The best royalty free music for YouTube comes from a library that owns or controls its catalogue and can clear Content ID claims on your channel. If you’re starting out, the free YouTube Audio Library is the safest place to begin. Once you’re uploading regularly, a subscription such as Epidemic Sound, Artlist or Soundstripe that safelists your channel saves you a lot of claim-dispute admin.
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Quick picks
- Best free option: YouTube Audio Library, built into YouTube Studio and cleared for monetised videos.
- Best free option with Content ID protection: Uppbeat, as long as you paste its credit code into your description.
- Best all-round subscription for YouTubers: Epidemic Sound, which owns its catalogue and safelists linked channels.
- Best for filmmakers who also need footage: Artlist, with its Clearlist channel clearance.
- Best cinematic, premium sound: Musicbed, which clears claims through its SyncID system.
- Best bundle with templates and graphics: Envato Elements.
- Best for Creative Commons digging: Free Music Archive, provided you check each track’s licence.
Royalty-free vs copyright-free vs public domain vs Creative Commons
These terms get used as if they mean the same thing. They don’t, and mixing them up is how channels end up with claims they didn’t expect.
- Royalty-free means you don’t pay a royalty each time the music is played or streamed. The track is still copyrighted. You’re buying (or being given) a licence with rules, and those rules decide where you can use it, whether you can monetise, and what happens when a subscription ends.
- Copyright-free is mostly a marketing phrase. When people search for “copyright free music for YouTube”, they usually mean music they can use without getting a claim. Almost all of it is still under copyright and simply licensed for free use.
- Public domain music has no copyright left, either because it has expired or because the owner gave it up. Be careful here: an old composition can be public domain while a modern recording of it is fully protected.
- Creative Commons is a family of free licences. CC BY lets you use a track commercially as long as you credit the artist. CC BY-SA adds “share alike”. Anything marked NC (non-commercial) is risky on a monetised channel, and ND (no derivatives) blocks edits and remixes.
The rule that matters most is attribution. If a licence asks for credit, put it in your video description in the exact format requested. Leaving it out is a licence breach, even when the music itself was free.
How Content ID claims and channel clearance work
Content ID is YouTube’s automated matching system. Rights holders register their audio, and YouTube scans every upload against it. If it finds a match, the video gets a claim. A claim is not a copyright strike and doesn’t harm your channel’s standing, but it can send the ad revenue from that video to the claimant or restrict it in some regions.
Here’s the catch with stock music: plenty of legitimately licensed tracks are registered in Content ID, so you can be fully licensed and still get claimed. Libraries deal with this in three main ways:
- Channel safelisting (whitelisting). You link your YouTube channel to your account and the library tells the system you’re cleared. Epidemic Sound calls this safelisting, Artlist uses a Clearlist, Soundstripe lists your channel, and Musicbed uses SyncID. Claims are either prevented or released automatically.
- Per-video codes or credits. Uppbeat’s free tier generates a unique credit for each download, which you paste into that video’s description so the claim can be cleared.
- Licence certificates you use to dispute. Pixabay and Envato Elements both give you a licence certificate you can attach to a dispute in YouTube Studio. Envato also has a Claim Clear dashboard for eligible tracks.
Whichever service you pick, link your channel before you upload, and keep a record of which track went into which video. It turns a stressful claim into a two-minute fix.
Comparing the best royalty free music for YouTube
| Service | Free or paid | Licence model | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube Audio Library | Free | YouTube Audio Library licence; some tracks CC BY (credit required) | Beginners and anyone who wants zero cost inside YouTube Studio |
| Uppbeat | Free tier / subscription | Free tier needs a per-video credit code; paid plans drop credits and add safelisting | Newer creators who want Content ID protection for free |
| Pixabay Music | Free | Pixabay Content License; certificate for disputing claims | Royalty-free background music on a zero budget |
| Free Music Archive | Free (licences vary) | Creative Commons, per track; some NC | Finding distinctive independent music |
| Epidemic Sound | Subscription | Owned catalogue; channel safelisting; videos published while subscribed stay covered | Regular YouTubers and streamers |
| Artlist | Subscription | Clearlist for channels; projects published while subscribed stay licensed | Filmmakers who also want footage and SFX |
| Soundstripe | Subscription | Channel listing clears claims automatically; channel count depends on plan | Creators who post across several platforms |
| Musicbed | Subscription | SyncID clears claims on linked channels | Cinematic, premium-sounding productions |
| Envato Elements | Subscription | Commercial licence per download; certificate and Claim Clear for eligible tracks | Editors who also need templates, graphics and SFX |
The best free royalty-free music sites
YouTube Audio Library
You’ll find it in YouTube Studio under Audio Library. Most tracks use the YouTube Audio Library licence and need no credit. A subset is marked Creative Commons Attribution, so check the “License type” column and copy the attribution text into your description when asked. You can filter for “Attribution not required” if you’d rather skip that step. The downside is that everyone else uses these tracks too, so your intro may sound familiar.
