10 Websites To Get Royalty Free Music For Short Films & Documentaries [Updated 2024]

10 Websites To Get Royalty Free Music For Short Films & Documentaries - Indie Shorts Mag

Music is a preeminent source of expression that adds a pleasing note to the film. It sets the tone for the narrative & makes it more engaging for the audience. Irrespective of the duration of the film, a song or little melody can make the film seem out of the ordinary.

A famous director once said, “It can’t be explained how important music or sound is in setting up your story or film. If you can do it right, the whole film just falls into place”, and we couldn’t have agreed more! Contrary to how short films are perceived as less significant, they carry the advantage of being more easily accessible t to the masses on their screens. Besides, they not only come out with solid messages but, more often than not, also acquit as a mode of entertainment.

As a filmmaker, you might have wondered ‘where to get royalty free music’? For the ones still clueless about the sources available for copyright-free music and scores, Indie Shorts Mag has done the work for you! Here’s a list of music publishers’ websites that could help revamp your short film and set it apart by using the right song. Your film’s score should invoke emotions and take your viewers to the world that you have made for them. Music activates your viewer’s emotions.

Background music, also known as film score or soundtrack, plays a significant role in enhancing the cinematic experience. It adds depth and emotion to a scene, sets the tone and mood of the film, and creates a seamless flow between different scenes. A well-crafted film score can evoke various emotions in the audience, from excitement and suspense to romance and nostalgia. The use of different instruments, rhythms, and melodies can also signify specific themes or characters in the film. Overall, background music is an essential component of filmmaking, and its impact on the audience’s perception of the story cannot be overstated.

Let’s get you some royalty free music for films. Happy Exploring!

  1. FIlmstro [Adpative Music/Create Custom Music] – https://filmstro.com

Filmstro is our uncontested go-to for all music requirements. Be it the background music for our Monthly Short Film Review Recap or any other videos; it is Filmstro that we turn to. They are, by far, the most hassle-free, diverse, and user-friendly platform, offering royalty-free music. With Filmstro, we don’t have to worry about any music licensing process and only focus on finding the best music tracks for our videos. Filmstro has unlimited downloads and a vast library of original score. You can learn more about Filmstro and how they operate or how they are best suited for your short films and documentaries by clicking on the link above. The article, in fact, also highlights copyright issues and how best to circumvent them.

Use Filmstro’s search option for free tracks from their website and built-in music library.

  1. Free Music Archive – freemusicarchive.org

Free Music Archive, or FMA, is a free-to-use, royalty-free music provider. All songs on FMA are free to access and download. They also provide a paid service that offers safe-to-use, royalty-free, original musical compositions.

  1. Partners in Rhyme – www.partnersinrhyme.com

Since 1996, Partners In Rhyme has been offering royalty-free music. The royalty-free license you receive from them is for a one-time fee. So no matter how big the project is, you do not have to submit cue sheets or report to any performing rights organizations. This allows you to use Partners in Rhyme’s audio library for your film score, corporate videos, music for videos, advertising, short-form video, etc. They also allow you to ship the DVD in case you need it.

  1. Beat Pick – beatpick.com

Beat Pick has one of the most extensive royalty-free music search functions. You can search through Beat Pick’s stock music by using filters like genre, mood, vocals, language, tempo, the main instrument used, artist name, track name, etc.

If you are a music composer, you can submit and sell your music compositions to Beats Pick.

  1. Musopen – musopen.org

Musopen is a non-profit that was founded in San Francisco, CA. They offer free music recordings, sheet music, apps, and educational materials to increase access to music education. Their mission is to set music free.

  1. Clip Dealer – en.clipdealer.com

Clip dealer has royalty-free music audio files and more than 200 million royalty-free stock photos and video clips (yes, you can use them in your music video).

  1. Story Blocks – storyblocks.com

Like Clip Dealer, Story Blocks also provides images, video clips & audio clips. While browsing Story Blocks, I found some popular music I had heard on YouTube (videos). Of course, you can get more content for less with their subscription model. Frankly, they offer a plan that works with every budget. For both commercial purposes and personal projects, their royalty-free audio content comes with unlimited usage. With an active subscription, you can download content more than once and keep it forever.

  1. Audio Micro – audiomicro.com

Audio Micro claims its contributors are GRAMMY composers, Oscar-winning sound effects artists, filmmakers, and production houses. I previewed a couple of music tracks, and the quality is incredible!

  1. Dano songs – danosongs.com

Unlike the others in this list, a single individual creates and owns Dano songs. As a result, you can use Dano’s music for film, videos, apps, games, presentations, podcasts, and other media. In addition, you can stream Dano’s music on Apple, Spotify, YouTube Music & Amazon.

  1. Vlog No Copyright Music – www.youtube.com/channel/UCEickjZj99-JJIU8_IJ7J-Q

Vlog No Copyright Music is probably the first source I used when I needed non-copyrighted music. I was tired of the copyright claim I used to get, and Vlog No Copyright Music was my go-to place when I didn’t have the budget to purchase. I also use Vlog No Copyright Music to listen to some music while working; they have a great collection of uplifting background music. Nothing beats listening to some uplifting music while working, right?

If you are a music composer with some original scores, send your tracks to Vlog No Copyright Music and reach their 2.1M subscribers.

These websites offer a wide variety of music genres and have free and paid options for downloading music tracks. Some of these websites also allow you to submit your original compositions for others to use. It is important to note that even though these websites offer royalty-free music, some may require attribution or have specific usage terms, so make sure to read the terms of use carefully.

I am sure this list isn’t exhaustive, but it serves as a dependable reference for the numerous choices available to you, and please feel free to inform me in the comments section if any of your preferred options have been overlooked.

6 comments

  1. Or, you could hire a composer that wlll ACTUALLY create music for your project, that SUITS and FITS your project better than music that was pre-made without your project in mind.

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