The Song That Cost You Your Video
It was a travel video, and one of the best things you'd filmed.
You put a song you love behind it. A well-known song everyone has heard, and it fitted the footage perfectly.
The video went up and it worked. Thirty thousand views in two months, one of your most-watched pieces.
Then six months passed.
You opened your dashboard one day and found a notice: the video is blocked in several countries.
Then another: the ad revenue is going to another party.
And two weeks later: the video is removed.
And in your view you'd done nothing wrong. You used a song you loved, credited the artist in the description, and earned nothing from it.
None of those things was a licence.
The Rule That Settles Most Cases
Every piece of music belongs to someone. And the default is that you don't have the right to use it unless you've been explicitly granted it.
And these things are not a grant: that you found the track online. That you'll credit the artist in the description. That you don't earn from the video. That you only used a short section. And that someone else used it and nothing happened to them.
Some of those may reduce the impact in particular cases, but none of them makes the use legitimate in itself.
So Where Does the Music Come From?
The Platform's Own Music Library
Most major platforms provide a free music library for creators, designed for use inside that platform without problems.
Best for a beginner, because it's the simplest and safest. Its drawback is that the tracks get used heavily, so videos start sounding alike.
Subscription Music Libraries
Services you pay monthly or annually that grant you a licence to use their library. Suitable for anyone publishing regularly who wants a distinctive sound.
Note: the licence is usually tied to your subscription continuing, or to the download date. Read the terms before building a hundred videos on it.
Freely Licensed Music
Tracks released by their creators under licences permitting use, usually on condition of crediting the source in a specific way.
The decisive condition: read the licence yourself and don't assume. Some prohibit commercial use, and some require a particular attribution format.
And keep a copy of the licence page and your download date. If a claim arrives a year later, that copy is your evidence.
Buying a Track With a Direct Licence
A one-off payment for a defined usage licence. Suitable for larger projects or a video you'll rely on for a long time.
And When Don't You Need Music at All?
A question everyone skips. Music isn't compulsory.
In explanation and direct-to-camera talking, background music competes with your voice and tires the ear.
In scenes with good ambient sound, the sound of a market or the sea or rain beats any music.
And in emotional moments, silence is stronger than sad music.
So use music when it adds something: filling a heavy silence, linking consecutive scenes, or setting a scene's mood.
Practical Rules for Using It
Bring it well down under the speech. Quick rule: if you notice the music while someone's talking, it's too loud.
Don't change tracks every minute. One track across a whole video is calmer than three fighting each other.
Fade in and out. Music that starts abruptly or cuts abruptly makes the viewer feel something malfunctioned.
And choose instrumental behind speech. Sung words compete with your words for the viewer's attention.
And What If a Claim Arrives?
Don't panic, and don't ignore it. Platforms usually let you review the claim and your options: replace the track, remove the section, or dispute it if you hold a licence.
And if you genuinely do hold a licence, having a saved copy of it is what settles the dispute. Which is why saving the licence and its date was necessary rather than optional.
An Important Warning
Copyright law and platform terms differ between countries and change over time, and this article is a general explanation of how to think about music rather than legal advice.
Check the terms of the platform you publish on, the law where you are, and consult a professional if it concerns a large commercial project.
In Short
Use the platform's library if you're starting out. Subscribe to a licensed library if you publish regularly. And save the licence for every track you use.
And most importantly: ask yourself first whether this video needs music at all, because plenty of videos don't.
And how to order your editing work is covered in: editing basics: start by deleting, not adding.