When I first started editing, I would put together a solid draft version but the video would still feel empty. It felt like it needed something to tie it all together, and the answer was always the same: music.
Since background music would shape the video so well, I moved the music decision much earlier in the process, to the point where I wouldn’t start editing or even shooting a video until I had decided what type of music the video would need.
Where I find music
Nowadays, if you’re uploading a video to Instagram, Youtube, Pinterest, etc., you have a site “audio library” that you can use. Sometimes, that works, but I’m usually looking for a specific type and the ~50 songs on there don’t work.
There are 3 sites I go to regularly, and they’re all free (and royalty free).
Bensound.com
A musician named Benjamin Tissot started this site back in 2012, but since then the site has expanded to feature music from more artists. There are some songs on here that are free to use for social media that he created, but you have to credit “Bensound.com” somewhere in the video.
In the past, I’ve used:
“JazzFrenchy” - I used this one for a highlights reel of a company gathering, in a “here’s what you missed” type of video.
“ClapandYell” - I used this for a “Year in Review” video of a training course that run from September to May, and the video went out to the rest of the company to encourage people to sign up for next year’s class.
Freemusicarchive.org
Freemusicarchive is exactly what it says it is. It’s a place for musicians to upload their music and get it shared with the world. *HOWEVER* it’s important to pay attention to the Copyright licenses of these. Some of these songs are for listening purposes only. I’ve found that it’s best to search by Public Domain, so you know you’re in the clear.
I like to attribute the music anyway, even if it is public domain.
A few of my favorites:
“Sometimes” by Jahzzar - This one is good for something with a lot of text, like an explainer video or a NowThis type video. This one is NOT Public Domain, but it is CC-BY-SA 4.0, so as long as you use it for social media only and not for anything commercial, you should be fine.
“Americana” by HoliznaCCO - I haven’t used any of this musician yet, but he releases a ton of public domain music, so I wanted to list him here.
Incompetech
Another great site for music, this one started by Kevin MacLeod. Come for the music, stay for the descriptions of the songs. Be sure to pay attention to the credits to properly attribute the song you use.
Some favorites (can’t directly link to the songs):
“Jazz Brunch”
“Hard Boiled”
These three sites have plenty of music available in a ton of genres. Now it’s just a matter of sitting down and going through their libraries and finding the music that’s perfect for your video.
I’m starting to storyboard a couple videos that I needed background music, so it’s timely. Excited to use this, thank you for sharing these resources!