Youtube The Ultimate Tool
YouTube, beyond being the most visited online platform in the world -just behind Google- or being the number 1 video website globally, is also a great tool to indirectly verify the copyright of a song.
Why?
Because YouTube is where the vast majority of music tracks are uploaded that have been created for decades.
And as a company, they are committed to complying with the legality when it comes to music copyrights.
In fact, they have created their own algorithm to identify any illegal use of music the so-called Content ID.
YouTubes Content ID not only checks the copyrights of songs that have been officially published on the platform but also extends to music much older than YouTube itself.
Now, how can you know which music is copyrighted and which is not on YouTube?
We show it to you below.
Check the video description
Whenever you search for a video on YouTube and it contains copyrighted music, one way to recognize it is to go to the video description.
Something similar to this:
Therefore, if you search for a song on YouTube, and similar information appears in the description, there is no doubt: that song is copyrighted.
Upload a video to YouTube privately/hidden before publishing it
Another way to detect if a song is copyrighted is by adding it to a video that is uploaded to the platform.
In order of avoiding strikes from YouTube, the recommendation here is to upload it in private or hidden.
Other Methods To Know Which Music Is Copyrighted
Apart from the above, there are other ways to find out if a song is copyrighted.
- Look for the copyright mark. Although it may seem obvious, it is a very unusual but very revealing practice. The song you want to use is copyrighted if you see the copyright symbol next to it when you download the song. .
- Know what the law says. To avoid infringing your country of residences copyright law, there is nothing better than knowing what it says. You may find it hard to understand, but in summary, it says the following:
If you can hear a melody or see a musical composition written on paper, that work is copyrighted and the rights belong to the author of the work.
- Hire copyright experts. If you want to be 100% sure that a song is not copyrighted, one of the most reliable options is to hire specialists in the field or companies that offer this type of service. You can also contact the Copyright Societies, also known as PROs.
Where To Find Public Domain Recordings
If you read the last section, you know that if you want to use a public domain song, youre going to have to find a public domain recording . Luckily there are a number of places you can find free public domain recordings. Some of these websites are better than others and there are a lot to choose from, but here are a few for starters:
You May Like: What Can I Do With A Domain Name
What Is Jazz Music
Most people recognize jazz music when they hear it, but they may not be able to define it. Thats because jazz is a very complex and ever-evolving genre of music that has its roots in the African-American experience.
Jazz emerged in the early 20th century as a distinctive form of music that combined elements of European classical music with the rhythms and melodies of African American spirituals, work songs, and folk tunes. Over time, jazz has evolved to encompass a wide range of styles, from the hot jazz of the 1920s to the cool jazz of the 1940s and beyond.
Today, there is no one sound that defines jazz music. Instead, it is an umbrella term that can refer to a variety of musical styles, including ragtime, swing, bebop, hard bop, progressive jazz, avant-garde jazz, and more.
What Is A Creative Commons License
Many times artists produce and publish music across platforms but wish to preserve certain distribution and reuse rights. A creative commons license helps them do so.
Creative commons music licensing allows artists to set usage and distribution rules to their music.
In most cases, a creative commons license allows other creators to use a track or sound effect in their videos, but only with some modifications. Simply copying and pasting the entire track and labeling it their own will get them in trouble.
Also, creators including creative commons licensed music in their content do not have complete claim to the music piece. The rights stay reserved with the artist who holds the license.
Don’t Miss: How To Join A Computer To A Domain
Basic Types Of Music Licenses
Different music licenses accommodate varying budgets and use cases. Besides avoiding any legal problems, its important to understand licenses so you can quickly decide which one makes the most sense for a project. For example, if you needed a specific top 10 hit, you could most likely get it through a Creative Commons license but not for free under public domain.
What Is Public Domain Audio
First things first: Its important to understand the difference between public domain audio and commercial music.
Theres no doubt youre familiar with commercial music. These are the kinds of songs you likely listen to every dayand you can find them easily via services like Spotify or Apple Music. Think top hits like Blinding Lights from The Weekend or Here Comes the Sun from the Beatles.
The big difference between commercial music and public domain audio is intent.
Commercial music is intended for personal entertainment purposes, i.e., its made for people like you to simply enjoy listening to. This means it cannot be featured in creative projects.
Enter public domain audio.
Public domain audio can be downloaded and used in podcasts, videos, or other creative projectsall for free.
How does it work? When a song is in the public domain, nobody owns it. This means that there are no active copyrights on the song and anyone is free to download it and use it any way they want.
Where to Find the Best Public Domain Songs
Unfortunately, public domain audio often gets a bad reputation for being low qualitybut there is plenty of high-quality royalty-free music out there. You just need to know where to look.
