Where to Find Free & Licenced Music for Your Impact Podcast
Types of music you can use:
Creative Commons Music
Creative Commons music allows artists to share their compositions with the world for free. Although Creative Commons licenses come in all varieties, they usually let you use a piece of music without getting permission, as long as you give credit to the artist. *Some CC licenses allow for commercial use, but not all do. Be sure to read terms of use carefully before using a specific song.
Licenced Royalty-Free Music
As the name suggests, royalty-free music means you don't need to pay royalties to the artist every time you use it. Creative Commons music is royalty-free, but royalty-free music can also include any song you need to make a one-time payment for or have a subscription to use. *Royalty-free music typically includes a lifetime license, while others are active only as long as you have a subscription from the service you found the track.
Public Domain Music
Copyright on a song eventually expires, and when it does, the track enters the public domain where you can use it however you see fit. A lot of older classic music and old children's songs fall within the public domain.
Creative Commons, “Free” & Royalty Free Sources
You will need to take more time to listen to and find music using these sources, but it’s free!
PixaBay: Royalty Free Music Download
Paid: Royalty Free and Licensed Sources & Subscriptions
Pay per song when starting out, and as you need more music consider a subscription service.
Nagamo Publishing - Indigenous music
Podcast Audio Branding - Podcast specific music with custom voice overs included
Public Domain Audio
Music & audio in the public domain can be used as audio clips or even to assemble an opening montage.
Library of Congress: National Jukebox | Digital Collections
From Harvard: Research Guides: Finding Public Domain & Creative Commons Media
From New York Institute of Technology: Public Domain & Creative Commons - LibGuide
Voice-over talent and narrations
Composers & Commercial Licensing
The highest end approach is to hire a composer to “score” the podcast. Composers are usually found through agents and their music is licensed for a period of time and costs $10,000 and above. You can also approach record labels of commercial music and license music from well-known artists; this usually includes 2-3 years of rights and costs ~$2500-$15,000 per song.
