HOW TO SEE IF A SONG IS COPYRIGHTED?

Everything depends on the use you are going to give to that song:

But, how to check if a song is available to use?

The easiest way to know if a song is free of copyright

We can follow the video for the instructions or see below:

Let’s go step by step.

Click on the link and, once you have logged into your account, then you’ll see this screen:

Click on the image to enlarge

On the search box (marked with the number 1 on the image) you can write the name of any song to see under what copyright is.

Having found the corresponding song, click on the small arrow down that appears to the left of its title (marked with number 2 on the previous image) and then, a pop-up will open with the following information:

As we can see, it says in which countries of the world is allowed to use the original song for a video (number 3 on the image) or a cover interpreted by us (number 4).

It is therefore possible that, for example, if we use the song titled “Duele el corazón” from the famous author Enrique Iglesias, our video will not be available in 2 countries (Germany and Switzerland) as they have more restrictive policies there.

Also, it is possible, -as shown in the following image-, that the original author of the song will be allowed to make money placing ads on our video:

WHAT IF I DON’T FIND THE SONG ON YOUTUBE?

The fact that a song does not appear in the “Music Policies” section of Youtube does not mean that it doesn’t have any Copyright. It probably does, but it’s just not in their database.

In case the song you have searched for is not on Youtube, you will have to do a little more exhaustive research.

If it’s an old song (more than 70 years old) it’s fairly possible that it’s under Public Domain and then you can use it without any problem. On the PDInfo webpage, you can find a big list of songs of this type.

The best thing in any case, if you’re not 100% sure, is not to risk your project or channel using it. You expose yourself not only to your video being blocked or monetized by someone else (the author of the music) but even to have legal problems later.

What you can do to prevent this from happening?

To have peace of mind when it comes to using background music in your videos and ads, what you’ll do is use royalty-free music.

With this type of music and sound effects you ensure that you are always complying with Copyright guidelines.

The only thing you will have to consider is the so-called attribution, marked with a little symbol on the right:

Attribution means that, if you use that particular song or sound effect, you’ll be required to explain in the video description who is the author of that music you’re using.

For example, if you use the song titled ‘Heavy Drum Bass’, from artist Audionautix, you should write a phrase like this:

Knowing what type of text you have to write in the description is simple, as clicking on each song, the same platform tells you what is required:

But what happens if you don’t want to attribute anyone or you need higher quality music for your videos, commercials, movies or digital products?

Let’s take a look at the following section:

Music without copyright for commercial projects

Alternatively, if you want to use high-quality music for commercials, video games, radio, television or movies or you simply don’t want to attribute the author, you can always acquire the relevant use licenses.

The two best options are the following:

Epidemic Sound is a platform dedicated to the distribution of royalty-free music and has a song library with more than 300,000 tracks.

They decided to launch to the market a monthly subscription directed to any vlogger or Youtuber that offers the following:

Another good option is Envato Elements, where you can find thousands of songs and sound effects classified by genres at a very affordable price: 14.50€ per month for all the music you might need!

CONCLUSION

As a conclusion, Youtube makes it really easy to verify whether a particular song is copyrighted thanks to its musical platform. And, on the other hand, it also makes it easier for us to get free music.

However, if you want to access quality music and never have problems using background music, it’s best to purchase a monthly subscription to one of the two services mentioned above.

If you want -or need- to know more about the topic, we wrote an in-depth guide about what is music without copyright. Worth reading!