All your hard work is coming together. Your business is set up, your website is ready to launch, and you’re prepared to enter the free market. The only thing left is producing a great, catchy advertisement. Whether you’re producing a web or television ad, you’re going to need to get your hands on some great royalty free commercial music to avoid the wrath of “big music”. Don’t know where to start? Follow our helpful guide below!
What Is Royalty Free Commercial Music?
Royalty free music is, quite simply, music that you don’t have to pay royalties on. All across the web, from YouTube videos to TV and web advertisements, people use royalty free music to avoid paying premiums to large music conglomerates. When you use a well-known, copyrighted song (such as a top 40 hit) you need to pay a huge sum out of pocket. In many cases, you need to pay a fee every time this song is played for a viewer!
Royalty free commercial music gives you full access to a song or songs for a one-time fee, or even for free in some cases. By using royalty free music, you can save a ton of money and avoid being sued or stricken down for copyright infringement.
If you see a commercial that uses a popular song, that company has likely paid a huge licensing fee to lock down that music. This might be a good strategy for these companies, but for small to mid-sized businesses, it’s not viable. If you fit into the small to mid-size business category, you should definitely be using royalty free music for commercials.
How Do I Find Royalty Free Commercial Music?
You have a few different options if you’re looking for royalty free commercial music. Here are some of the most popular options.
1. Use a Royalty Free Music Service
The easiest option you have is going to a company that specializes in commercial music. A company like Comma Music can help you out immensely. For a low monthly fee, we’ll give you access to all the royalty free commercial music you need. Our selections span many different genres and styles, ensuring you’ll find something that fits your needs. We can even produce original music for you! We’ll work with you to find the best sound, genre, and style for your commercial. There’s nothing quite like an original song to make your advertisement special.
Choosing a company like Comma Music offers one of the most affordable and easy ways to get royalty free tunes. You don’t need to worry whether or not the music you’re picking is royalty free — the company has already vetted it. You can use these songs for any type of advertisement, from TV to YouTube and beyond. If you’re a small to mid-size business looking for an affordable option for royalty free music, you can learn more about our small business plans here.
2. Produce Your Own Music
If you have any sort of musical talent, you can save money by producing your own commercial music. As long as you’re not outright stealing another popular song, your music is your own. You don’t have to pay for licensing, or worry about getting sued. Using your own recording equipment, you can record the song or you can go to a professional with a studio for a more polished final product.
You can even hire a friend or family member to produce the music for you! As long as you focus on creating a high-quality final product, this is the best way to save on money when producing a commercial. Get a few second opinions on your song before releasing your commercial. It’s always a good idea to focus-test your commercial in general before releasing it to the world at large.
3. Hire an Amateur Musician From the Web
By simply typing “royalty free music” into YouTube, SoundCloud, or Google, you’ll find tons of amateur musicians hungry for work. These musicians usually have a few of their royalty free tracks posted on the web for free listening. Sometimes they’ll let you use them without any hassle, but often they want you to credit them, or contact them and make a plan. You can expect to pay a small fee for these songs, or a larger fee if you want them to create a totally original track.
Hiring an amateur musician is a great way to support small musicians and get a good deal on commercial music. It also gives you the benefit of customizability. You can let the musician know what sound and style you’re looking for and go from there.
4. Seek Out Archived Music
Copyright terms don’t last forever, meaning certain older songs are completely up for grabs. According to the law, a song generally becomes royalty free after 70 years. That means any song 70 years or older is free for you to use. If you’re okay with using an outdated, perhaps low-quality song, this is a great way to get royalty free music.
Try searching a site like Archive.org, where everything posted is meant to be copyright free. Just make sure you do your research on the song you choose in particular. Archive.org is free for anyone to upload to, and sometimes copyrighted songs will sneak onto the site. 70-plus-year-old songs may not be a viable option for all ads, but that’s up for you to decide. If you need something more modern and catchy, the options above are more viable.
Get the Best Royalty Free Commercial Music Today
Good royalty free commercial music can make a big difference when it comes to the success of your advertisements. It can bring your commercial from boring and bland to catchy and exciting. However you decide to get your royalty free music, you can rest assured knowing you’re making the most economical and safe choice.
Click here to learn more about Comma Music and how we can help you find the best royalty free commercial music.