Ever notice how in the movies, dramatic, tense, or adventurous moments are always underscored by music? That’s because music helps to draw people in as well as set the tone. But it isn’t just for movies.
Listen to any of your favorite podcasts, you will notice how there is music at the beginning and end of each episode. Maybe there’s even background music. Notice how it enhances the theme of the podcast.
Your podcast needs music, but don’t fret about having to spend a lot of money on getting music. There are numerous places online where you can access free podcast music.
And, free podcast music means the content you can use is royalty-free. And that’s the type of music you need on your podcast to avoid copyright infringement – royalty-free.
To help in your search for the perfect podcast free intro music, here are 18 of the best websites for finding royalty free podcast music.
Licensing Fees for Podcasting Music
Finding royalty-free music for podcasts may still involve a small upfront licensing fee. So, what does this mean?
A royalty is a fee you pay every time you use that piece of music. So, if you were to use a podcast intro music for every episode, you would be paying a royalty fee for each episode. And if you have a lot of episodes, the amount you need to pay can add up quickly.
Royalty-free music for podcasts means that you do not have to pay every time you use the music. So, you can use it as much or as little as you like.
However, some websites with royalty free podcast music require that you give attribution for the free use of the music. This means that you must give credit, either to the musician or the website, when you use the music.
Other websites with royalty free podcast music may require you to pay a one-time licensing fee for use of the music. Paying for the license means you have the legal right to use the music continuously.
The price of a license ranges from site to site as well as from track to track. The cost can be as little as $1 or over $50. It is up to you on how little or how much you are willing to spend for the perfect royalty-free podcast intro music.
Best Websites for Free Podcast Music
Here are 18 of the best royalty-free music for podcasts websites out there. Each has its own catalog of music that you will not find elsewhere. And each comes with their own terms regarding attribution and licenses. So, make sure you read each carefully before proceeding with a download.
Tribe of Noise
Tribe of Noise acquired the Free Music Archive in 2019 and offers a large catalog of royalty free podcast music from over 34,000 musicians from around the world. The podcasting music you will find on Tribes of Noise is original music and not stock music.
Finding music on the Tribe of Noise is extremely easy. First, you need to register on the site. Then, search for music you need, pick your license type based upon the size of your project, check out, download, and then the music is yours to use.
All rights are included, and you will not have to pay additional fees or royalties to continue to use the music.
PremiumBeat
Featuring a large catalog of free podcast music, Premium Beat has only 100% copyright clear music that can be used as background tracks on media productions. And it is easy to search their exclusive music based upon music type or even feeling/mood.
Their royalty-free music means you only have to pay a one-time licensing fee for unlimited use as long as you follow the terms of the license agreement. Premium Beat does have two license tiers, but for most podcasters, their standard $49 fee will suffice.
Shutterstock
Shutterstock just doesn’t just do photos. It is also a top platform for sourcing background music for podcasts. It features a large catalog of exclusive content available only through Shutterstock. And, new music is always being added daily.
To make it easier to use music for podcasting, each track includes shorts and loops that will fit nearly almost all projects. And finding music is extremely easy as search filters can be applied for genres and moods.
Shutterstock features a monthly subscription plan (currently at $16.60/month) that allows you to download up to 40 tracks a day. And a standard license accompanies every track you download.
But, if you are only needing one track, there is the option to license music individually starting at $49.
Soundstripe
With over 3 million licenses provided, Sound Stripe is a leading platform for free podcast music. Not only does it feature exclusive content, but you can also access over 35,000 sound effects.
Not only is the music library updated with over 200 new songs every month, but depending on your plan, you can have access to stem audio files. And this is where you can choose which part of a song you want to keep, tailoring the free podcast music even more to your needs.
Unfortunately, Sound Stripe is only a membership platform. So, that means it is not possible to get a license for just one track. But your membership includes unlimited music licenses. And, should you decide to cancel your membership, the license holds in perpetuity. So, you do not lose your license if you can cancel your subscription.
There are three tiers for a monthly membership with the basic starting at $11.25 a month. And for most podcasters, that plan will be enough for your podcast needs.
Music Vine
Representing some of the most exciting independent musicians in the world, Music Vine is another option for finding free podcast music. The UK based, Music Vine’s catalog features music that is fresh, diverse, and full of character.
Music Vine takes a pay-per-license approach with its music. This means that you pay only for the type of coverage you need. License coverage is broken down into categories with “Personal, Vlog, Indie-Channel, Podcast” included.
Hook Sounds
Featuring a 100% exclusive collection, Hook Sounds offers a carefully curated assortment of free podcast music for you to choose from. All music is copyright-free and can be used for a variety of purposes.
But if you are looking to use any track offered for your podcast, a single-track license costs $49 (podcasters must use the Pro Plan). Music is available as WAV files and also comes with loops.
Enovo Music
Enovo Music provides high-quality music tracks for use in a wide range of media projects. All of their music tracks are royalty-free and fully clear from copyrights or legal issues for personal and commercial use for you.
