Royalty free meaning – something that can be the source of a bit of confusion. We’re here to help sort the fact from the fiction!

With royalty free music being our big thing here at Synchedin, we feel like we’ve done our research. However, as a busy content creator or freelancer, you might not have the spare hours to put in for research or learning. Whether you’re growing a brand, or you want to share your video content on YouTube as the next top vlogger, you need to know about royalty free music and music licensing.

Videos with music are far more engaging than those of the silent variety. Adding background music to videos may sound straightforward, but sadly there are some rules. You need to obtain the appropriate licenses to use someone else’s song in your content. This can be very costly in both money and time.

To get around this, many creators use royalty free music instead. However, there are some common misconceptions around the meaning of royalty free. Let us debunk some of the most popular myths!

Free of Charge

When we see the word “free” we tend to get excited and assume we’re getting something for nothing. This is all too often the case with “royalty free”. Lots of creators think that this is music they can obtain and use, free of charge.

Royalty free means that you can pay for and use a piece of music without paying a fee for each subsequent use. You can pay a one-time fee or a subscription to a site like Synchedin. This saves you hours of negotiating and waiting for email responses from artists.

Free of Copyright

Just because this type of music is free of royalties, does not mean it is free of copyright. There will still be a copyright holder, whether that’s the original artist (usually on an independent basis), or the rights management body (a label, for example).

Unless music is in the public domain, it will have a copyright holder.

Limited Options

If you’re scrolling through Twitter, you might notice lots of content creators decrying royalty free music due to its lack of choice. Whilst it might be true that it’s difficult to find an eclectic range of genres of royalty free music if you’re trying to avoid parting with any cash, there are loads of royalty free options out there.

At Synchedin we offer music covering a broad range of moods and genres, from uplifting dance to dark and brooding metal.

Low Quality

On a similar note to the supposed lack of options, there is a popular misconception that royalty free music is low quality. This simply isn’t the case. Again, if you’re only looking at what’s available for free, then the quality is bound to leave you wanting. You’ve heard the phrase, “you get what you pay for”, right?

All music available on Synchedin has been rigorously moderated and inspected, so only the best sounding tracks are on offer. If you’re creating high quality content, then it deserves high quality audio!


Sign up to Synchedin today to start exploring our huge catalogue of awesome royalty free music!