Wondering whether you can use SoundCloud music on YouTube for your next video creation? Here’s everything you need to know!

A YouTube video without music is like a burger without the bun. Sure, you’ve got the main event in front of you, and it’s still tasty enough on its own. But, adding the bread really rounds off the whole meal, and takes it from tasty to delicious.

Now that we’re all incredibly hungry, let’s talk about how you can appropriately use music in the background of YouTube videos.

Background Music for YouTube

As a content creator, you’ve got a lot on your plate. You have to come up with content ideas, execute them well, and spread the word. It’s understandable if you’ve not had time to read up on the ins and outs of music copyright.

This is a subject that can get complicated fast, so we’ll keep it simple here.

Unfortunately, you can’t just add any track you want to your video, including whatever might be high in the music charts at the time. This is because you do not own the copyright of the track, nor have the appropriate licenses. In order to use a song in conjunction with a video, you’ll need a sync license.

If you use music you do not have permission to, in a YouTube video, you will receive copyright claims, which could even lead to dreaded copyright strikes!

What Music Can I Use?

Paying major labels for permissions and licenses to use their music in your videos can become very expensive, very fast. Music licensing costs vary, but they are generally more suitably priced for big businesses, rather than independent content creators.

That’s why the majority of creators opt for royalty free music, instead. Whilst not free of cost, royalty free music allows you to use tracks without paying the copyright holder for every use. Creators can use subscription sites, like Synchedin, and pay a monthly or annual fee for access to an extensive library of royalty free music. All tracks have the sync license covered and, once downloaded, can be used in projects forever.

Using SoundCloud Music on YouTube

Now you understand a little more about music copyright and royalty free music, you’re probably wondering whether SoundCloud music falls into the “okay to use” category.

The simple answer is; no, unfortunately not. At least, not for free.

This comes down to that music licensing and copyright we talked about. Music on SoundCloud is owned by a specific artist/s or label. The copyright and rights belong to the artist or label, meaning you will need to license the track before you use it in videos.

As previously discussed, obtaining licenses can be costly in both money and time. To use SoundCloud music on YouTube, you need to talk with the artist and then make sure they do control all the copyrights, then agree a price. Generally, this is a process that involves lots of back and forth over email, which can be rather slow and painful.

So, if you want to avoid your YouTube videos falling foul of copyright law, it’s best to stick with royalty free.

Subscribe to Synchedin today for just $4.99 per month, and get unlimited download access to thousands of high quality tracks, all available to use in the background of your videos!