What is Royalty Free Music?
There is a lot of misconceptions about what royalty free music is. Many people think that it’s free music that you can use for whatever you want, but the concept is not that simple. To understand what royalty free music is we first have to define royalty. A royalty is an amount of money paid to a person (patentee, author, composer, etc.) for the use of the thing in question (such as each time a video with the music in it is viewed or for each book sold). In that respect royalty-free, in terms of music, simply means that you don’t have to pay royalties, just pay for the content once and you can reuse the music for future projects.
You can use most music (without needing to purchase a license) for non-commercial use, however, you should be sure to credit the creator and it’s best to ask permission first. If you are using a piece of content especially if it’s for commercial purposes you will want to read and respect the creator’s wishes as well as follow the restrictions of your license. A license is essentially written consent that you may use the music. There are different types of license, each with their own set of permissions.
If you are looking for content for a project and have a limited budget you may be able to use music that is in the public domain. Songs such as these can be used in any way you want (even for commercial use). So. It really all depends on what you need for your project. Some artists will allow you to remix their music (or sounds) while other’s request that you do not remix or edit their music. It is very important to read and understand the agreement between yourself and the artist.