Being a YouTuber, you must know how to credit music on YouTube to avoid getting your YT videos banned or getting stringent copyright strikes. Adding the right music or song to your YT videos can be a game changer. However, this is where content creators often face the obstacle of including copyrighted music in their videos.
This article will cover everything you should know about incorporating copyrighted music into your videos and how to give music credit on YouTube.
Table of Contents
How Does YouTube Copyright Works?
Creating a copyright of songs or music enables the artists to license out their work to other individuals with prior permission. YouTube’s copyright regulations ensure that creators are fairly compensated when their work is used by other fellow YouTubers.
How To Give Credit To Music On YouTube?
To use a copyrighted song in your YT video, you must first obtain the necessary permissions from the song or music owner. In case you are familiar with the artist, you can send them a polite email asking for permission to use their song in the video.
However, if you want to credit a song from a major recording artist or a record label, you need to know their license terms and negotiate on the fees. This can sometimes be hectic, especially for YouTubers who are in the initial phases of growing their channel.
The third choice you have is to use a song from a royalty-free music company that offers music or songs to budding artists for commercial use. This way, you can give credit to music on YouTube without paying hefty fees.
How To Use Music With Copyrights In Your YT Videos
There are 3 efficient and legal methods to include copyrighted music or songs in your YouTube videos.
1. Use Copyright Free Music Available In the Public Domain
Over a period of time, many copyrighted works remove their copyright protection and can be used for free. You can always visit the public domain information website to learn more about publicly available music that you can include in your videos. However, these copyright laws differ from country to country, and we suggest verifying your country’s laws of copyrighted music before using one. It is always better to give credit to music on your YouTube videos than paying penalties.
2. Reuse YT Music With A Creative Common License
It is a common license category that music composers use to make their work available for commercial or non-commercial use. It is one of the best choices if you intend to get more views on your videos and monetize your content. Several Content creators use the Creative Commons license to allow other fellow YouTubers to utilize their work in their respective YT videos. However, such creators must credit the music or song composer before using their work.
3. Get The Legal Authorization From The Copyrighted Owner
Maybe your video still requires music that is neither free to use under a commons license nor public domain. The only solution you are left with is to get prior permission with full legal rights before using the copyrighted material.
How Do I Acknowledge Copyrighted Music On YouTube?
If you are wondering how do you credit a song on YouTube, then here you go. There are easy steps to acknowledge copyrighted music on YouTube:
- Give credit to the original artist in the video description. Mention the artist’s name, song title, and link to the music URL.
- Request permission to purchase or use the music legally to avoid copyright issues.
- Use royalty-free music from the YouTube library.
Can Copyright Claims Penalize My Channel?
Yes, it is crucial to maintain a copyright-free YT channel to avoid demonization, takedown the video by YouTube upon review, and even restrictions to upload content on the channel with each copyright strike. Additionally, repeated copyright issues can result in the permanent termination of your YouTube channel.
How Much Does It Cost To Get Permission?
The permission cost may vary depending on the artist and how popular the song or the music is. So, the rights to the song may also depend on other factors, like the type of music and how you plan to use it. The pricing can range from a few dollars to hundreds and thousands of dollars depending on whether they are independent or big-label music companies. It can be a one-time fee, or they can even charge a percentage of the revenue of the YouTube video.
Alternatives To Using Copyrighted Music
Use royalty-free music, which is available on many websites, as an alternative to copyrighted music. Other options include making music from scratch or listening to songs that are available under Creative Commons licenses, which typically permit attribution-free use. You may also find music libraries that are already installed in some video editing programs, so you won’t have to worry about copyright constraints.
Conclusion
Including music or song is an essential part of creating an engaging YouTube video. Additionally, it is equally important to know how to credit music on YouTube to prevent any legal infringements. A brilliant way to stay away from such copyright issues is to use the extensive YouTube audio library. It consists of songs and music that are royalty-free productions. Every creator is free to use them without attracting copyright laws.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. What If I Upload A Video With Copyrighted Music?
If a creator uses copyrighted music in his or her videos without having permission to use it, YT will probably remove the video from its platform.
Q2. What Is The Consequence Of Getting Two Back-To-Back Copyright Strikes On YouTube?
If YouTube slams you with two copyright strikes within 90 days, you won’t be able to post content for at least 2 weeks. If no additional issues arise, your YT creator rights will be restored after the 2-week duration.
Q3. What Is YouTube Audio Library?
YouTube offers a list of more than 1,500 copyright-free music and songs in its extensive audio library. You can use this audio library as an alternative to purchasing highly paid copyrighted songs.
Q4. Can I Check If My YouTube Video Has A Copyrighted Music?
Yes. YT allows you to verify whether your video includes any copyrighted music that may later on attract copyright infringement laws and penalties.