Their single-track license for royalty free podcast music only costs $29. And it allows usage of the track for multiple uses in perpetuity. So, you pay once and can use the track forever. And you receive your music both as an MP3 and WAV file.
Silverman Sound Studios
Musician Shane Invers has his own site Silverman Sound Studios where he offers his music for free for creatives to use for any purpose. This is a great place to visit if you are looking for free background music for podcasts. Yes, the music is 100% free.
To download music for free, you do need to agree to give credit for the music where your listeners/viewers can easily get the information. If you are not able to or unwilling to give credit, you can purchase a track for $20.
And the free music is available as an MP3 file. If you need a higher quality file, you can purchase a WAV file for $5.
Icons8
Another place to look for free podcast music is the website Icons8. You can browse for music based upon themes, genres, and moods.
To access a free MP3 download, you must use the music non-commercially as well as provide a link to Icons8. So, as long as you are not monetizing your podcast, you can use their free music.
If you are monetizing your podcast or are unwilling to provide a link to their site, you can still access their music catalog. It’s $9 per track or you can pay $20 a month for access to their entire catalog with high-quality WAV files.
Audiojungle
Part of Envato Market, Audio Jungle has over 1 million tracks and sounds to choose from. So, you can be sure that you will find something on this website for your podcasting music. It’s also a very easy site to use and to find music.
All their tracks are royalty-free. And, each track license is individually priced starting from just $1, though most tracks range between $5 and $15. And besides searching by genres and themes, you can also search for podcast intro music by the length of the track, vocals, how popular, and tempo.
Incompetech
If you are looking for free background music for podcasts, you can find options at Incompetech. This platform features music listed under a Creative Commons license. So, you don’t pay a cent and you get an MP3 audio file.
But there is a catch. To get the music completely free, you must include attribution. That means that you must provide credit for the music when used.
If you are not willing to provide attribution, then you can purchase an audio track for €20. Additionally, the track is provided in WAV format.
Pixaby Music
Another place where you can access 100% free podcast music is at Pixaby Music. Launched earlier in 2020, the website features hundreds of tracks available for download.
For most tracks, no credit given is required. And you can instantly download an MP3 file of your chosen track. The site is simple to navigate and use.
Audionautix
Audionautix features the music of Jason Shaw that you can use as free podcast intro music. Yes, all music on the site is royalty-free. Just download a track and use it. Well, as long as you provide credit for the music.
It’s impossible to purchase an exclusive license for any of the music on Audionautix as it is all licensed under the Creative Commons 4.0.
And all music downloaded comes as an MP3 file.
Purple Planet
Based out of England, Purple Planet features music created by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn. This a great site to find free podcast music as all tracks can be used for free.
To download a free track for your podcast music, you must agree to give credit for the music. Free downloads are provided in an MP3 file.
But, if you do not want to give credit, you can purchase a track with a single standard license that costs $8. And, music is delivered to you via a high-quality WAV file.
Pond5
At Pond5, you can find free music for podcasts by mood, genre, and even by the length of time as it features tracks perfectly timed to 15 and 30 seconds.
All their tracks are royalty-free and can be used worldwide on any project in perpetuity. And their licensing fee varies per track but does start at $15.
ZapSplat
If you are looking for more options for free podcast background music, check out ZapSplat. Though their royalty-free music catalog is under 500 tracks, there may be something you like. And tracks are easy to search by genre.
All their music is royalty-free and can be used in commercial and non-commercial endeavors including podcasts. Each track comes with a standard license for free. However, to use the standard license, you must give credit to ZapSplat on each project.
If you do not want to give credit, you can still download and use their royalty-free music. But you must upgrade your ZapSplat account to Gold level and make a monthly or yearly donation (how much is up to you). And, you can cancel your Gold level account at any time and still retain the non-attribution in perpetuity.
Freesound
Though Freesound may not be the easiest website to find free podcast music, it does provide one with a lot of choices for the background podcast music. Tracks range in length and can be searched by genre/mood.
Each track states what type of license each track has. And, each track is royalty-free as well as no license fee to pay. But, for all tracks listed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, you must provide credit for the musicians/website.
Some tracks are under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License. And this means that if you are monetizing your podcast, you cannot use this piece of music. So, always check the license type before you move forward with any piece of music.
Musopen
If you are looking for something classical in feel as free background music for podcasts, then Musopen is perfect for you. This site features a large assortment of classical music from popular composers as well as chamber groups, orchestras, and voices with orchestra.
Most of the tracks are under the Creative Commons license, which means you must also give credit for the music on your podcast. Some tracks cannot be used for commercial purposes are marked as such.
As you can see, there are countless options for you to find free podcast music. Every website listed above provides royalty free podcast music. So, the only money you may have to pay is for a one-time licensing fee. But, if you are willing to provide credit, you may not have to pay a cent.
So, happy listening as you search for the perfect background and intro music for your podcast.
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