How To License and Use Copyrighted Music On YouTube

In this post, we will talk about how to use and license copyrighted music legally for your videos. There are different types of copyright licenses. Generally, copyrighted music is music that you do not own. This means that if copyrighted music in your video belongs to another party, you will be violating the owner’s copyright by uploading it to social media or YouTube. Therefore, you must get permission in some form from the original artist or composer who wrote the copyrighted music to use it for your videos.

Some producers only require permission and credit in order to use their music in a video. Others will require you to have a license. Meaning, in order to use copyrighted music legally, you must have a license to that music. If the producer or composer requires a license to use their music, there is usually a fee to obtain the license.

Using copyrighted music in YouTube videos without permission or a license is very risky for content creators. YouTube might take your video down because of copyright violation. If the violation is severe enough, you might also receive a fine or a lawsuit from the copyright owner. Therefore, it is essential to do your homework about what kind of music you are using in your videos.

What Is Music Licensing And How Does It Work In Videos?

Music licensing is the legal agreement between a content creator and a music artist. The music license allows copyrighted songs in videos without violating copyright laws. Licensing allows you to use copyrighted music on YouTube or any platform that hosts video content with complete confidence.

Licensing copyrighted music for videos is different than purchasing a CD or digital download. The process requires you to make an agreement with the artist who holds the rights to play or distribute their copyrighted track. You can’t legally use copyrighted tracks in any video without licensing. YouTube or other social media will remove videos that contain copyrighted music in them illegally. If the owner of the copyrighted track doesn’t approve your video, YouTube will take it down.

Music licensing has a lot to do with copyrighted music’s use in television, film, and social media videos. Artists and producers can get paid each time their work is publicly performed or reproduced. Music that is licensed, however, is usually a one time fee. YouTube relies on things like Content ID to protect copyrighted content.

How can I put copyrighted music on YouTube without getting into legal trouble?

There are different ways to legally use copyright music in your videos. Most copyrighted music is not free to use in videos. Royalty-free music allows video creators to purchase non-exclusive rights for background audio on any kind of content. Non-exclusive rights means that the music is licensed to many customers at the same time. Also, a person can use the music in more than one video. When someone buys a license, that person can legally use the copyrighted music any number of times. To properly use copyrighted music in videos, you must get a license that allows for multiple uses over time.

The right to use copyrighted music in videos is not the same as owning copyrighted music. With a license, one never gains complete ownership of the track. The license allows you to legally monetize your YouTube video. Subscriptions with MorningLightMusic allow for multiple uses throughout the length of the subscription (monthly/yearly/lifetime). With a MorningLightMusic license, all projects published while your subscription is active will remain covered by your license, even if you cancel in the future.

How to use songs from MorningLightMusic.io and avoid copyright claims?

MorningLightMusic’s music library allows creators to access a catalog of different songs to add to their videos. Every song in the collection is copyrighted by MorningLightMusic. Once you have purchased a license with us (either through a subscription or single-track license), you can use your license PDF to clear content ID claims.

A Content ID claim is generated by an automated system on YouTube, so your video may still get a claim even though you properly licensed the music.