By [Your Name], Digital Media Expert
Finding great royalty-free music is essential for video creators today. The right music can elevate any video while avoiding expensive licenses or copyright claims. But with so many options, where should you get music from?
In this comprehensive guide, we compare the 12 best royalty-free music sites for video creators. Whether you make YouTube videos, TikTok clips, Twitch streams, online courses or more, these top-rated sites offer everything you need.
Let‘s dive in!
What is Royalty-Free Music and Why Do You Need It?
Royalty-free (RF) music allows the one-time purchase of a license to use a track in your videos, sites and other projects multiple times without paying ongoing royalties. This makes it budget-friendly compared to licensed music while avoiding copyright issues.
For video creators, royalty-free music enables you to legally and affordably add high quality, original tunes that make your content pop. This enhances engagement and brand without worrying about strikes or revenue claims on platforms like YouTube or Facebook.
RF music licenses also allow commercial use of tracks in monetized videos as well as editing flexibility to tailor songs perfectly to your content.
12 Best Royalty Free Music Sites for Video Creators
We researched over 25 top options to compile the 12 best RF music sites for professional video creators and content producers today:
1. PremiumBeat
Trusted by NBC, PBS and thousands of video creators, PremiumBeat offers a huge library of exclusive, high-quality, royalty-free music expertly curated for film, TV, advertising and online video.
Highlights
- 60,000+ exclusive RF tracks
- New music added daily
- Curated playlists for easy finding tunes
- Ideal for professional video creators
- Per track and subscription licenses
- Excellent search with filters
Pricing
Starting at $49 per track standard license. Monthly ($149+) and yearly ($599+) Premium subscriptions also available.
2. Artlist
Our #1 pick for value, Artlist provides unlimited downloads from a library of handpicked music and SFX with new additions daily.
Highlights
- Unlimited downloads
- 75,000+ music tracks
- 24,000+ SFX options
- Ideal for YouTubers and video creators
- Intuitive interface and useful search
- Cheapest cost per song
Pricing
$199 per year for unlimited personal plan. $599 per year unlimited team plan allows 5 users.
3. Epidemic Sound
Boasting a catalogue of over 30,000 tracks, Epidemic Sound offers video creators simple, affordable licensing, powerful search and new music daily.
Highlights
- 30,000+ music tracks
- Handpicked for video creators
- New music added daily
- Advanced search and filters
- Easy to use licensing model
- 30 day free trial
Pricing
Personal plan starts at $15 per month. Additional team options available.
4. Storyblocks
Storyblocks provides quality, affordable stock music and video along with images, graphics, templates and editing tools all in one place.
Highlights
- Over 500,000 RF assets
- Browse or search for music
- Ideal for business, marketing and video creators
- Useful for YouTube, social media, ads, websites and films
- Easy licensing and downloads
Pricing
$99 per year for unlimited personal use up to 3 users. Higher tiers for more team members available.
5. Music Vine
Boasting Hollywood-level quality, Music Vine delivers store, TV-ready tracks from renowned composers starting at just $29.
Highlights
- Hollywood-quality compositions
- Tracks evoke specific moods
- Ideal for film, TV, ads and video
- New releases weekly
- $29 per track standard license
- 7-day free trial
Pricing
From $29 per track standard license. Subscriptions from $99 per month.
6. Shutterstock Music
Part of the leading creative asset platform, Shutterstock Music offers video creators affordable pricing on their catalogue of over 150,000 songs.
Highlights
- Over 150,000 high quality tracks
- Ideal for YouTube, video creators
- $49 per track value subscription
- New music added weekly
- Fast search and filters
- Preview and license tracks easily
Pricing
$49 per month subscription gets you 1 license per month. More licenses can be purchased a la carte.
7. Motion Array
Great for YouTubers and videographers, Motion Array delivers over 39,000 tracks starting at $6 with affordable subscriptions too.
Highlights
- 39,000+ high-quality music tracks
- Created with video production in mind
- $6 per track Basic license
- New releases added monthly
- Ideal for YouTubers and video creators
Pricing
From $6 per track, or subscription plans from $12 per month with more included licenses .
8. Envato Elements
Envato offers unlimited downloads from a creative library with 65,000+ tracks accessible on their easy to use platform.
