5 Best Royalty-Free Music Tips
In today's digital age, creators have access to an set of powerful tools and platforms that allow them to easily share their work with the world. Even though digital creation has become more accessible to a wider range of people, using these tools can be challenging, particularly when it comes to selecting royalty-free music for projects. Whether you are a video editor, game or app maker, author, vlogger, photographer, or YouTuber, the presence or lack of good audio can make or break a project.
Before diving deep into the nuances of selecting royalty-free music, here’s a visual guide to the essential tips every content creator should know. This infographic encapsulates the core principles of making informed audio choices, ensuring your content not only stands out but also aligns with the best practices recommended by experts.
The use of royalty–free music has become increasingly popular among content creators, as it allows them to use composed music and audio without paying additional royalties. However, the process of selecting and editing music or sound effects can be difficult, particularly for those who are not experienced editors. To ensure that you select the best possible music for your project, it is crucial to keep your project’s purpose in mind and avoid common mistakes when using royalty-free music.
1 - Keep the Purpose of Your Project in Mind: Select audio that better suits your objective and fits your audience's expectations.
When selecting royalty-free music for your project, it is important to keep in mind the main purpose of your project. By understanding the purpose of your project, you can select audio that better aligns with your objectives and fits the expectations of your audience. for example:
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If you are creating a video or game app, the music should not overpower what is happening on the screen. Instead, it should complement the visuals and enhance the overall experience for the viewer.
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If you are creating an audiobook, the music should not be distracting and should fit the tone of the story. For instance, it’s better to use background music that is calm and relaxing, rather than upbeat and energetic.
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If you are creating a commercial song, the music should be front and center and should be catchy and memorable.
It’s important to remember that every project is unique and may require a different approach when it comes to selecting the right audio. By keeping the purpose of your project in mind, you can make a more informed decision and select audio that better fits your needs.
2 - Avoid Loud Levels: Ensure that the audio does not overpower your primary content.
One of the common mistakes when using royalty-free music is when the audio is too loud. This can happen when creators are not experienced editors, and they simply overcompensate when including audio in their projects. This can be especially true if they like the music too much. This can be a problem as it can cause the audio to overpower the primary content of the project.
For example, if you are creating a video or game app, the music should not be so loud that it drowns out the dialogue or sound effects. This can be distracting and take away from the overall experience for the viewer. Similarly, if you are creating an audiobook, the music should not be so loud that it makes it difficult to hear the narrator.
It’s important to remember that there are exceptions to this rule. For example, if you are creating a commercial song, the music should be front and center and be the main focus. However, for most projects, it’s better to be conservative and ensure that the audio does not overpower the primary content. If you’re in doubt, it’s better to lower the audio rather than raising it.
So it’s really important to keep the purpose of your project in mind and avoid loud levels to ensure that the audio does not overpower the primary content, and the audience can have a seamless experience.
3 - Avoid Distracting Audio: Make sure the music fits the theme of your project and does not distract your audience.
“A simple synth drone is a very powerful way to create awareness or tension in a video”
Another important consideration when selecting royalty-free music is to ensure that the audio does not distract your audience. This is especially true when it comes to the music choice. The music should fit the theme of your project and not take away from the overall message or experience.
For example, if you are creating a serious, dramatic video about a problem that is occurring in your community, you do not want to include music that is cheery or lighthearted. This can be distracting and take away from the overall impact of the video. Similarly, if you are creating a nature video, it may be better to avoid audio altogether and let the viewer appreciate the nature sounds.
Still, it’s important to remember that there is no scientific formula for selecting the right music. It requires good judgement on your part. Ultimately, you must ensure that you are using music that fits your project’s overall theme without distracting the audience.
To sum up, it’s important to avoid distracting audio by selecting music that fits the theme of your project and does not take away from the overall message or experience.
4 - Use Original Music: Avoid overused Creative Commons or free audio, research different royalty-free music sites for exclusive content.
Another important consideration when selecting royalty-free music is to ensure that the audio is original and not overused. This can be a problem when using Creative Commons or free audio, as it may have been used in many other projects, and as a result, it can become overused. This can be especially true for marketing purposes, as using the same music as your competitors can make your project less unique.
For example, if you’re creating a marketing video and you use a track that is already being used by another company, it can be less memorable and less effective in creating a connection with your audience. Alternatively, if you’re creating a video game, using music that is already in use by another game can make it less engaging for players.
To avoid this problem, it’s important to research different royalty-free music sites for exclusive content and not be afraid to keep searching. This can take some extra work, but the end result will be absolutely worth it.
“It took you two weeks to create that masterpiece and then you finalize it with cheesy free overused stock music?”
5 -Select Music that Fits Your Project: Avoid using audio that simply doesn't fit in your project.
It’s important to ensure that the music you select fits the theme of your project. If the music doesn’t fit, it may be better to avoid using audio altogether.
For example and as mentioned before, if you’re creating a nature video, it may be better to avoid audio altogether and let the viewer appreciate the natural sound. Similarly, if you are creating a compilation video about fighter jets, you may want to consider whether the audience wants to hear music or if the sound of the jets is more fitting.
It’s important to keep in mind that every project is unique and may require a different approach when it comes to selecting the right audio. Sometimes, it’s better to avoid using audio entirely in order to enhance the overall experience for the viewer.
In conclusion, selecting royalty-free music for your projects can be a challenging task, but by keeping the purpose of your project in mind, avoiding loud levels, distracting audio, using original music, and selecting music that fits your project, you can ensure that you select the best possible music for your project.
Pascal Tatipata
Pascal is an talented musician, composer, entrepreneur, and the visionary behind dl-sounds.com. With a unique journey that began in the IT world as a system administrator, Pascal's love for creativity and music eventually led him to carve a niche for himself in the world of composition and audio production.