Purchasing music without lyrics for a project can be difficult when you factor in things like royalty fees, licensing fees, and other legal obstacles. The good news is that royalty-free music is easy to come by if you know where to look and what to expect. With that in mind, let’s take a look at how royalty-free music works and where to get it.
What is Royalty-Free Music?
When you want to use music that’s owned by a record company or other high-profile individual, you’ll usually be expected to pay a licensing fee. This allows you to use the music for a specific purpose for a certain amount of time as per the agreement. This isn’t ideal for many projects.
On the other hand, royalty-free music is typically created and owned by independent artists and sound studios or curated by stock music companies. When you purchase royalty-free music, you can generally use it however you want for as long as you want. This makes it the cheaper and easier option when it comes to buying music without lyrics.
That said, you have to keep some things in mind. Firstly, you want to check the full user agreement for any royalty-free music you plan on purchasing. Sometimes there are stipulations such as you not being allowed to use it for commercial purposes. Each artist/studio can have different stipulations, so make sure you know what you’re getting before you buy.
Since you usually don’t own the rights to the royalty-free music you purchase, the artist/studio typically retains the right to resell the music to others as well. In some cases, this could be a problem, but for most projects, it shouldn’t be an issue.
Where to Get Royalty-Free Music?
Stock Music Companies
If you have a big project that needs music without lyrics, such as royalty free music for reality TV, then your best bet would be to check out a stock music company. These businesses offer huge selections of stock music across pretty much every genre imaginable. This makes it easy to find music that will fit your project, even if you need multiple tracks.
Sound Studios
Another option for larger projects is to find a sound studio that specializes in creating the kind of music you need. A studio with prior experience will have an extensive library of music available and will also be capable of composing new music if that’s what you want. It works best if you want something unique and original or if you want to own the full rights to the music you purchase.
Independent Creators
For smaller projects, it can be a good idea to search out independent artists. You can usually find them on places like Bandcamp, SoundCloud, or even YouTube. Some may already have instructions on how to buy their music and what you’re getting, while others may never have even considered selling their music. If this is the case and you really like their music, you can contact them to see if you can work something out.
Audio Editing
Something else to consider when purchasing royalty-free music without lyrics is how it’s going to fit into your project. Music and sound effect mixing is usually done by an audio editor, so it can be a good idea to get their input when purchasing music for a project.
Alternately, you could just allocate a certain amount of your budget to purchasing royalty-free music and let your audio editor use it to buy music without lyrics as needed. This will ensure that you’re using the best music possible for your project and make the audio editing process a lot easier and faster.
Making the Most of Royalty-Free Music Without Lyrics
One of the best things about royalty-free music is that you can typically use it for multiple projects if needed. Additionally, many stock music collections offer monthly subscription plans that allow you to use as much of their music as needed. This can be an excellent choice if you’re not sure what kind of music you want or if you change your mind often.