Can you play music on livestream? We are sure that many YouTubers have this question in their minds. This question also has many layers to it. You need to be aware of the consequences involved, available solutions, their feasibility, and what controls the YouTube Studio provides!
Our blog will take you through these pressing concerns in a step-by-step manner.
Table of Contents
Can You Play Music On Livestream?
Let’s cut the fluff and get down to the business – Can you play music during livestreams on YouTube? While there are repercussions to fear, there’s a safe way of playing songs as well!
It’s our job to warn you of the penalties and solutions around them – So let’s continue reading.
1. Watch Out For The Copyright Strikes
YouTube algorithms can easily catch copyrighted material, even if it’s in the middle of an ongoing live stream. On violating any copyright guidelines, you will face these consequences:
- Restricted Reach.
- Revenue splitting – If any gets generated through the live stream.
- Or Channel Suspension.
2. How To Escape The YouTube Radar?
Not all kinds of track releases carry a heavy charge. But here are different compositions to explore and save before going live.
- Public Domain Music: Public domain music is any composition released in the public sphere or any work with an expired copyright. They don’t charge any royalty.
- Original Music: Either secure permission from the original copyright owner to use their track song or create one on your own. If you seek permission, ensure that the owner adds you to their “approved list” through the YouTube Content ID.
- Zero Royalty Music: These songs are free of copyright strikes or royalty issues. You can find them on YouTube’s Audio Library and other platforms offering an extensive stock of free music.
- Creative Commons Music: Such songs come with a restricted usage license. However, the terms will vary from one copyright owner to another. So, they are essentially free to use, but you need to comply with specified clauses.
How Can You Play Music On Livestream?
Follow the steps below to add music and create an immersifying audio-visual experience for your audience.
- Click on your live stream video’s “share” icon and choose “Background audio.”
- Select one or multiple audio files from your computer browser.
- Then click “open” and find the tracks added towards the right-hand corner of your screen.
- You will be able to play or stop the music whenever you want.
- Aside from computer files, you can also utilize options provided by the YouTube Audio Library.
Why To Add Music To Your Livestream?
Can you play music on livestream? Yes, but what are the benefits of playing music during live streams? Let’s find out.
- A Joyful Experience: The right music can create the perfect mood to keep your viewers glued to your livestreams.
- Influence: The right background music can make your message more impactful and touch your viewers deeply.
- Lively Atmosphere: If you take mini-breaks or leave your livestream unattended briefly, music can help cover up awkward silences.
- Ensures Flow: If you cover multiple segments or topics, music can serve as a smooth transition element.
Where To Find Music For Livestreams?
We no longer think “Can you play music on livestream?” is the question. What you must be wondering now is where to find song releases or background tracks which won’t get you sucked into copyright controversies.
No worries, because we have found these platforms for easy browsing.
1. Sound Cloud (Free Music)
This platform was launched in 2007, and with 17+ years of serving artists, it has successfully built a network of more than 40 million artists.
- This platform empowers users to create and distribute free music to uplift creators.
- You have more than 400 million tracks to choose from.
- However, some songs may demand permission or licensing, so this platform also details how to contact the artist.
2. Musopen (Public Domain Music)
Musopen is a non-profit organization founded in 2005. In 19 years of providing free music, it has helped millions of users worldwide.
- This platform provides over 2000 public domain songs without royalty or restrictive clauses.
- Creators can narrow down searches based on the composer’s name and instruments used.
3. Artlist.IO (Licensing Platform)
Built-in 2016, this platform has come to own more than 820,000 digital assets that can help YouTubers.
- If you purchase their subscription plan, you get access to their library of free tracks, which don’t require royalty/licensing.
- If you explore licensed music, you will find that all the clauses are universal and not subjective, so navigation takes reduced time.
- More than 30,000 tracks and 72,000 sound effects with various filters to ease your search.
Unrelated to this, do you want more reach on your videos? You can simply buy YouTube views from credible partners.
3 Essential Tips To Play Music During Livestream
These tips will help you find songs and connect with the artists without any problems! As a bonus, this section will also help you explore what information to reveal so that your licensing status is crystal clear.
Tip 1 – Assess The Song
Do you find yourself vibing to any song? Note its artist and its genres. You can use those genres as your keywords to find more people who create similar music. Once you create a list of artists who own your fav songs, find their social media profiles and connect with them!
Tip 2 – Initiate Conversation With Your Artist
Follow them and send them a message request asking for their support! Be clear about where you will use their work and let them influence your channel’s growth. Also, tell them how you will promote them through a description box, pinned comments, links, or social media shout-outs.
Tip 3 – Make It Known That You Are Using A Licensed Property
The most common method you have known is stating in the video disclaimer or description that you are using someone else’s work. But wait, there are more steps involved!
- Acquire the official document highlighting all the clauses and terms for the use of music!
- Ask the owner to send a signed letter over email implying consent.
- Finally, ask the original artist to add you to their “approved list” within the “content ID” system!
This blog’s burning question is: Can you play music on livestream? Yes! Only as long as you take our tips seriously.
Concluding Thoughts – Music During Livestreams:
So can you play music on livestream? You must know the answer by now! You can, as long as you use non-copyright material or seek permission wherever needed. Once you visit our listed platforms and find your dream music, you can create a wonderful live-streaming experience for your audience.
However, if you buy YouTube subscribers from credible sources, you will eventually have a larger audience for your live streams.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. What Music Can You Not Play On Stream?
Can you play music on livestream? Yes, as long as you won’t break the platform rules.
- YouTube: Copyright music or any property added to the content ID system.
- Twitch: Copyrighted music or songs from streaming services.
- Instagram: Copyrighted Music or any music not permitted for the Instagram platform.
Q2. Can I use copyrighted music if I give credit?
Merely disclamatory phrases like “all rights go to the author” and “I do not own” won’t constitute fair use. Here are ways to ensure that you gain legal consent.
- You must gain a legal license and a signed letter from the copyright owner.
- You would have to gain entry into their “approved list” within the “content ID” system.
If you plan to promote video on YouTube in future, you need to take these tips seriously, as copyright issues can disqualify you.
Q3. How many seconds of a song can I use without copyright?
YouTube algorithms are trained to recognize protected music, no matter how much you trim it. So whether it’s 30 seconds or more, the duration will not matter.
Q4. Are you allowed to play music on Instagram live?
You can play music on Instagram Live as long as you adhere to the following policies:
- Instead of full-length music, use shorter clipped versions.
- The purpose of a video should be sharing your insights or showing something – It can’t be solely playing music on it.
Q5. Can You Play Nintendo Music On A Livestream?
Nintendo has a history of striking YouTubers with copyright claims who use their music without permission.
- Their music is licensed. Even to play their games, you need to acquire their licensing rights.
- You will attain their permission to play their games (not music), as long as your content isn’t a typical non-transformative walkthrough video.
Q6. Can you livestream on Instagram with copyrighted music playing?
Can you play music on livestream? Yes. But copyrighted music without permission? No.
Q7. How to make your YouTube livestream more interesting?
Here are a few tips you can implement to generate intrigue:
- You can use the AI YouTube Description Generator to create a compelling video description that includes your CTA links, social media links, time stamps, and video descriptions.
- Whereas for titles, you can add something that pushes viewers to click – Maybe what thing you are discussing or what benefit the viewers would get. You can use an efficient AI YouTube Title Generator to save time and be more impactful.