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Where to find "free music" for projects: FREE MUSIC ArchiveThe Free Music Archive is a curated, interactive library of high-quality, legal audio downloads directed by WFMU, the most renowned free-form radio station in America. In addition be sure to
Choose the Right License for Your Project
Every MP3 recording you discover on the Free Music Archive is pre-cleared for certain types of uses through Creative Commons (or similar) licenses. Some of them are optimal for videos! Others, not so much. Here's a quick run-down:
Attribution, which is the foundation of all Creative Commons licenses, requires simply that you credit the artist. This means giving the name of the song and the name of the artist somewhere in your production.
NonCommercial licenses can be a little confusing. This clause has nothing to do with your tax status and everything to do with how you're actually using the song. If you're making an educational video, go ahead and use that CC BY-NC (noncommercial license) track you love! If you're making a video to raise money in some form or another, it's best to stick with the CC BY or CC BY-SA track you also thought was cool.
The Share Alike clause requires you to use the identical license on your work when you use a music track in a video. If you don't want to do this, or can't (for whatever reason), choose something with a different license, like CC BY-NC or just plain ol' CC BY.
No Derivatives, for purposes of this post, mean you can't use the track in a video without further permission from the artist. Save yourself the trouble if you're under deadline and skip to another song you like. That said, FMA currently has 46,000+ songs licensed for use in videos … so we're confident you'll still find something suitable.