Highlights
- 65,000+ high-quality music tracks
- Unlimited downloads with subscription
- Hand-picked selection perfect for video
- Ideal for video creators, YouTubers, agencies
- Fast search and filters
Pricing
$29 per month subscription with unlimited personal use licenses.
9. Audio Jungle
AudioJungle provides composers and sound engineers a marketplace to sell their tracks – with over 1 million buyers trusting it for RF music.
Highlights
- Over 851,000 tracks
- Created for video creators and filmmakers
- $1 music discovery subscription
- New files added daily
- Best-selling tracks featured
Pricing
From $1 for single tracks up to $47 depending on license needs. Subscriptions also available.
10. Soundstripe
Soundstripe’s exclusive library offers over 8,000 handpicked, natural sounding tracks starting at $12.50 per track.
Highlights
- Over 8,000 exclusive, quality tracks
- Ideal for YouTube, Twitch, TikTok
- Unlimited downloads with subscription
- New releases added weekly
- Fast search by keyword or mood
Pricing
From $12.50 per track licenses. Unlimited subscription from $12 per month.
11. Mixkit
Mixkit delivers completely free, royalty-free music and SFX available for immediate download in high quality formats.
Highlights
- 100% free music tracks, SFX and loops
- Handpicked for video creators
- Over 60,000 free assets
- New files added every week
- Fast search filters
Pricing
100% free to download and use commercially.
12. Dig CC Mixter
A creative community, dig.ccmixter offers over 57,000 music tracks and sound loops artists have shared under Creative Commons licenses for free.
Highlights
- Over 57,000 free creative commons tracks
- Vibrant community with new tracks daily
- Acappellas, sound loops also available
- Fast keyword and license search options
Pricing
100% free if certain Creative Commons licensing terms are met. Read individual track terms carefully.
Key Comparisons Between Top Royalty Free Music Sites
With so many RF music options out there let‘s compare the pros and cons of a few top sites:
| Site | Best For | Key Strength | Considerations |
|---|---|---|---|
| PremiumBeat | Professional video creators | Largest exclusive library, expertly curated | Higher cost but worth quality |
| Artlist | YouTubers, streamers and video creators | Unlimited downloads, cost effective | Can take time to preview more tracks |
| Epidemic Sound | Online video creators | Refined library with 75+ new tracks daily | Limited style variety |
| Storyblocks | Business, marketing, video creators | One stop shop for multimedia RF assets | Music not the only focus |
| Envato Elements | YouTubers, agencies, freelancers | Massive creative library, easy licensing | Quality varies so more filtering needed |
This table summarizes how top RF music sites are better suited to specific creators and use cases based on their key strengths and limitations.
No site is perfect or will have every desired track. That‘s why it helps to try out multiple options with free trials to get a feel for music quality, variety and scope before committing.
6 Tips for Legally Using Royalty-Free Music
While RF music avoids many licensing hurdles, you must still properly credit artists and adhere to site terms to stay legal.
Follow these six tips:
- Read license terms thoroughly – Don‘t just skim as the details matter!
- Don‘t edit or alter tracks without verifying rights.
- Credit artist and music site used in video descriptions.
- Only use tracks on approved platforms.
- Keep licenses on file in case any issues arise later.
- Don‘t steal full songs or recordings – these still face copyright issues. Stick to unique RF compositions.
Sticking to these practices ensures your video content remains fully compliant even when using background music.
Alternatives to Royalty-Free Music
While most affordable for ready-to-use tracks, royalty-free music still costs something. What if you want quality music at zero cost?
Consider Creative Commons (CC) licensed music. These allow free use if licensing terms requiring attribution and prohibiting commercial applications in some cases are followed. Dig CC Mixter highlighted earlier offers over 57,000 CC tracks.
However, sifting through CC content takes more effort and limits commercial use. Royalty-free music solves these issues for serious creators making money from video content.
Finding the Best Royalty Free Music Just Got Easier
We hope this detailed guide gave you unmatched insights into picking the best RF music site for your video content needs.
The key is deciding whether you want unlimited music via a subscription or pay per track. Consider musical styles needed, licensing terms and budgets.
Trying multiple options also helps determine which catalogue quality and user experience fits your creative vision.
With the right background music choice, your online videos are sure to connect with more viewers and leave a lasting positive impression!
