Top 12 Free Beat Havens: Unleash Your Creativity with the Best Creative Commons Music Sites for Creators

Navigating the maze of music licensing is a tricky business. Our guide dives straight into the essentials of creative commons music for creators, including how to find and use background music for video marketing while understanding licensing. From understanding licensing boundaries to crediting composers—get the lowdown on the best platforms to source Creative Commons tracks that will set your project apart.

What is Creative Commons Music?

Creative Commons is music to the ears for content creators. It refers to music composed and released with the intention of granting the public the right to use it under specific conditions without the need to pay royalties.

These conditions are stipulated by six types of Creative Commons licenses, which range from the most permissive to more restrictive ones.

Contrary to popular belief, Creative Commons music is not copyright-free. The moment a piece of music is created and fixed in a tangible form, it is copyrighted. However, Creative Commons licenses enable free usage within specified constraints, making it a legal and convenient solution for creators.

The copyright holder, often the composer or the music publisher, designates a certain Creative Commons license of their choice to dictate the permitted uses of their music.

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Why Choose Creative Commons Music?

There are many advantages to opting for Creative Commons music.

• For one, it is a cost-effective option for creators, as it is free and legal to use with proper attribution. The shareability of CC music enhances fan engagement and exposure for the original artists, thus promoting their works.
• Some Creative Commons licenses such as the CC BY-SA license also facilitate collaboration and innovation by enabling music to be remixed and incorporated into new works, thereby enriching the creative community.
• Content creators can save time and money using CC music, avoiding the need for detailed contracts or complex negotiations, and benefit from the flexibility of using the music for commercial initiatives if the license allows.

How to Properly Credit Creative Commons Music

Acknowledging Creative Commons music appropriately is necessary in order to credit the composer and adhere to the license conditions. The recommended format is TASL, which stands for:

• Title

• Author

• Source

• License type

This includes linking directly to the specific Creative Commons license, such as ‘CC BY 4.0’.

The way you attribute the music should be reasonable for the medium used. For example, a blog post should include a properly formatted attribution that facilitates future access to the work and license terms. Being aware of the specific license conditions is also important. For instance, ‘NoDerivatives’ licenses such as CC BY-ND require the music to remain unchanged in its use. Including a disclaimer of warranties in your attribution can also help provide clarity that there are no guarantees provided by the licensor regarding the work.

Top Twelve Platforms for Creative Commons Music

A variety of platforms are notable for their comprehensive collections and accessible features when sourcing Creative Commons music. Among these are:

• Free Music Archive
• ccMixter
• Uppbeat

These platforms can help users find background music for various projects. They offer a wide range of music under Creative Commons licenses. Uppbeat is a popular platform trusted by over 1,500,000 creators globally for royalty-free music that is cleared to use in YouTube, social media, and other online platforms.

The Free Music Archive provides over 100,000 tracks available for use under Creative Commons licensing, while Dig.ccMixter offers over 4,200 tracks under CC licenses. These platforms offer a variety of options for music for videos, including browsing by genre and license type. Creative Commons music can also be located on Archive.org by searching for tags like ‘public domain’ or the specific CC license and filtering by media type ‘Audio’.hing for tags like ‘public domain’ or the specific CC license and filtering by media type ‘Audio’.

1) YouTube Creative Commons & Audio Library: Best for Free Selection

Discovering Creative Commons music on YouTube is straightforward—type ‘creative commons music’ into the search bar or explore the YouTube Audio Library in the YouTube Studio for a wealth of options.

Price: The beauty of using YouTube for creative commons music is that it’s completely free. Both the music found on YouTube channels and the tracks available in the YouTube audio Library come at no cost.

Pros:

• A vast selection of music genres and styles.

• Easy to use and accessible to anyone with a YouTube account.

• No additional software required; everything is available online.

Cons:

• Time-consuming to sift through content to find Creative Commons tracks.

• Some tracks may require specific attribution or have certain restrictions.

• The quality of music can vary since anyone can upload content.

