Adding music to your YouTube Shorts is a vital part of making great content. Take a look at the best YouTubers and you’ll find that the soundtrack they pick for their Shorts can be as important as the footage itself.
You have options when it comes to how you add music to your Shorts. The YouTube app allows you to select music from popular artists, or you can edit copyright-free music to your content before you click upload. But there are pros and cons to either route.
We’re here to explain the different ways you can add music to your YouTube Shorts. And tell you about the advantages of each one. In this guide, you’ll also learn how to avoid potential copyright risks, while also picking up some valuable tips for using music in your content.
- Why use music in your YouTube Shorts?
- How to add music to a YouTube Short
- Add music to YouTube Shorts in the app
- Upload a YouTube Short with music already added
- Is copyrighted music allowed on YouTube Shorts?
- Tips for finding the right music for your Shorts
Why you should use music in your YouTube Shorts
Music is a tried and tested way to improve your videos. Creators have always used music to evoke different emotions and it can be an amazing way to help your audience connect with your content.
Music can hook viewers into your content and keep them engaged for longer. That’s important because these are key signals that the YouTube algorithm uses to work out whether your videos are worth recommending to more people. Which explains why adding music to your Shorts not only improves your content, but can give it a better chance of going viral too.
How to add music to a YouTube Short: Step-by-step
There are two main ways to add music to your YouTube Shorts, either by using the in-app music library or by adding music during your editing process. Both methods are straightforward, but they each come with pros and cons.
Adding music to your Shorts directly in the YouTube app is the most popular approach. It's quick and easy to do in a few taps, but it's not perfect. Say you choose a track but the artist later decides to remove their music from the library, you might face copyright issues later down the line. Not only that, but YouTube will share your hard-earned ad revenue with the artists whose tracks you use, so you’ll make less money too.
The alternative option is to edit music into your Shorts before you upload them to YouTube. This method requires a bit more time and some editing skills, but gives you much greater control over your content and where you can share it. After all, music available on YouTube isn’t always available on other platforms, meaning you might need to use different tracks depending on where you upload your content.
Whichever method you choose, here are the steps you’ll need to follow to add music to your Shorts:
How to add music to YouTube Shorts in the app
- Open the YouTube app: Start by opening the YouTube app on your phone.
- Create a new Short: Tap on the '+' button and select 'Create a Short'.
- Add music: Tap the 'Add Music' button at the top of the screen.
- Browse or search for music: You can browse through the available tracks or search for a specific song.
- Adjust the music: Select the part of the song you want to use and adjust it to fit your video.
- Finalize your Short: Once you’re happy with the music and video, finalize and upload your Short. Add a catchy title and description with appropriate hashtags before you post your Short.
How to upload a YouTube Shorts video with music already added
- Add music to your edit: Before you upload, edit the track you want to use into your video
- Open the YouTube app: Launch the YouTube app on your phone.
- Create a new Short: Tap on the '+' button and select 'Create a Short'.
- Upload your video: Tap the 'Upload' icon on the bottom left to select a video from your device. Choose the video file that already has music added to it.
- Edit your video (optional): Use the built-in tools to make any final edits. You can trim the video, add filters, or text if needed.
- Finalize your Short: Once you’re happy with the music and video, finalize and upload your Short. Add a catchy title and description with appropriate hashtags before you post your Short.
Choosing the right track: Can you use copyrighted music on YouTube Shorts?
It’s important to know what music you can and can’t use in your videos. Use the wrong track and you could open yourself up to copyright issues or make less money from ad revenue. It’s why we see a lot of creators asking whether copyrighted music is fine to use in their Shorts.
The good news is you can use any copyrighted music on YouTube Shorts, as long as you have permission from the rightsholder. What’s even better is that getting permission is straightforward. Simply select tracks from the YouTube library or from a copyright-free music platform like Uppbeat. But there are a couple of things to bear in mind.
Remember, using copyrighted music can affect the amount of money you make from your content if you use tracks from YouTube’s library. YouTube splits revenue made from Shorts between itself and creators, as well as any music rights holders whose tracks feature, like artists or record labels.
You can see the full breakdown of what you’d make using copyrighted music in our guide to YouTube monetization, but it could be as little as 15% of the ad revenue your content generates. Don’t worry though, there’s another way of adding music to Shorts that allows you to keep your full share of the revenue.
Downloading copyright-free music from libraries like Uppbeat gives you full permission to use those copyrighted tracks in your videos. This way, you don’t have to worry about sharing your revenue with artists. And you can use the exact same tracks across other platforms, like TikTok and Instagram, without the worry of copyright claims!
Discover your ideal soundtrack by heading to Uppbeat’s easy-to-use platform, created especially for creators like you.
Explore Uppbeat
Discover copyright-free music to make your YouTube Shorts pop 🔥
5 ways music can improve your YouTube Shorts
Music has the power to make or break your YouTube Shorts. Just take a look at some of the top YouTubers in the world to see how they're constantly using incredible songs and perfectly editing them to match their content. Adding music to your YouTube Shorts can be an art, and there's nothing to stop you from mastering it too.
We've racked up the hours delving into hundreds, probably thousands of YouTube Shorts. Here are our favorite tips for how to use music to make your Shorts the best they can be!
Engage viewers from the get-go: Using engaging or emotional tracks can hook viewers and stop them scrolling past. TheSmilyFam bring instant playful vibes to their cup matching game by featuring Kevin MacLeod’s Monkeys Spinning Monkeys - a track you can download from Uppbeat. As soon as you hear the tune, you know the video’s going to be fun.
Build anticipation in your edit: Music is particularly effective when ramping up the excitement before a big reveal. Sports photographer Jaison Sterling uses an EDM rise to build up to the final result of his basketball shoot. By using music in this way, your audience will immediately sense there’s something exciting to stick around for.
Set the scene for your audience: Different tracks can completely change the vibe of your video. ElBurritoMonster uses music from Lord of the Rings to give his show-stopping cooking videos a suitably epic soundtrack. Using music in unexpected ways like this can capture your viewers imagination and convince them to watch for longer.
Ride the popularity of hot genres: Consider popular genres like pop, EDM or lofi for different types of content. Belgian creators CEMI feature reggaeton hit Gasolina to give their stair-skipping challenge some on-trend energy. If someone immediately recognises a music genre they enjoy, they’re more likely to watch more.
Tap into the viral potential of trending songs: Featuring viral songs in your edit can help your video get discovered by new audiences. That’s because your video will get recommended to people watching other content featuring the same audio. Ice Queen featured Benson Boone’s viral song Beautiful Things in their ice bath video and got over 9 million views as a result. Don’t miss out on the potential of reaching new viewers!
Make your YouTube Shorts pop by adding music
Adding music to your YouTube Shorts couldn’t be easier. You have options, but if you want greater control over your edit and to keep your full earnings, downloading copyright-free music to edit into your Shorts is the way to go.
Selecting music from YouTube’s library is a popular choice with creators who want to use the latest tracks from popular artists. But you need to remember that you’ll be splitting your ad revenue with both YouTube and the artists themselves.
So if you want to keep your hard-earned Shorts revenue, head to Uppbeat to discover a library packed full of copyright-free music that’s safe to use in your videos. It’s a platform that’s designed to help creators find their perfect soundtrack, meaning you can find the ideal sound for your Shorts in minutes. Best of all, you can start downloading tracks for free!
