Free Music for YouTube: How to Avoid Copyright Problems
Searching “no copyright music” and downloading the first result is a poor way to protect a channel. YouTube has its own Audio Library and tells you what you can use and when you need to credit the artist.
- Safest option
- AUDIO LIBRARY
- Attribution
- DEPENDS ON TRACK
- YPP monetization
- ALLOWED
- Creator Music
- CHANGED AUG 2026
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The safest way to add free music to a video is YouTube’s Audio Library: the catalog is safe from claims on the platform under each track’s terms, and creators in the Partner Program can monetize videos that use it. The one thing to check is whether a track requires attribution. YouTube Help
Some tracks require attribution
Some Audio Library music uses Creative Commons licenses and requires you to credit the artist, while other tracks use the standard Audio Library license and can be found with the attribution not required filter. When a track needs credit, YouTube gives you the exact text: pasting it into the description takes seconds, and skipping it can break the license. YouTube Help
Free, royalty-free and copyright-free mean different things
These words get mixed up constantly. Free is about what you pay; royalty-free usually describes a license that does not charge per-use royalties under certain conditions; Creative Commons is a family of licenses with different rules, and public domain is something else again. A free song can still be copyrighted, and a royalty-free one can still have an owner, so what matters is the license for that specific track.
YouTube warns about “free” music found elsewhere
YouTube warns that a song from outside its library labelled “free” or “royalty-free” is not guaranteed to avoid Content ID. YouTube Before using music from another site, check who grants the license, where it can be used, whether it covers YouTube and monetization, whether it requires attribution and how Content ID treats it.
If you want a larger catalog: Epidemic Sound
YouTube’s Audio Library is a good starting point if you want free music.
When you need to search for music constantly for videos, Shorts or commercial projects, another option is a paid service such as Epidemic Sound.
Its catalog is designed for creators and can be searched by genre, mood, duration and other criteria. Before publishing, always check what your plan covers and which channels or accounts need to be connected.
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Creator Music changed in 2026
Since August 2026, Creator Music no longer offers new paid licenses and focuses on free tracks and revenue-sharing music. YouTube currently keeps it for eligible YPP creators in the United States, with international expansion pending, so the Audio Library remains the simplest and most universal option for free music with a clear license. YouTube Help
What I would do for a new video
- Open the Audio Library in YouTube Studio.
- Search by genre, mood or length.
- Check the track’s license.
- If you do not want credits, filter by attribution not required.
- Download the track.
- Save a note of the license with the project.
It takes a little longer than typing “no copyright” into YouTube, and you have far fewer questions when it is time to publish. For the rest of the upload, see the best YouTube export settings.
If you want to start without paying, go to YouTube’s Audio Library first. If you produce content frequently and want a broader catalog, you can consider paid services such as Epidemic Sound.
Sources
YouTube — music and Content ID
Last verified: October 6, 2026.