The Ultimate Guide to Finding the Best Royalty Free Music for Your iMovie Projects
You‘ve captured beautiful footage, recorded compelling interviews, and edited it all together in iMovie to create an engaging video. The last key ingredient to bring your project to life is the perfect musical soundtrack. But before you go dubbing in your favorite Beatles song, there‘s something very important you need to know:
Using copyrighted music in your video without proper permission is illegal and can get you into serious trouble. Even if you‘re just making a video for fun to share with friends and family on social media, you could face consequences like having your video taken down, your account suspended, or even legal action and fines.
The good news is there‘s an easy way to avoid this scary situation – by using royalty free music in your iMovie projects instead. Royalty free music is pre-cleared for use in videos and other creative projects, so you can use it legally without having to pay additional fees or get special permission from the copyright holder each time.
In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll share everything you need to know about finding and using the best royalty free music for iMovie. We‘ll cover:
- An overview of music copyright rules
- The best paid sites for high-quality royalty free music
- The top free sources for royalty free music
- Tips for selecting the perfect music tracks
- How to import and edit the music in iMovie
By the end, you‘ll be fully equipped to take your iMovie projects to the next level with amazing royalty free music – legally and stress-free. Let‘s dive in!
Music Copyright 101: What You Need to Know
When a musician records a song, they automatically own the copyright to that recording. This means no one else can use the recording without getting permission from the copyright holder (usually the artist or record label) and potentially paying a licensing fee.
This applies even if you‘re not making money from your video. Whether you‘re creating a slideshow for Grandpa‘s 90th birthday party or posting a vlog on YouTube, using copyrighted music without permission is copyright infringement.
Consequences for copyright infringement can include:
- Having your video muted or taken down from the platform
- Getting your account suspended or banned
- Receiving copyright strikes that can impact your account standing
- Facing legal action and fines from the copyright holder
Some argue it falls under "fair use," but this is a legal gray area. The only guaranteed way to avoid copyright risk is to use music that is explicitly labeled as royalty free.
Best Paid Royalty Free Music Sites for iMovie
If you‘re a filmmaker, YouTuber, advertiser or anyone else who creates a lot of video content, it‘s worth investing in a paid royalty free music site. These sites have huge libraries containing thousands of high-quality tracks in every genre imaginable, all cleared for unlimited use in your projects.
Most work on a subscription model, where you pay a monthly or yearly fee for unlimited downloads. Prices range from around $10-$20/month, which is very reasonable for the quality and quantity you get.
Here are my top recommendations:
1. Artlist.io
Artlist is one of the most popular royalty free music sites, and for good reason. Their music library is excellent quality and highly curated, with over 20K tracks spanning every genre and mood. You can filter by keyword, BPM, instruments, and more to find the perfect track.
They also offer over 25K sound effects to take your videos to the next level. Pricing starts at just $9.99/month for personal/non-commercial use, or $16.60/month for a commercial license covering paid projects.
2. Envato Elements
Envato Elements is unique in that a subscription gives you access not just to royalty free music, but a huge library of other creative assets like stock video, photos, graphic templates, fonts, and more. If you do a lot of creative projects, the sheer volume of assets makes it a great value.
The music library is very extensive with unlimited downloads, and the tracks are all high quality from professional musicians. A subscription starts at $16.50/month.
3. Audiio
Audiio has a fantastic library of royalty free music and sound effects, with a focus on cinematic tracks well-suited for video production. The tracks are all exclusive and top-notch quality.
One cool feature is their "matchmaker" tool that generates a custom playlist based on your video. Audiio has a unique pricing model – rather than a typical monthly subscription, you pay $199 for a year or $499 for a lifetime license.
Best Free Royalty Free Music Sites
If you‘re on a tight budget or just need music for a one-off personal project, there are also some great sites offering free royalty free music:
1. ccMixter
ccMixter has a large library of free music that you can use in your projects with no issues. The one catch is you need to credit the musician in your video description. A small price to pay for access to all these great tracks!
2. MixKit
MixKit offers a small but mighty collection of free royalty free tracks, all released under a Creative Commons Zero license. That means you can use them for free for any purpose, without even needing to give credit. They add new tracks frequently so check back often.
3. TeknoAxe
If you need free electronic or chiptune style music, TeknoAxe has you covered with a quirky collection of royalty free tracks. You can use them for free as long as you include an attribution to the artist.
Tips for Choosing the Right Royalty Free Music for iMovie Projects
With so many royalty free tracks to choose from, it can be overwhelming to find the right one. Here are some tips:
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Consider the mood and emotion you want your video to convey, and choose music that matches and enhances that feeling. Upbeat for a fun vlog, dramatic orchestral for a short film, etc.
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Pay attention to the pacing and rhythm of your video, and choose music that complements that. For example, if your video is mostly slow panning shots, a fast pulsing electronic track will feel out of place.
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Avoid music with vocals or prominent lyrics, as they can distract from any dialogue or voiceover in your video. Stick to instrumental music to keep the focus on your content.
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Use the filtering tools on the royalty free music sites to narrow down by mood, genre, instruments, BPM, and more. The more specific you can get, the easier it will be to find the right track.
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Don‘t be afraid to think outside the box! Sometimes an unexpected music choice, like upbeat ukulele for a travel video, can take your project to the next level.
How to Add Royalty Free Music in iMovie
Once you‘ve found and downloaded the perfect royalty free track for your project, adding it to your iMovie project is easy:
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If your file is a zip, unzip it first.
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Launch iMovie and open your project.
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Click the Audio button, then click the plus icon to open your music library.
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Find the downloaded royalty free track and click to select it.
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Drag the track to your timeline, positioning it where you want the music to start.
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Adjust the volume as needed in the clip inspector. Fade the music in/out by hovering your mouse at the beginning/end of the track and dragging the fade handle.
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Preview your video with the new music track to make sure it fits.
That‘s it! You‘ve now elevated your iMovie project with a professional, legal music soundtrack.
Ready to Make Some Movie Magic?
Using royalty free music in your iMovie projects is a small extra step that makes a big impact. Not only does it help you create more engaging, professional-feeling videos, but it keeps you in the clear legally so you can share your videos far and wide with no worries.
By sticking to reputable royalty free music sites, reading the licensing terms carefully, and choosing tracks that complement your content, you‘ll be well on your way to crafting amazing video projects in iMovie.
Your viewers may not know the music is royalty free – they‘ll just know your video sounds incredible. And you get to focus on the fun, creative parts of the process without any scary copyright infringement letters looming over your head.
So find those perfect royalty free tracks and start bringing your iMovie visions to life. Happy filmmaking!