Music plays a huge part in the workout experience. Using the right music in your video can motivate your clients and allow you to engage with them even more with your digital offering.
With that in mind, finding music you can use legally can seem like a daunting task. In this article, we highlight some resources to make the process easier to navigate and understand.
Most Music Falls Under Four Main Categories
1. Copyrighted
This covers just about all commercial music. Kanye West's record label wouldn’t be too pleased if you used his tracks without paying. Our advice is: Keep it legal and only use music from the next three categories below.
2. Creative Commons
Creative Commons songs are copyrighted but can be used for free if you follow the specific terms and restrictions. There are a variety of different CC licenses. For more specific information, we recommend you to visit the Creative Commons website to learn more about the types of licenses and what they mean.
3. Royalty-free
Royalty-free doesn’t mean free music. It means you pay a one-time or subscription fee to use a music track and then don’t need to pay any royalties thereafter. For some you may need to provide attribution or credit in return for using the music, and some may actually charge you to use it.
#TZtip: Always double-check!
4. Public domain
This refers to music where generally either the copyright expired or the copyright owner deliberately placed the song in the public domain. Most public domain resources usually fall under the former; therefore, a lot of the music in this category is really, really old.
Free/Creative Commons Music Resources
- YouTube Audio Library (Check YouTube's TOS and individual song's licensing notes)
- Free Music Archive (Creative Commons)
Subscription-Based Royalty-Free Music Resource
If you have the budget to pay a small fee for music, the following sites are great resources where you pay a simple subscription fee and you gain unlimited access to a large collection of music and playlists. Their licensing policies are clear and easy to follow. They also sound better, and you can easily filter down to the specific genre, bpm, and mood for your specific workout or class.
Make It Legal
Before you incorporate any tunes into your project, you should always check the fine print to make sure you’re abiding by their license. Any workout video found to be violating someone else's copyright will be taken down.
Whether your music is free or paid-for, it’s always important to double-check and make sure you’re abiding by the license terms and restrictions attached to that track, and that you’re following any applicable laws. Music licensing is an ever-changing, complex terrain to navigate.
Depending on how you use the music, you may need multiple licenses (one for a public performance and another for synchronization, for example). If you’re ever fuzzy or in doubt, always err on the side of caution and consult an attorney for legal advice surrounding your video’s music needs.
Reporting copyright infringement
Copyright owners reserve the right to submit a DMCA takedown request at copyright@trainerize.com.
