only be used with the full permission of the individual owners of the rights associated with it.

How to get a music license for youtube? You must contact each individual on the “copyright holder” list. Then you’ll negotiate a youtube music license and price your goods. You may also be required to calculate royalty payments, which entails delivering a portion of your project’s earnings to the copyright holders.

The music licensing process might take several weeks, and it can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars depending on the song’s popularity.

Reading this probably didn’t make you feel very happy. And when you consider doing that for each song license for each video production, it’s simple to understand how music licensing may quickly add up to a significant lot of time, effort, and money.

However, if you want to lawfully incorporate a current Billboard 100 success in your YouTube videos, follow these measures to avoid copyright infringement.

What Music Can We Use On Youtube?

Fortunately, there is an alternative to dealing with music licensing methods. Youtube royalty-free music has fast become a popular trend among filmmakers since it bypasses the traditional music licensing scheme in favor of a technique designed expressly to put high-quality music in the hands of content producers.

It is how it works. A royalty-free music firm will license a song from an artist and then sell it to content developers for a fraction of the price. So, rather than paying $5,000 for a song, you’ll pay $50 for a license to use that music lawfully in a particular project.

You won’t have to contribute a share of your money to copyright holders since there are no record companies involved. A licensing fee is only paid once.

While it may seem that the music you may use in YouTube videos is restricted, and if you are seeking mainstream songs, there are still many possibilities available to you. If all you want is decent quality music that will blend nicely with your films, we have a few suggestions for you.

We’ll list a couple of your alternatives for finding creative commons/copyright-free music and music that the artist permits you to publish on YouTube if you give them credit below.

1. YouTube’s Audio Library:

YouTube’s Audio Library is a collection of music that YouTube has bought and administered. All of them are 100% copyright-free and Creative Commons licensed, and they may be used in any of your films without providing any acknowledgment to the artist or where you received the music from.

2. Through Your YouTube Network:

You will have access to the public music collection if you’re part of a YouTube network. Music libraries are provided to partners for free on any YouTube we know of. If you wish to learn more about your network’s free music alternatives, contact their support department.

3. AudioMicro:

AudioMicro offers hundreds of thousands of royalty-free tunes and free sound effects to most persons who associate with a prominent YouTube network. Because they are royalty-free, all of them may be utilized in YouTube videos, and if we may say so, AudioMicro has some fantastic music to select from.

4. Epidemic Sound:

Epidemic Sound provides around 30,000 tracks used in movies, commercials, and TV programs to YouTube producers. You may pay a monthly fee depending on how often you hear the song.

Depending on how many monthly viewers a channel receives, prices might run anywhere from $15 to $150 per month. People who are just getting started on YouTube will find Epidemic Sound an excellent source of copyright-free music due to the cheap fees.

5. Reaching Out To Independent Artists:

It is a fantastic method to get terrific music from renowned artists for use in your films. The only issue is that some of them are hesitant to allow others to use their music, but others are enthusiastic and make it accessible to everyone as long as they follow a few conditions.

Bottom Line:

Copyright violation is a crime. Creating unique content is the best method to prevent copyright infringement. Nonetheless, be aware of the legal techniques to utilize copyrighted music on YouTube. To stop being fined for copyright violations, follow the advice provided above.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

Can YouTubers Use Copyrighted Music?

Many YouTubers are using copyrighted music on youtube without realizing the ramifications. YouTube is rigorous about copyright and may remove your video or even suspend your account if you violate it.

How Does Copyright Law Affect Your Video?

Copyright law allows individuals and businesses to license out other people’s work. Your favorite musician creates and records a new song, which you can add to your videos.

Can We Advertise A Video Using Copyrighted Music?

In return for permission of using music on youtube, the music owner may add advertisements to your video. If you do not believe in the notion of the music owner profiting from your movie, you may have to choose from the free tracks in the Audio Library since most copyrighted music has this notice.