You are looking for music for your new film, but don’t have the money to hire a composer. You are in luck, as there is a lot more music available that is free of charge or in the public domain that could work well for your next movie. You can make a big difference whether you’re a professional filmmaker, or a beginner YouTube creator.
It’s frustrating to click through links of MPEG files or WAV files looking for a moody piece of music. But what if you find poor, poorly recorded junk? There are a few websites that offer great songs and high-quality arrangements, recorded in a professional studio. These websites have music that is categorized by genre so you can easily find the good stuff.
Below is a list I have compiled of the top things to look out for when looking for a website that offers royalty-free music. These tips will help you locate the music you want. It is often the hardest part about finding good music, once you have found a site. Look for sites that have the best music and easy navigation. Look for sites that are professional-built and have real-time music players. A button that allows you to instantly download the songs will be helpful. Finding a site that is secure and offers music for free is the most important thing.
You will need to attribute the work if you use the music for any purpose, such as uploading it to YouTube. A one-time licensing fee may be required for commercial projects. This fee is usually between 25 and 50 dollars.
Here are the top ten things you should look for when looking at royalty-free music sites: Fakaza
1. Get free downloads
You should look for websites that offer free music downloads. You should move on to another site if they demand money upfront.
2. Real time player
A good website will have a built in music player, so you can quickly sample a song from it. It may seem like a simple task, but it isn’t.
3. It’s easy to navigate the pages
Look for a site where their music is categorized according to genres or musical styles.
4. Quality sound
A thousand songs won’t do any good if they sound the same. Listen to just a few of the selections and you will immediately know if it was recorded in a professional recording studio or in someone’s bathroom.
5. License options
Although the best sites offer their music freely, you will need to purchase a Creative Commons license if you want to use the music in YouTube videos or Facebook posts. High-quality sites will offer standard licensing for filmmakers or other commercial purposes.
6. Vocal and nonvocal mixes for each song
Mixing up your soundtrack is easy with the introduction of a recurring motif. Maybe you’d like to start with an instrumental version and then use the vocal version in your closing credits. This Hollywood trick is a classic one used by the greatest filmmakers. Remember Titanic?
7. Visual Representation for each song
Many sites allow you to upload a photo or a picture of how the song will ‘feel’. It is an excellent tool to quickly scan song titles.
8. Limited Quantity
Not always, bigger is better. Many sites offer an overwhelming amount of music. Sometimes less is better. Who would want to browse through 10,000 songs?
9. Search for Feature
Search options are available on many sites. You can, for example, type in a mood or other key characteristic to locate the songs that appeal to you.
10. Custom Music Services
You can hire music producers from some sites to create music for movies and commercial projects that require unique music.
What is originality? How do you know if the song has been used more than once before you request it? There is no way to find out how many times the song has been used by others. You might choose to go the less-traveled route and look at smaller, less known websites. You can find great royalty-free music if you do some research.
