Want to add background music to your videos but confused about YouTube copyright rules? Here are some of the hottest music licensing and copyright questions from Twitter users.

In this post I will be answering some of the most common questions concerning royalty free music and YouTube copyright claims. Follow me on Twitter for the real-time answers.
UNLIMITED MUSIC FOR PERSONAL AND COMMERCIAL VIDEOS
$99 a year. Advanced search. Copyright claims assistance. Sign Up
Royalty free music is copyright free, right?
-
Derphan asks:Royalty free music are music that are not copyrighted, right? So can we download hippie music from YouTube?
From the legal perspective, all creative works are copyrighted by default until the copyright expires. The authors may choose to offer their work for free under various conditions (under the creative commons license, for instance) but it still doesn’t make their work “copyright free”.
Takeaway: Royalty free has nothing to do with copyright or the absence of such.
Why do I get claims on videos with royalty free music?
-
Memoocan asks:It’s royalty free music, wtf does that even mean if they are claiming my frakking video to monetize?!?
Takeaway: Read the fine print and clarify the terms prior to using any music in your video, royalty free or not.
5 Things to Remember When Searching for Royalty Free Music for Your Video
Do You Think AdRev Is Stealing Your YouTube Monetization Money?
Where can I find free music for my YouTube videos?
-
Dani Kelley asks:YouTube people: where do you find free royalty free music to use with your videos?

There is nothing wrong with using free music in your videos but you need to understand that even if you can download something for free it often comes with limitations (like non-commercial use only, for instance) that may not work for your intended use.
Takeaway:Ā Free music may only be free for certain use and not for what you had in mind.
Where To Find Great Background Music to Use in Low-Budget Videos
Is It Safe to Use Free Music in Corporate Marketing Videos? (with Infographic)
How to use background music in YouTube videos?
-
Miss Georgie asks:How can I put music on the background of a YouTube video? Help pleaseeee
Takeaway: Do you have a solid proof for YouTube that you can legally use a particular music track in you video? If not – don’t use it.
How do prominent channels get away with using copyrighted music on YouTube?
-
Shane Dawson asks:How the f**k do makeup gurus get away with using copyrighted music in EVERY video?
Takeaway: Only use copyrighted background music if it was specifically cleared for YouTube use.
-
Ejidayo asks:If I bought royalty free music that sounds similar to strong & popular brands am I liable 4 lawsuits?
Takeaway: Unless your project clearly calls for something that is nearly identical to a popular commercial track (if you’re making a parody video, for example), you’d be better off with using original royalty free music with similar feel.
How to dispute copyright claims for legally licensed royalty free music
-
JerSean Golatt asks:I just purchased my songs for a video on your site. however YouTube is giving me a copyright block. How do I solve this?

Unfortunately, as of now, the system can’t tell the difference between the authorized and unauthorized use and flags every video that matches the music in the database. However, the legit copyright owners can easily retract the claims provided you have the license to use their music.
The fastest way to resolve a copyright claim is to contact the music author / the copyright owner. For instance, I retract copyright claims on the same day for people who licensed my music.
Takeaway: Instead of using YouTube’s dispute option, contact the music owner directly to quickly resolve copyright claims.
How to resolve bogus copyright claims from AdRev
-
Paul Stam asks:Adrev please stop claiming copyright over music from Audio Swap Youtube itself. If I can’t use audio from Youtube itself, what else?
Now, when you receive a claim from AdRev on your video, it may be coming from a legitimate owner or from a unscrupulous individual trying to make a quick buck by claiming the freely downloadable music as their own. If you suspect the claim is bogus – get in touch with AdRev support and explain the situation. For instance, that you are using the music from YouTubes free library or that you purchased the license from the legitimate copyright owner.
Takeaway: To quickly resolve bogus AdRev copyright claims contact AdRev support.
How to Resolve AdRev For The Third Party Copyright Claims on YouTube
Want to see more questions and answers in real time?
Have a music licensing question?
Post your question in the comments below.
Looking for music to use in business videos?
Positive and confident royalty free background instrumental music with uplifting and motivational feel for corporate videos and marketing projects.
Positive, motivational, and uplifting royalty free background music for corporate and small business videos with inspirational and confident feel featuring the mix of acoustic and electronic sounds.
Positive corporate royalty-free music with assertive and grand feel for an uplifting and motivational corporate video or commercial.
Listen to my top 10 best most popular royalty free music tracks
Making LOTS of videos?