YouTube provides these free yet beneficial features:

• Search functionality to filter Creative Commons licensed music.

• YouTube Audio Library provides a curated selection of free tracks and sound effects.

• Ability to sort music by genre, mood, instrument, and duration.

• Tracks in the YouTube Audio Library are pre-cleared for monetization on YouTube.

• New music is regularly added, keeping the selection fresh and up-to-date.

Using YouTube to find Creative Commons music is a seamless experience. With its intuitive interface, you can easily browse through a plethora of tracks to find the perfect sound for your project. The YouTube Audio Library simplifies the process further, offering a curated collection of free music that’s ready to be used in your videos, ensuring you stay on the right side of copyright laws.

2) SoundCloud: Best for Variety

Price: Free with optional Premium plans

Pros:

• Extensive variety of music

• Supportive environment for indie artists

• Intuitive user interface

Cons:

• Varied content quality

• Greater appeal to niche audiences

• Account management limitations

SoundCloud is a global music platform with the following features:

• Over 175 million users worldwide

• More than 200 million tracks, including public domain and Creative Commons music

• A supportive environment for indie and underground artists

The easiest way to find Creative Commons music on Soundcloud is to enter an emotive word for the type of music you want (for example ‘Happy’) followed by a CC license type (eg:CCBY) then hit the magnifying glass. You can then filter again by tag if you want more granular results.

Clicking on the icon next to a track will bring up the licensing details.

3) Bandcamp: Best for Independent Artists

Price: Free with optional premium plans

Pros:

• Direct support from fans to artists

• Interesting niche music genres

Cons:

• No great search facilities. Finding CC music is mostly trial and error.

Bandcamp is renowned for its support of independent artists which is the intended use for artist to showcase and sell their music. However there is a lot of music available with creative commons licenses that allow use in videos.

However there’s no real filtering available. One way is to search for music that is tagged with Creative Commons, and then you can drill down further into the genre.

Clicking on an album will bring up a ‘terms of use’ link that will give you more information on the CC license for that particular music track.

If you’re after music to use commercially in your projects then you will save yourself time by selecting the public domain tab when you search because some of the creative commons suggested tracks have CC licenses that don’t allow for business use.

4) Bensound: Best for Unique Vibes and Eclectic Music

Price: Free with optional premium plans

Ben Sound offers a tiered pricing structure to cater to various needs including Royalty Free music, but we’re going to focus on the free tier which covers about 80 or so music tracks that only require an attribution. However it’s worth noting that you can only use these free tier tracks in personal social media channels and not commercial content like paid ads and the audio file is lower quality.

The Free License is perfect for those on a budget, while the Pro Licenses—Standard, Extended, and National & International—provide options for commercial use with a one-time fee or an annual subscription that won’t break the bank.

Pros:

• Free License available with attribution

• High-quality audio files with Pro Licenses

• User-friendly, non-automatic subscription renewal

• Clear, visually appealing track representation

Cons:

• Limited to single tracks without versions or stems

• Free License offers lower quality audio

• Music cannot be used in podcasts or audiobooks

Bensound has these nifty features that offer creators real flexibiliy.

• A diverse collection of single tracks lasting 2 to 4 minutes

• Three Pro License options for commercial use

• Non-automatic renewal for subscription plans

• Easy-to-navigate website with a boutique feel

  

Using Ben Sound for creative commons music is like uncovering a hidden gem. The site’s charming graphics and straightforward layout make finding the perfect track a breeze. The quality of the free tracks is impressive, and the option to upgrade for commercial use without the hassle of automatic subscription renewals is a breath of fresh air in the world of royalty-free music.

5) Purple Planet: Best for Pay Per Use

Purple Planet emerges as a beacon for creators seeking both free creative commons music and straightforward, pay-per-use music licensing model. With a diverse library of tracks composed by the talented trio of Geoff Harvey, Chris Martyn, and studio manager Matt Dingle, this England-based music site offers quality without the complexity of subscriptions.

Price: There is a pay per use pricing model available but we’er going to look at the free option which uses music covered by the creative commons license.

