What music can you use for social media content?
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You are probably aware that music is copyrighted. But it is often forgotten that this also applies to posts on social media. On channels such as TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, music is used in videos and other content on a regular basis. In principle, permission from the creator/rights holder is always required to use that music. But who should you contact for this? What happens if you use music from the platform's library? And who is liable if music is used illegally?
Music for social media use can be obtained from various sources. Below I c level executive list will explain per source whether and how you can use this music for your content.
First of all, you can choose to use 'royalty-free' music. 'Royalty-free' is in quotation marks because, strictly speaking, music cannot be free of rights. When the music is made, a copyright is automatically created, which means that there is always a rights holder who can determine what happens to the music. The term 'royalty-free music' therefore means: music for which the rights holder gives permission to someone to use the music, without having to pay extra for this. In this case, a license (right of use) is obtained, just like with other music, but there are fewer conditions attached to it.
Creative Commons on a laptop.