Creative Commons Music for Content Creators: Full Guide
Understand CC0, CC BY, CC BY-SA, and CC BY-NC licenses. Find free music for YouTube, podcasts, and videos legally, and avoid common mistakes that cause copyright strikes.
Creative Commons (CC) licenses allow artists to share their music with specific permissions pre-granted. For content creators — YouTubers, podcasters, streamers, filmmakers — CC music is a legal way to use real music without licensing fees or copyright strikes. But the licenses are not all the same, and using the wrong one in the wrong context can still get your content flagged.
The Six Creative Commons Licenses
Creative Commons has six main licenses, defined by combinations of four conditions:
- BY (Attribution): You must credit the creator
- SA (ShareAlike): Derivatives must use the same license
- NC (NonCommercial): Only non-commercial use allowed
- ND (NoDerivatives): You cannot modify the work
CC0 (Public Domain Dedication): No rights reserved. Use it for anything — personal, commercial, modification, no credit required. The closest thing to copyright-free in practice. Best for commercial YouTube channels, paid ad campaigns, or any context where you cannot guarantee attribution.
CC BY: Use for any purpose, including commercial, with attribution. You must credit the artist. Works well for YouTube with credits in the description.
CC BY-SA: Use for any purpose with attribution, but your derivative work must also be CC BY-SA. Complicated for commercial video content — your video would technically need to be CC BY-SA too.
CC BY-NC: Personal and non-commercial use only. A monetized YouTube channel is generally considered commercial. Do not use NC-licensed music in monetized content without explicit permission.
CC BY-ND: Attribution required, no modifications allowed. You can use the music as-is but cannot remix or edit it.
CC BY-NC-SA: Non-commercial only, attribution required, ShareAlike. Most restrictive for creators.
Where to Find CC Music
Free Music Archive (freemusicarchive.org): Large curated library. Filter by license. Many CC0 and CC BY tracks available.
ccMixter (ccmixter.org): Community-focused. Strong electronic, hip-hop, and ambient sections. Explicit license labels on each track.
Incompetech (incompetech.com): Kevin MacLeod's library under CC BY. Extremely popular in YouTube content. Credit format: 'Music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY.'
Jamendo (jamendo.com): Free for personal listening; 'Licensing' section has paid commercial options. Personal CC music is available for non-commercial content.
Musopen (musopen.org): Classical music with public domain recordings. Unique because both the compositions and the recordings are public domain — useful for classical content.
YouTube Audio Library: Google's own library, separate from CC licensing, with tracks specifically licensed for YouTube use. No CC attribution needed for most tracks.
Attribution Best Practices
For CC BY music on YouTube, include in the video description:
For podcasts, a verbal credit at the end of the episode satisfies most CC BY licenses: 'Music: [Track Name] by [Artist], licensed under Creative Commons Attribution.'
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Using NC-licensed music in monetized content: Monetization = commercial use. NC licenses prohibit this without additional permission from the artist.
Ignoring Content ID: Even CC-licensed music may be registered in YouTube's Content ID system by the label or distributor. YouTube may still flag your video. Check if a track is Content ID-free before using it in high-stakes content.
Not keeping records: Download and save a copy of the license page or screenshot the license terms. Artists occasionally change license terms, and having proof of the original license protects you.
Assuming 'royalty-free' equals Creative Commons: Many sites sell 'royalty-free' licenses that require purchase and do not grant the rights that CC licenses do. These are different systems.
Beyond Video: Ringtones and Personal Use
CC0 and CC BY tracks are also the cleanest legal source for personal ringtones — you can make a ringtone from any CC-licensed track without worrying about Apple's or Google's content matching flagging it. For CC BY material, keep the attribution somewhere personal (a note in your phone) in case the artist requests it.