Free License: This complimentary license permits the utilization of the music in YouTube videos (or similar platforms), inclusive of channels that are monetized. It’s also applicable for use on Facebook, other social media platforms, personal websites, vlogs, educational content, self-distributed online films, and film festivals. However you are limited to a 192kbps MP3 and an attribution is required.

For commercial use you have to pay for a standard or broadcast license.

Pros:

• No subscription required; pay once for lifetime use

• Free license available with attribution

• High-quality WAV files for paid licenses

• Some tracks include loop versions

Cons:

• User interface is somewhat outdated

• Free license only offers medium quality MP3

• Offline use for Standard License is limited to one location

Purple planet is a bespoke website with a personal feel and features

• Music composed and produced by a dedicated in-house team

• Is suitable for a wide range of projects, including social media and commercial use

• Has video examples available for many tracks

• Offers worldwide broadcast rights that are included in the paid broadcast license

Purple Planet stands out for its simplicity and quality, catering to creators who prefer a one-time payment for their music needs.

The site’s free license option is perfect for those on a tight budget, provided they’re willing to credit the music. For more polished projects, the Standard and Broadcast Licenses offer high-quality tracks without the need for attribution, making it ideal for commercial and professional use.

Despite the site’s dated look, the quality of the music and the straightforward licensing terms make Purple Planet a valuable resource for creators of all kinds.

6) Musopen: Best for Classical Music

Price: Free with optional Premium plans

Pros:

• Extensive classical music offerings

• Free downloads, sheet music, and educational textbooks

• Unique discovery tool

Cons:

• No cons identified

Musopen offers the following features:

• Completely free music downloads

• A unique discovery tool that allows users to search for music using various filters like composer, performer, instrument, tag, form, or time period. You can also search by license type which includes a comprehensive list of creative commons licenses.

The discovery tool enhances the user experience by enabling quick listening through a play icon, easy browsing without changing pages for each search result, and the ability to add tracks to favorites directly within the tool.

Musopen allows free account holders to download tracks daily, with the option to choose between standard quality or high quality/lossless files when available.

7) Free Music Archive: Best for Indie Music

Price: Free with upgrade options to Tribe of Noise Pro for pre cleared music for many online media platforms.

Pros:

• Extensive indie music collection

• Discovery menu allows you to filter by Genre, Charts, Artist Shuffle, Curators and Net Labels

Cons:

• No cons identified

The Free Music Archive, a part of the Internet Archive, and powered by Tribe of Noise is a treasure trove for indie music lovers, boasting a collection of more than 150,000 tracks from independent artists and net labels many of which are available under Creative Commons licenses.

The platform hosts a diverse range of indie music with a genre tree feature that aids users in discovering specific types of indie music among various sub-genres such as indie-rock, lo-fi rock, and electroacoustic. New music is continually added and is conveniently music tagged for easy browsing.

The easy way to search for songs that come with the specific CC license you are looking for is to input the license type (eg. CCBY) into the search bar and press enter. A new search page opens up with filters on the right. One such feature is the license filter, which allows users to select usage preferences, including options to use commerciallly and specific CC licenses, to refine search outcomes further.

8) Fugue Music by Icons 8: Best for User-Friendly Interface

Price: Free

Pros:

• User-friendly interface

• Diverse music collection

Cons:

• Only available for non-commercial projects

Fugue Music stands out for its user-friendly interface that is well-recognized among creators. The platform provides an easily navigable index of royalty-free tracks, simplifying the process of finding great music.

Fugue music is free for personal use with attribution but if you want to use music for commercial purposes you have to upgrade to a paid single track use or a monthly subscription.

9) Uppbeat: Best for Commercial Use

Price: Free with optional Premium plans

Pros:

• Suitable for commercial use

• Subscription plans for individual creators and businesses

• Strong search functionality

• Impressive music

Cons:

• No cons identified

Uppbeat provides royalty-free music and offeris a range of subscription plans for both individual creators and businesses.

The Free plan allows 3 Free downloads per month from 30% of the full catalog. It’s geared for personal use across all social media platforms and allows for channel monetisation.

