How to Use Music in YouTube Videos In 2025
In this article we are going to go over a very important subject for content creators! We are going to talk about how to use music in YouTube videos. Video content is usually great improved with the use of music! It can help set the atmosphere of the subject of the video, and it can increase entertainment value! Well be going over things like:
- How to legally use music.
- How to find music to use in videos
Let's get started
How to Legally Use Music in YouTube Videos and Where to Find it!
We will start off with the most important topic of this page: how to legally use music! This should always be any content creators first concern when it comes to using music in their videos! If you're using a track that you don't own the rights to, or that you don't have a license from a provider or it's original creator or studio, you could run into multiple problems.
The first of these problems are penalties on your YouTube channel. The popular video sharing platform can demonetize your video, or even make it unavailable for anyone to see. If you continue to use music that you don't have permission for you could end up losing the ability to post anything for a time. In severe cases, your channel may also get terminated!
There are several ways to find music that you can use so that you avoid these problems and penalties! These are:
- Picking from YouTube's useable tracks.
- Having your own music created.
- Making an agreement with an artist to pay royalties for using their music
- Using a royalty free music library website.
- Using public domain music.
YouTube Music Library
YouTube does have a selection of musical tracks that you can use in your videos. This works well for those who don't have the time to create their own tracks! The selection is wide and has the benefit of being quick and easy and royalty free. It's a very helpful option for those needing to get their videos up quickly!
Having Music Made
Having your own music created is a great way of getting a track that you will ideally own the rights to! You can also have it made completely custom to fit your exact needs! This route however is often expensive, and while it's worth it in some cases, it will take a chunk of your budget.
Paying an Artist Royalties
Another way to get music to use is by talking to an artist or studio and setting up a deal to use their song where you pay royaltyies to them. If there is a popular song by them that you are using it can be very beneficial. Using this type of track can be a big draw in for viewers, However, it's often very expensive.
Royalty Free Music
Getting your tracks from a royalty free music library is another great option! These libraries are often arranged by type and style making it easy to find the track you need. On this type of website you buy a license to use the track royalty free.
This is usually a very affordable option and will save you a lot of money. If the music is royalty free you won't have to pay an artist or a studio royalties. This will save you money when your video becomes widely viewed! If you would like to choose this route, it is our specialty and we sell royalty free tracks right here, just follow this link: https://stockmusiccentral.com/collections
When it comes to creating your content, learning how to use music in YouTube videos the right way will save you from a lot of trouble! It's never fun to have to take down your hard work because you didn't have the legal rights to use the music.
Public Domain Music
Music created before 1929 is considered public domain and can be used without copyright worries because the copyright for music this old has expired. This music can be found at public domain libraries online. It's always a good idea to double check and make sure that the track that you are using is fully public domain.
It's always a good idea to do further research on this subject. Here's a link to YouTube's policies on copyright: https://www.youtube.com/howyoutubeworks/policies/copyright/
How to Use Music in YouTube Videos FAQ
Can I monetize videos that I use royalty free music in?
That depends on the terms of the music license that you got for the track from the music provider, but usually the answer is yes. At Stock Music Central, we have only one license and it gives you the right to monetize and even sell any content or projects that you use it in! This includes are free to use tracks which come with the same license, you can find those here: Free Music Royalty Free for Commercial and Non-Commercial - Stock Music Central
Should I use the same music in all my videos?
In some cases yes, and some cases no. You definetly should use the same music for your intro and outro. With intros it's important to build up a sense of familiarity for the opening of your videos. Using the same, memorable track can help your viewers remember your content and remind them to check in to see if you've uploaded more for them to enjoy. This is a very important use for intro music an outro music!
How loud should the music in my videos be?
For starters, you definetly want your intro, and outro music to be around the same volume as most of the sound in the rest of your video. For background music, it's a good idea to make sure that you can hear the talking over it. It's important not to have any of the tracks volumes up to high as this can hurt the ears of your viewers and cause discomfort. Uncomfortable content, is unenjoyable content!
Can I use non-licensed copyrighted music in my videos?
No, not unless you have express permission from the copyright holder of that music.