If you’re creating any kind of video for social media, it’s worth your time to pay close attention to when and how you use music. It’s an often-overlooked aspect of many social media accounts. While most users will shift their focus to content, image, and sound quality, the creators that stand out from the rest are the ones that take special consideration in their music choices. In this article, you’ll get some basics on how to use the best royalty-free music, where to find it, and also some tips on choosing the right music tracks and sound effects. Let’s get started!
Understanding How Royalty-Free Music Works
Royalty-free music is a great way to add production value to your social media videos without breaking the bank. Essentially, royalty-free music means that you can use the track in your video without having to pay any additional fees or royalties. This type of music is perfect for social media videos because it’s cost-effective and easy to find. You can often find high-quality tracks that fit the tone and style of your video without having to worry about any legal issues.
There are vast resources online to help you grow your music library, and we’ll get to some of those in a minute. But first, we want you to understand a little bit about how they work.
While some may say their music libraries are free of copyright, what they usually mean is that they’re free of royalties. It’s extremely rare for any artistic product to be completely free of copyright. Usually, you are paying these sites for the right to license the work, either by an annual or monthly subscription fee. The sites then pay the royalties to use this music on your behalf.
The main benefit of using royalty-free music sites is that you can often find high-quality sound effects and music tracks without having to worry about any copyright or legal issues. The last thing a creator wants is to worry about unnecessary litigation. Remember, the best royalty free music is the kind you can use legally! Using these royalty-free music sites gives you that needed peace of mind.
Where to Find Royalty-Free Background Music
Now that we’ve discussed the basics of how these sites work, let’s talk about some of the best royalty-free music sites and what they offer.
When looking for royalty-free music for videos, look no further than Premium Beat, Soundstripe, or Epidemic Sound. They’re all great resources that offer a number of varieties of royalty-free music. All of these music sites offer tens of thousands of curated, exclusive tracks for you to use in your next project. Many also offer sound effects for you to use as well, and these can often make your videos appear more polished and professional. Just be sure to use them sparingly. You don’t want your viewers to be distracted.
A great benefit many music sites have is the ability to save your downloaded tracks in a conveniently accessible library. When searching for music, you have the option to filter by a number of variables, including genre, mood, artist, and event duration. It’s advised to keep these organized in your library like this too so that when you have a certain mood you’re trying to set, it will be easy to find the perfect track to enhance the story.
Another convenience many of these sites share is the ability to use your music forever once you’ve paid to license it. This means that you still have access to your entire music library even after your subscription period has ended! It’ll be like having free stock music at your fingertips.
Setting the Right Tone for Your Social Media Videos
Now that we’ve looked at some of the basics of using royalty-free music let’s discuss how to choose the right tracks for your social media videos. The first step is to think about what mood or feeling you’re trying to evoke with your video. After all, the music should be enhancing the story you’re trying to tell, not distracting from it.
If you’re looking to add some levity to your video, try choosing tracks with a lighter feel. Uptempo tracks with a positive or neutral tone are great for this. For example, if you’re filming a cooking tutorial, an upbeat track with an acoustic guitar might be just the thing to add some charm.
On the other hand, if you’re looking to add some drama or tension to your video, you’ll want to choose tracks with a darker, more serious tone. Slower tracks with minor chords are perfect for this. For example, if you’re filming a horror scene, a slow, creepy track with some sound effects would be ideal. No matter what mood you’re trying to set, there’s a royalty-free track out there that will perfectly complement your video.
Knowing Your Audience
Finally, it’s important to remember who your audience is when choosing music for your videos. After all, you want them to enjoy watching your videos, not be turned off by them. If you’re making a video for a younger audience, you’ll want to choose tracks with a lighter feel that won’t be too intense or scary for them.
If you’re making a video for a more mature audience, you can afford to be a little more daring with your music choices. Just be sure not to choose anything that’s too explicit or offensive. In general, it’s always best to be at least a little cautious when choosing music for your videos.
It’s also a good idea to ask your audience directly what kind of music they would like to see in your videos. This is a great way to get some feedback and make sure you’re on the right track. After all, your goal is to make videos that your audience will enjoy watching, so it only makes sense to include the type of music they like.
The Bottom Line
There are a number of things to keep in mind when choosing royalty-free music for your social media videos. The most important thing is to think about what mood you’re trying to set and what feeling you want your video to evoke. Once you’ve got that down, the rest will fall into place. Just be sure to use your music sparingly and choose tracks that will appeal to your target audience. With a little bit of planning and some help from a legitimate and reputable royalty-free music site, you’ll be well on your way to creating social media videos that are sure to impress.
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