The platform’s design features a clean layout and easy navigation, allowing users to search for music tracks by keyword, genre, style, or artist. Uppbeat also provides additional resources such as sound effects, which are particularly valuable for content creators needing diverse audio elements.

10) FreePD: Best for Public Domain Music

Price: Free

Pros:

• Public domain music

• Easy download options

• Straightforward layout

Cons:

• No cons identified

FreePD features a collection of public domain music composed by Kevin MacLeod (of Incompetech fame) and is known for its straightforward layout and easy download options. The site offers a variety of popular music tracks and movie music, including categories such as Horror, Romantic Sentimental and Scoring.

Users can download over 800 MP3s at once for $10 or get a package of over 100 WAV files along with the MP3s for $25, both coming with the Creative Commons 0 license, which allows unrestricted use of the music.

FreePD and platforms offering music under the CC0 public domain dedication allow for usage without attribution, catering to projects that require music free of copyright restrictions. The site encourages composers to donate music, expanding the public domain collection, while clarifying that selling the music through major distributors is not permitted.

11) Audionautix: Best for Easy Exploration

Price: Free

Pros:

• Easy exploration and search capabilities

• Free music downloads

• Extensive music library

Cons:

• No cons identified

Audionautix is a music library by Jason Shaw. Much of the music are his own compostions and by guest composers. Hundreds of free music tracks in MP3 format are available on Audionautix for immediate listening and downloading without the need for registration.

Audionautix has been acknowledged as a trustworthy platform where users can download music safely, ensuring they are free from potential legal issues that may arise with other platforms.

The site is recognized among the top free music download destinations online due to its diverse selection of music styles and genres, catering to content creators and social media enthusiasts. Audionautix provides its music for free, with the prerequisite of proper attribution from its users.

12) Dig CCmixter: Best for Re-mixes

Price: Free (includes a variety of free options)

Pros:

• Curated selection of independent music

Cons:

• No cons identified.

CCmixter is a place for musicians to upload and share remixes of their work. All the music is under creative commons licensing but there’s no easy way to find what you’re looking for, so that’s where Dig CCMixter comes in.

At Dig CC Mixter the music from CCMixter is organised into different categories and tags:

• In the tag search you can filter by genres, instruments and style.

• In the features drop down menu you can choose CC music that has already been cleared for commercial use.

To use the music you’re required to give credit to the musicians.

Choosing the Right Platform for Your Needs

Several aspects should be taken into account when selecting a Creative Commons music platform. Firstly, consider your intended use of the music, types of allowable adaptations, and any usage restrictions you might need, such as noncommercial terms or shared permissions for adaptations.

Royalty-free licenses that give the right to use a work without paying fees each time do offer more choice in comparison to Creative Commons licenses and public domain works, so royalty-free music may be a more convenient option.

Platforms that categorize music by:

• genre
• mood
• instrument
• curated themes

make it easier to find tracks that align with the specific vibe of your project.

The factors to consider when choosing a music platform include:

• The pricing, as some are free with optional paid features should you need them.
• The ease of locating the right music, with robust search functionality and effective SEO practices
• Organizing tracks by mood, genre, topic, or searchable keywords for a specific use.

For instance, Incompetech’s approach to organizing tracks by mood, genre, topic, or searchable keywords, specifically with film genres in mind, can be particularly helpful for filmmakers seeking suitable Creative Commons music.

Summary

In conclusion, Creative Commons music is a valuable resource for creators, offering a legal and cost-effective solution for sourcing music. From SoundCloud’s wide variety, Bandcamp’s support for independent artists, to Musopen’s classical music offerings, and Uppbeat’s suitability for commercial use, there’s a platform to cater to every creator’s needs.

Choosing the right platform involves considering factors such as your intended use of the music, upgrading to paid tiers should you need them, and ease of finding the right music. With the right platform, you can enhance your content, foster creativity, and engage with your audience more effectively, all while respecting the work of the original artists.

Frequently Asked Questions