Royalty-Free Music
Free to use in your videos, podcasts and live-streams &
free from any copyright issues.
What is Uppbeat?
Uppbeat is a royalty-free music platform for creators. Browse our music library of over 10,000 royalty-free tracks from the world’s top indie artists and composers and download the perfect soundtrack for your production with a free Uppbeat account.
Music genres
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What is royalty-free music?
If you look for music for video, film, podcasts, social media or most other types of production, you will often come across the term royalty-free music. It’s a phrase that comes from the world of music licensing and basically describes music you can pay to license for your project. This gives you permission to download and use the music without having to worry about ongoing payments or ‘royalties’, which is where the ‘royalty-free’ part comes from.
When looking for royalty-free music, especially for YouTube, it’s sometimes also called copyright-free music. This term is geared towards content creators who want to avoid copyright claims on platforms like YouTube, Twitch, Instagram and TikTok. It’s worth noting that royalty-free music (and often copyright-free music) is still protected by music copyright. It can be a bit confusing, but the artists usually still own the rights to their music, you’re simply getting permission to use it with a music license and so you shouldn’t need to worry about copyright claims.
It’s no wonder that creators turn to royalty-free music and platforms like Uppbeat to soundtrack their content. It’s a simple, cost effective way to enhance your content with high-quality music, and it’s a win-win for artists who can fairly earn from their music too.
Where can you use royalty-free music?
Royalty-free music was introduced to provide convenience and flexibility for filmmakers and creators that need music for their projects. Whether it’s video productions, commercials, films, YouTube videos, podcasts, Twitch streams or social media posts, royalty-free music licenses can vary from one place to another but will often provide coverage and peace of mind for most projects.
For content creators, professional filmmakers, in-house teams and agencies, the advantages of using royalty-free music are the clarity and assurance it gives you. With a proper license, you don't have to worry about copyright infringement, getting hit with strikes, demonetization or having your content muted. You have the peace of mind to freely create and share your work across multiple platforms, knowing your music is fully licensed and legal.
Just remember licensing agreements can vary from one royalty-free music website to another. Simply make sure to read and understand the license details to know where and how you can use the music, and if you can’t find the licensing agreement that can be a red flag!
Is royalty-free music free?
While ‘free’ is in the name, royalty-free music doesn’t always mean the music is free of charge. Not that long ago, to use an artist’s music you had to negotiate the cost of a music license directly with them, often through their record label and publisher. Thankfully, it’s now much easier to find royalty-free music that you can use either for a fixed fee or even for free.
Whether you’re working on a student film or a Mr Beast sized production, you’ll be able to find royalty-free music for any budget. But, with so many artists spanning so many genres around the world, there’s naturally quite a big difference in the quality of royalty-free music you can use to soundtrack your content, and paying more doesn’t always guarantee you’ll be getting the best.
Here at Uppbeat, we hunt down the finest royalty-free music and work with a roster of amazing indie artists and composers to provide a platform of free royalty-free music for creators, making it easier for you to find awesome music you can use in your content.
How do Uppbeat artists get paid?
Artists are at the heart of everything we do at Uppbeat, so it’s important they’re paid fairly for their music. Unlike other music platforms that often buy out the rights to entire catalogs or leave artists with a single payment and no further earnings, Uppbeat does things a little differently. Our artists keep full ownership of their music while earning from our fair and transparent revenue share model.
We pool funds from Uppbeat Premium subscriptions, along with other revenue sources. Each time a track is downloaded, whether that’s by a free user or a Premium subscriber, our artists receive a payment. So every time you download a track from Uppbeat, you’re not just getting great royalty-free music for your content, you’re also supporting the incredible artists who create that music.
“Uppbeat is the perfect platform for music makers and content creators. I feel inspired by the great work I see being shared and I'm proud to have my music be a part of that.”
To find out more about royalty-free music, check out our in-depth guide on the Uppbeat blog.
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A great selection of music and SFX
A great selection of music and SFX for podcasters. Easy to find what you're looking for and always updated with new music. I use several royalty-free music sites and Uppbeat is one of my favorites.
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FAQs
What is Uppbeat?
Uppbeat is the free music platform for creators. We built Uppbeat to empower creators with high-quality, royalty-free music for YouTube, videos and podcasts. Drawing on nearly ten years of experience in the music licensing industry, our expert team has curated a world-class royalty-free music library with talented production artists from all around the world.
Our mission is to build a community that connects creators and musicians in a way that benefits and empowers both sides. Unlike many other royalty-free music services, Uppbeat allows artists to retain total ownership of their music and get paid through our ethical revenue share model. Sign up for a free account now and join over 1 million creators downloading royalty-free music from Uppbeat.
Is Uppbeat music royalty free?
Absolutely. Uppbeat’s entire catalog is made up of royalty-free music tracks, with thousands that are available to download for free to use in your projects without having to worry about future royalty payments. Our royalty-free music library is designed to simplify music licensing, making high-quality music accessible to creators everywhere.
Do I need a music license?
When you create an Uppbeat account, you agree to our music usage policy, which explains what you can and can't do with our music. When you download a track, instead of a complicated license, you simply receive a unique Uppbeat Credit that's linked to your account.
For YouTubers, the Uppbeat Credit can be included in your video's description to proactively clear copyright claims. Just remember, if you're using the same track more than once, you'll need to use a new Credit for each video.
Will I get copyright claims using Uppbeat music?
Uppbeat is built from the ground up to help creators avoid copyright claims. All of our artists own their music and register their tracks with Uppbeat. This means when you use Uppbeat royalty-free music on platforms like YouTube, our system can proactively identify your video and prevent copyright claims.
If you do receive a claim, more often than not you can simply resolve it by following the quick and easy guide in our Help Center to dispute the claim. Just remember, every Uppbeat track you download is associated with a unique Uppbeat Credit. Be sure to credit your downloads correctly and you shouldn’t have to worry about copyright claims!
Can you use Uppbeat royalty free music on YouTube?
Absolutely! Uppbeat music can be used on YouTube, as well as on social media, live streams, websites, and anywhere online. When used on YouTube, our system automatically identifies our artist's music and proactively prevents any copyright issues. Remember to include your unique Uppbeat Credit in your video's description to clear copyright claims proactively.
Is royalty free music the same as copyright free?
No, royalty-free music and copyright-free music are not the same. Royalty-free music means that after the initial licensing fee, there are no ongoing royalty payments to the artist for its use. However, the artist retains the rights to their music, which is why a license is needed to use it. Copyright-free music, on the other hand, is not owned by anyone and can be used by anyone without licensing or attribution. All Uppbeat music is royalty-free, not copyright-free.