Here are the top five places to find royalty-free music for podcasts:
Recommended Reading: How Do I Find My Email Domain
How And Where To Use Free Public Domain Music Or Royalty
Perhaps youre a WordPress web designer or developer and want to showcase your work. Maybe put a portfolio of who you are. Having music in the background can enhance your online resume or clients site. Remember Who is Leon?You get the idea.
On the other hand, you may have your own business, a beauty salon or a yoga center like Yoga for mountain bikers and you film short how-to videos and exercises. Cant do itwell without proper music background that wont get you into trouble. Either way, these are the situations where knowing where to find free music for your projects come in handy.
Soundbible: Public Domain Sounds
Using SoundBible is pretty straightforward. Once you open the homepage, youll be presented with a search bar that you can use to search for sound effects.
If you scroll down on the home page, youll get a virtually unlimited list of free tracks that are sorted based on relevance.
You can play the sounds on the website or download them for offline listening or use in projects.
Read Also: What Is My Website Domain Worth
Why Do Some Companies Ask For Money To License A Public Domain Song
The reality is that no one owns full copyright in a public domain work.
However, anyone can decide to invest money in performing such work and recording it on a medium, either physical or digital .
At that moment, the person who makes this performance/recording becomes the copyright holder of that recording.
How To Use Creator Studio To Check If A Song Is Copyrighted
YouTube creator studio has recently got a new feature that allows creators to check their videos for copyright issues BEFORE the video is published.
How cool is that!
Heres a quick tutorial how you can quickly any music for copyright.
Step 1: Make a quick video
Unfortunately, you do need to make some kind of a video before you can test the music for copyright.
Weve experimented with converting the file types from MP3 to MP4 and some other video types using both online and offline converters but apparently YouTube needs the real video.
Otherwise, all you get from YouTube is this error:
The footage can be literally anything. A simple video loop will do.
Ready? Upload your video to YouTube.
Step 2: Upload your video to YouTube
Start uploading in the creative studio as with any other video.
Look up the Checks tab this will come handy once the processing is finished.
Step 3: See the results in the Checks tab
Once YouTube has finished processing the video, click on the Checks tab to see the results.
If the music is free of claims heres what you will see:
If the music is registered with Content ID , you will see a big red exclamation mark in the Checks tab:
Now you click on SEE DETAILS to see how exactly your video will be affected if you proceed with the upload:
How this affects my video?
Copyright claims do not necessarily restrict you from using the music.
In fact, the claim details page gives us all the information we need to make the decision.
Don’t Miss: How To Connect To A Domain
Songs Under Public Domain
Older songs can enter whats known as the public domain. This means that sometimes when theyre old enough, they can be considered free from copyright. But how old do they really have to be?
- Copyright of the song in relation to the publishing rights expires 70 years after the death of the songwriter
- Copyright of the sound recording in relation to the mastering rightsexpires 70 years after the recording was released
This makes the pool of available tracks quite limited, but you can find some real gems available in the public domain. Dont just assume that a song is in the public domain simply because its old though, some copyright owners still renew licenses for older tracks, and in some instances, where a song has been re-recorded you wont be able to use that recording. Not sure what we mean? Heres an example:
- Mozart writes the iconic Eine kleine Nachtmusik in 1787
- Mozart passed away in December of 1791, a little more than 70 years ago
- The publishing right for that song is now in the public domain
- An orchestra records a version of that son in 2010
You guessed it, you cant use that particular recording of that score from 2010 as that will have its own recording rights.
Why Use Creative Commons Music
Video is more important than ever, with TikTok poised to become the most important platform for social media marketing in 2022. And what is a video without sound? Like a burger without fries, it just feels incomplete.
This is more than just a vibe. TikTok found that 88% of users reported sound is essential to their viewing experience, and that campaigns with sound were more than twice as effective as those without.
But getting licensed music or creating new music for your videos can be expensive. Creative commons music is free and legal to use, as long as you credit it correctly.
You May Like: What Is A Featured Domain
Public Domain Outside Canada
When determining whether or not a foreign work is in the Public Domain in Canada, the first step is to determine whether the work would be in the public domain if it had been published in Canada.
If the work would have been in the public domain if published in Canada, it is in the public domain in Canada. If the work would not be in the public domain if it were published in Canada, check to see whether the work is in the public domain in the country where it was published.
If the work is in the public domain in the country where it was published, then it is in the public domain in Canada. If the work is not in the public domain in Canada nor in the country where it is published, then the work is not in the public domain.
