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Copyright-free music for YouTube: the Audio Library and licences

· 8 min read · Estudio de Canales

Cover graphic for Estudio de Canales: a record card with rows on a black background, with the article's headline in Spanish

Copyright-free music for YouTube is, above all, a figure of speech: almost all music has an author and rights, and what changes is the licence under which they let you use it. What people look for with that expression is music you can put in your videos without asking anyone's permission. The most direct route is the YouTube Studio Audio Library; after that come music under a Creative Commons licence, if you meet its conditions, and music with a licence that covers YouTube.

What “copyright-free” means

It almost never means that the music has no rights. Spanish law expressly protects “musical compositions, with or without lyrics” (translated from the Spanish) in article 10 of the Ley de Propiedad Intelectual (in Spanish) (Intellectual Property Act), and protects recordings separately: under its article 119, the rights of phonogram producers expire fifty years after the recording or, if it is published in that period, seventy years after the first lawful publication (and, if it is not published but is lawfully communicated to the public, seventy years from that first communication). That is why a very old melody does not make every recording of it that you find free to use.

When someone looks for “copyright-free” music, they normally want one of these three things:

  • Music with a licence that already lets you use it, such as the YouTube Audio Library's or a Creative Commons licence.
  • Music licensed from a catalogue, which grants you its use in videos under its own terms.
  • Public domain music, whose rights have expired. In Spain, as a general rule, exploitation rights last for the author's whole life and seventy years after their death, and those terms are counted from 1 January of the following year.

The YouTube Studio Audio Library

The YouTube Studio Audio Library offers sound effects and royalty-free production music that you can use in your videos. YouTube states that copyright does not apply to that music and that, when it is downloaded from the Library, its rights holders will not claim it through Content ID. It also warns that the Library's music and effects are the only ones it knows to be authorised for use.

What is worth knowing about it:

  • It is found exclusively in YouTube Studio: in the left-hand menu, “Audio Library”, or directly at youtube.com/audiolibrary.
  • You can search by title, artist or keyword, and filter by genre, mood, artist, attribution or duration.
  • Each track is downloaded as an MP3 file.
  • New releases are added twice a month.
  • If you are part of the YouTube Partner Program, you can monetise videos with its music and sound effects.

How to use it and how to give attribution

There are two ways to use a track from the Audio Library:

  1. Download it and add it to your edit yourself. In the Music tab, find the track and listen to it with “Play”; if you like it, place the cursor over the date and click “Download” to get the MP3. Then you add it in your editing software.
  2. Add it to a video that is already uploaded with the YouTube Studio editor: in Content, open the video, go into “Editor”, select “Audio”, find the track and click “Add”. Then you drag it to the moment it should start, adjust how long it lasts and save. This is done from a computer, because audio tracks can no longer be modified from the mobile app, and the feature is only available on videos shorter than 6 hours. If the video has more than 100,000 views, you may not be able to save the changes, unless you are part of the YouTube Partner Program.

Attribution depends on each track's licence. If you use a track with a Creative Commons licence, you must mention the artist in the video description. YouTube makes this easy: the “Attribution required” filter shows all the tracks that ask for it; in the “License type” column, the Creative Commons icon opens a window with the attribution text, which you copy and paste into the description. If you prefer not to credit anything, the “Attribution not required” filter shows the tracks with a standard licence. And even if the video's watch page lists the music used in the video, with Creative Commons music it is still mandatory to include the attribution details in the description.

Music under a Creative Commons licence

Creative Commons licences allow you to use a work without asking permission, as long as you comply with their terms. There are six types, and all of them require attribution; in addition, they may prohibit commercial use (NC) or derivative works (ND), or require that whatever you make from them is shared under the same licence (SA). What each abbreviation means, with the text of the official summaries, is in copyright-free photos for videos: it applies equally to music.

For a channel, two conditions weigh more than the rest. The first is NC: according to the official summary of an NC licence, you may not use the material for commercial purposes, and YouTube says you can monetise Creative Commons licensed content if the licence agreement grants you the necessary commercial use rights. The second is attribution: the CC BY licence asks you to give appropriate credit, link to the licence and indicate whether changes were made. In a video, the natural place is the description. The summary itself reminds you that the licence may not give you all the permissions you need for your intended use, so if something is unclear, it is better to choose another track.

Other libraries and licensed music

Outside YouTube there are royalty-free music libraries and licensed catalogues. We do not recommend any in particular, because what matters is the small print of each. YouTube warns that some of these services may not grant the rights to use or monetise that music on YouTube, so you could still receive a claim, and that it is not responsible for problems arising from music from other channels or other libraries. Before using a track, check:

  • That the licence covers its use on YouTube and, if you monetise, commercial use.
  • Whether it requires attribution and with what text.
  • What the service offers if you receive a claim for that track.
  • That you keep the licence or proof of purchase. YouTube indicates that some rights holders require the creator to be credited or proof of purchase to be provided in order to use their content in a video for commercial purposes.

And three shortcuts that do not work, according to YouTube's help: having bought the song does not mean you have the rights needed to upload it; having it playing in the background of something you recorded from television or radio does not give them to you either, and even if you only use a few seconds, your video could receive claims. If you have already received one, in Content ID claim we explain how to change or mute the song from YouTube Studio.

The Estudio de Canales does not add music

It is worth saying clearly: the Estudio de Canales does not add music to your videos. The edit combines each scene's visual with its voice, generated with AI or your own, and that is the only audio track; if you upload a clip of your own, only the picture of the clip is used. In the channel bible there is a “Música” (Music) field, within the audiovisual style, but it is a text style note: it describes what you want and does not add any track.

If you want music, you add it yourself afterwards: with the YouTube Studio editor, which takes songs from the Audio Library, or in your editing software before uploading the video. Bear in mind two things. The description the studio proposes only includes the attributions of the images you have uploaded, so you write the one for a Creative Commons track yourself. And the package's licences file knows nothing about the music you add afterwards: note it down in your own list of assets. More on working with licences in copyright on YouTube.

Sources consulted

Checked on 11 October 2026. We link to the original source so that you can consult the current text.

Frequently asked questions

Can I monetise a video with music from the Audio Library?

Yes, if you are part of the YouTube Partner Program. YouTube also states that rights holders will not claim through Content ID the music and effects downloaded from the Audio Library.

Do I have to give credit when using music from the Audio Library?

It depends on the track. If it has a Creative Commons licence, you must mention the artist in the video description; YouTube gives you the attribution text to copy. Tracks with a standard licence do not need it: you find them with the “Attribution not required” filter.

If I buy a song, can I use it in my videos?

Having bought it does not mean you have the rights needed to upload or distribute it on YouTube. Some rights holders let you buy a licence to use their content, and that licence defines how it can be used.

How do I add Audio Library music to a video that is already uploaded?

From a computer, in YouTube Studio: in Content open the video, go into “Editor”, select “Audio”, find the track, click “Add”, position it and save. The feature is only available on videos shorter than 6 hours, and if the video has more than 100,000 views you may not be able to save the changes, except in the YouTube Partner Program.

Does the Estudio de Canales add background music?

No. The edit combines each scene's visual with its voice and does not add music; the “Música” (Music) field in the channel bible is a style note. If you want music, you add it yourself afterwards, for example with the YouTube Studio editor.

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