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Adding Music to Your Podcast Can Be Tricky
The decision to add music to your podcast is not one to be taken lightly. In fact, adding the wrong music into your podcast can have disastrous effects. However, the right music can help to increase the production quality of your show and help to persuade your listener to feel the way that you want them to when they stop listening to your episode.
Royalty-Free Music
This is a great option to avoid the messiness of licenses and fees. For new podcasters, it is recommended to start with a royalty-free option to avoid making your initial podcast investment too costly and harming your confidence as a result. Just as we advise against purchasing expensive equipment for your show as an initial investment, we advise against purchasing costly or custom music for your podcast at first.
Let’s examine the pros and cons of using royalty-free music for your podcast.
The Pros of Royalty-Free Music:
● Royalty-free music is royalty free - meaning it is free and you do not have to pay!
● There are many options on the internet for royalty-free music.
● You will keep your initial podcast investment low, boosting your confidence.
The Cons of Royalty-Free Music:
● Your listeners may have heard the music before.
● They could associate the music with another show, Youtube video, or podcast.
● The quality may not be as good as the music that you would pay for.
Licensed Music
If there is anything that you take away from this article:
Do Not Use Licensed Music Without Paying For A License.
Even if you think that using just a few seconds of the music is just fine, I promise you that it is not. If the song that you are using is protected by copyright, you will end up getting into some trouble with copyright infringement. This can be a big deal on platforms such as Youtube who will restrict your views for infringing on the copyright of other creators.
The proper way to go about using licensed music is to purchase a music license from the creators of the copyrighted material. This can be a very costly endeavor, so make sure to refer to your production budget when deciding if licensed music is for you.
Manage your expectations for licensed music! There is a high possibility that the song that you want to license is not available or is out of your price range. If you want to use a Taylor Swift song or an Eminem song, they may be incredibly expensive or unwilling to have their song used on a podcast.
Let’s examine the pros and cons of using licensed music for your podcast.
The Pros of Licensed Music:
● Having interesting and high-quality music can boost the production quality of your show.
● Using music that you own can help increase your brand recognition.
● You can use some of your favorite songs for your show!
The Cons of Licensed Music:
● The cost can be unrealistic for your show budget.
● The song you want may be unavailable for use.
● The process can be time intensive.
Whatever option that you choose for your podcast, make sure to remember that your podcast music should reflect the tone and content of your podcast. Best of luck with choosing your new podcast music!