Let’s face it, video marketing is king of marketing engagement these days, and everyone who is anyone (and even everyone who is nobody) is using video to get their message across to viewers – and this is not slowing down.
Consumers love it, too – 43% say they want more video content, and marketers say that it’s the content that offers the best ROI. However, behind all the glitz of the stats and the obvious things to making a pro video, there’s one element that often gets forgotten: the background music.
It’s so easy to forget: good background music isn’t intrusive when its there, but you notice when it’s not. It can absolutely make or break a video, so having great music is key to giving your video that final sheen before publishing it across YouTube, social media, and other sites.
Finding this music can be a bit of a challenge, though. There are a TON of websites out there with several tons more of music, genre styles, licensing options, searching, and… wow. You’re going to get lost!
That’s why I’ve compiled this list, in order to make it easier to find some of the top sites out there.
YouTube Audio Library: Yes, the big tube has their own audio library, and you may have heard this many times before. What’s awesome is that this is free and not copyrighted, and you can search it easily. It’s accessible from your Creator Studio > Create > Audio Library to find a wealth of public domain and creative commons songs ready for use in your next video.
AudioJungle: This is another popular site that’s a part of the Envato family – likely one you’re familiar with if you’re running a WP site. Well, this is an enormous audio catalogue with over half a million tracks ready for you to choose. Not just music, either – you can also pick up sound effects, kits, and… well, pretty much anything you can think of.
AudioBlocks is a new royalty-free site that works on a subscription model. You’ll find music here, along with sound effects, tracks, loops, and more. The search bar also lets you specify and exact track length, which can sometimes be a godsend. All in all, this is a newer site that gets a hell of a lot of stuff right – check it out today!
Free Music Archive is a huge collection of public domain and creative commons songs curated by people who really know what they’re doing – everything is pre-cleared and legal, making it a copyright free zone. There’s a lot going on here, and it doesn’t cost a cent!
Soundcloud is one of the older guard, and much of it is ‘real music’ as opposed to background music. One thing to note is that not all songs are licensed under creative commons, so always check information before using a song on your video and follow any restrictions. In any case, you may just find plenty of new ‘real’ music for personal listening pleasure while browsing here.
Amazon Music: Royalty free music from the big Zon – and over 56,000 tracks of it that’s easy to add to your next video? Amazon gets it right yet again, it would seem! The search function is dreamy and while a lot of tracks are free, some may cost you around a dollar.
These are just some of the best sites out there now – and you’re sure to find the perfect background music looking on them!