Uppbeat
Uppbeat is built for creators. On the free plan, each download comes with a unique credit that goes into one specific video’s description. That credit is what lets Uppbeat clear Content ID claims, so reuse a track in a new video and you’ll need a fresh download and code. Paid plans remove the credit requirement and add channel safelisting.
Pixabay Music
Pixabay’s music falls under the Pixabay Content License, which allows free use without attribution. Some contributors register their tracks with Content ID, though, so claims can still happen. When they do, download the licence certificate for that track and attach it to your dispute.
Free Music Archive
Free Music Archive, run by Tribe of Noise, hosts a huge Creative Commons catalogue from independent artists. It’s great for finding music that doesn’t sound like everyone else’s, but licences vary from track to track. Filter for commercially usable licences, avoid NC tracks on monetised videos, and credit the artist every time.
The best paid stock music subscriptions
Epidemic Sound
Epidemic Sound owns its catalogue outright, so there’s no third-party distributor in the middle who might claim a track. Link your channel and it’s safelisted. Videos you publish while subscribed stay covered after you cancel. It’s the default choice for many full-time YouTubers and streamers.
Artlist
Artlist bundles music with footage, SFX and other creative tools. Projects you publish during your subscription can stay online and monetised for good. Add channels to the Clearlist while you’re subscribed, because you can’t add them after the licence expires. How many channels you can clear depends on your plan.
Soundstripe
Soundstripe clears Content ID claims automatically once you list your channel, usually within minutes. Entry plans cover one channel and higher tiers cover more. Content cleared while you’re a member stays clear, but new uploads using Soundstripe music after you cancel aren’t covered.
Musicbed
Musicbed leans cinematic, with the kind of tracks you hear in brand films and documentaries. Its individual subscription covers creators’ own channels, and linking your channel lets its SyncID system release claims automatically.
Envato Elements
Envato Elements is a broad creative subscription covering music, SFX, video templates, graphics and more. Every download comes with a commercial licence. Some tracks are registered with Content ID, so keep your licence certificate handy or use the Claim Clear dashboard for eligible tracks.
Subscription vs per-track licensing
A subscription makes sense when you publish every week. You get unlimited downloads, channel clearance, and far fewer licensing decisions to make. The trade-off is that coverage for new content stops when you cancel, so publish anything you’ve already edited before your plan lapses.
A per-track licence suits occasional uploads, a one-off client video, or a single signature theme you want to own the rights to use for years. Many marketplaces sell single-track licences. Read the terms carefully for monetisation, the number of channels, and whether paid ads or client work need a higher tier.
If you’re weighing up bigger commercial uses, such as a brand campaign or a TV placement, that’s sync licensing territory. Our guide to what sync licensing is and how it works explains the difference.
AI-generated music as an alternative
AI music generators are now a real option for background tracks, especially when you want something no other channel is using. The licensing still matters, though. Check who owns the output, whether commercial use is allowed on your plan, and how the tool handles Content ID. We’ve compared the options in our roundup of the best royalty-free AI music generators, and our walkthrough on how to use AI music on YouTube covers uploading and disclosure. If you want a tool to try, Solmi is one AI option for generating original tracks. Before monetising, read whether you can monetise AI music on YouTube.
How to keep your channel monetisation-safe
- Link your channel to your library’s clearance system before you upload, not after a claim arrives.
- Save licence certificates or credit codes in a folder named by video.
- Copy attribution text exactly as the licence specifies.
- Avoid NC-licensed tracks on monetised videos and sponsored content.
- Don’t use “no copyright” compilations reuploaded by random channels. The uploader rarely has the right to grant you anything.
- If you get a claim on music you’ve licensed, dispute it with your proof rather than ignoring it.
For the bigger picture on earning from music content, see our guide on how to monetise YouTube music. If you also run a podcast, here’s where to find royalty-free podcast music.
Frequently asked questions
Is royalty-free music really free?
Not always. Royalty-free means you don’t pay ongoing royalties per play. The licence itself may be free, as with the YouTube Audio Library and Pixabay, or it may come with a subscription or a per-track fee.
Can I monetise videos that use royalty-free music?
Yes, as long as the licence allows commercial use. YouTube Audio Library tracks, the libraries in this guide, and CC BY music (with credit) all allow monetisation. Tracks licensed as non-commercial (NC) don’t.
Why did I get a Content ID claim on music I licensed?
Many licensed tracks are registered in Content ID, so the system flags them automatically. Link your channel to your library’s clearance system, or dispute the claim using your licence certificate or credit code.
What happens to my videos if I cancel a music subscription?
With Epidemic Sound, Artlist and Soundstripe, videos published while you were subscribed stay covered. New videos using their music after you cancel aren’t covered. Check each service’s current terms before cancelling.
Do I need to credit the artist?
Only if the licence says so. CC BY tracks and Uppbeat’s free tier require credit. Most YouTube Audio Library tracks and paid subscriptions don’t.