Therefore, if a U.K. author passed away 60 years ago, his work in the public domain in Canada, but not in the U.K., where works do not enter into the public domain until 70 years after the death of the author.
If a country has a copyright term that is less than 50 years, say 30 years, then the work will be in the public domain in Canada after 30 years.
If you wish to use a work that originated in a country that has not signed the Berne Convention, then you should seek permission from the copyright holder.
If you have any questions about the above information, or if you would like assistance in determining whether or not a foreign work is in the Public Domain in Canada, please contact us at .
What Is Public Domain Music
Public domain music refers to all the music whose rights are expired, that dont have copyrights or the music whose authors submitted into the public domain.
It is all the music that can be shared freely and without any legal consequences. So, instead of going for streaming music services and pirated music , theres a big collection of places you can find, download and use free public domain music.
To save you the time and energy of finding out them yourselves, I made this list of some of the most significant sources for free music check it out!
Don’t Miss: What Do I Do After I Purchase A Domain Name
What Is Public Domain
A work enters the public domain when no one owns a copyright to it. If this definition isnt entirely clear, you now understand why there isnt just a master list of works in the public domain. The reason is that works has many meanings under copyright law. For purposes here, were going to focus on two copyrights:
- the right the composer has to a composition
- the right the publisher has to its sheet music for that composition
Thats right these are two separate rights. They present a bar, theoretically, to two common ways you want to use music:
- the right to provide sheet music to students
- the right for your students to perform the works publicly
Were going to help you manage both but were not lawyers. Some of the links provided below will give notice whether a composition or specific sheet music is in the public domain in your country .
What Is Creative Commons Music
Lets start with a definition: Creative Commons is a company that issues special licenses to the public, allowing them to use creative materials at no cost. More than two billion creative works, including videos, photos, music, and more, are licensed by Creative Commons.
There are different types of Creative Commons licenses, which dictate how the work can be used. As long as you follow the terms of the license, you can use the work for free.
However, the key is following the license. If you dont, you may be forced to take the video down or even face legal repercussions for copyright violation.
Most likely, youll want to look for materials that are in the public domain, which will be labeled as CC0, which is fully in the public domain. This means you can remix or modify the track, use it on any platform, and share it without attribution.
There are also six types of creative commons licenses, three of which permit commercial use with attribution.
- CC-BY: This license also allows you to use the music however you like, on any platform and in any medium. However, you must give credit to the creator, and provide a link to the original license .
- CC-BY-SA: This license also requires you to give attribution to the creator. Also, if you remix or modify the track in any way, you also need to make it available under the same license type.
- CC-BY-ND: This license requires you to give attribution to the creator. However, you cant modify the material in any way.
You May Like: How To Host Your Own Domain For Free
How To Determine If A Composition Or Its Sheet Music Is In The Public Domain
Under United States copyright law, most works published before 1923 are in the public domain. This timeline doesnt apply to all works published before the cut-off date, but most. You can be forgiven for thinking this means that all the music from the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic eras is now in the public domain. Under U.S. copyright law, a composers rights expire 70 years after their death . If a composition has passed into the public domain, you can publicly perform it without violating the composers copyright. This is also why so many music publishers can put out their version of sheet music for these great works. They dont have to pay anyone for the rights.
However, you need the sheet music for your students, and that may not be in the public domain. Most publishers add their own content to the sheet music. The arrangement may be unique. They could include notations or other kinds of value-added information. All this content is the publishers copyrighted content, which makes their sheet music protected.
Jazz Music In The Public Domain
Jazz music is a genre of music that originated in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The style of jazz music was influenced by West African musical traditions and European classical music. Jazz music is characterized by syncopated rhythms, improvisation, and a wide range of dynamics.
Jazz music entered the public domain in the United States on January 1, 2021. This means that any jazz compositions published in the United States before 1922 are now in the public domain. This also includes any recordings of those compositions made before February 15, 1972.
Now that jazz music is in the public domain, there are no restrictions on how it can be used. This means that anyone can perform, record, or sell jazz music without getting permission from the copyright holder. It also means that you can use samples of jazz music in your own productions without getting permission or paying royalties.
If you want to learn more about jazz music, or if youre looking for some public domain jazz recordings to use in your own projects, there are a few resources you can check out:
-The Jazz Archive at Duke University: https://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/jazzarchive/-The Smithsonian Institutions Jazz oral history project: https://www.si.edu/spotlight/jazz-oral-history-project NPRs 100 favorite public domain jazz recordings: https://www.npr.org/2021/01/03/953163637/first-listen-npr-s-100-favorite-public-domain-jazz-recordings
Don’t Miss: How To Have A Domain Email Address