Free Music for Films
Getting music free and legal can be a bit of a challenge for the every-day filmmaker. Navigating things like licenses and determining what is public domain is difficult. Then, there’s music that’s “royalty-free” but not totally free. What could be a great place to start as you attempt to figure out where to get music for your film would be first to understand some of the vocabulary around music rights so that you are able to follow the lingo and the law!
First, you need to know that when getting music for a film there are two ways that the copyright holder (the music creator) will accept money in exchange for use of their work:
1) Licensing - licensing is usually a flat-rate fee that gives the filmmaker permission to download and use the piece of music for a certain type of use. For example, you could license a piece of music for festival play. If that film were to sell or you were to want to stream it, you would then need to purchase the license for that use. There are also open-use licenses that mean you could use it on any type of project and distribute it how you wish.
2) Royalties - royalties are generally paid on the back-end of a film being made. It could be a percentage of profits from the film’s distribution or even pay-per-play. These can be a little more tricky to navigate, and usually contracts are involved.
This means that that music we see online that is labeled “royalty-free” can actually still have a licensing fee attached. There are also situations where music may have a licensing fee AND royalties. On the other hand, there are some really generous music creators who have made some of their music library free (sometimes just for specific types of usage) of both licensing fees and royalties, and therefore completely free!
Now, without further ado, here are a couple of places to check out for those royalty-free, license-free needs!
Bensound
All Bensound music is free, but they do ask that you credit them by mentioning bensound.com in the project. So, be sure to add them to your film’s credits and you’re set. There are some restrictions on how the music can be used under this free license and if you needed higher quality files, there is a price attached. You can check out those licensing guidelines on the site here.
Incompetech
Kevin MacLeod is a name that you will see in many indie film credits due to his generosity in the form of music through this website. At Incompetech you will find royalty-free music and creative commons music. He says “Royalty free music is what everyone wants, because royalties suck. The music presented here is all from me. Kevin MacLeod.” He does require that you make attribution, meaning give him credit for the music in your film’s credits.
Mobygratis
Musician Moby has made an amazing resource for independent and non-profit filmmakers, film students, and anyone in need of free music for their indie film, video, or short. There are over 200 tracks available on his website and they are license-free once you’ve filled out his online application. This is a non-commercial license, meaning you cannot use it for commercial pieces, but for your next AYFF submission, this would be a really cool way to have a HUGE musician’s work in your film.
Musopen
One of the best ways to have to avoid the need to navigate royalties and licenses (while also getting music that many have actually heard before) is by looking to music that is in public domain. This website features downloadable versions of recordings and sheet music (in case you may want to perform it yourself) that is copyright-free. Their database includes even some of the most notable composers of all time (Beethoven, Chopin, Bach, Mozart, and so on). This could be a great resource since so many of us are looking for orchestral pieces to carry those emotional moments we’re trying to convey.
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While we’ve run across TONS of free music sites during our research, we’re only including ones that we’ve personally vetted so far. Do you have a website that you like using that didn’t make this list? Contact us! We’d love to hear about the pros and cons to other software you’ve used! Do you have some amazing online resources that all filmmakers should know about?! Contact us! Maybe we’ll credit you and add it to a compilation of more recommendations on a future post!