There are two ways to define what “copyright-free music” means as the literal meaning of the term and how it is generally used by creators differ.
The first and the literal meaning of copyright-free music is music that is not subject to copyright laws. This means that the music is in the public domain and as it is not subject to copyright laws, anybody on the internet can use these in their content without the risk of getting copyright claims.
The second and more common definition of copyright-free music is music that is subject to copyright laws and the user is free from getting copyright claims. Since the artist has permitted the use of their music, a creator who downloads a song from a copyright-free music platform and uses it in a video will not be risking any copyright claims.
Sounds complicated, right? Well, to sum up, whichever definition you choose to go for doesn’t really matter! As a creator, making sure to incorporate copyright-free music into your content is always an essential part of content creation.
That is because most social media platforms such as YouTube, Twitch, and Tiktok are sensitive about copyright infringements. For example, if you use a copyrighted song in a YouTube video, the artist can prevent your video from being visible to viewers, mute the audio or monetize your video.
On Instagram, adding copyrighted music to your video is a violation of Instagram’s Community Guidelines and puts your account at risk. This violation restricts you to be visible on the Explore page – meaning you will not be reaching new followers and growing your personal or commercial brand’s name unless you clean your account from copyright claims.