Royalty Free Music FAQs
What are the different options?
| License | Price | Terms | Use without credit / attribution | Royalty free | Use commercially | Download MP3 | Download WAV | Lifetime Validity | Use for own projects | Use for third parties | Personalised license document |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creative Commons | FREE | Creative Commons CCBY 4.0 | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Non-Attribution | $20 | Non-Attribution License | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Patreon Subscription | From $10 per month (all tracks!)Subscribe | Non-Attribution License | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
What can I do?
- You can use all music for commercial and noncommercial use across physical and digital products, except in the cases mentioned in “What can I NOT do?”
- Yes! You can use the music for the following purposes:
- Videos or Livestreams on YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitch or similar
- Videos/Films/Cinema/Documentary
- TV/Radio
- Theaters
- Video Games
- Live Production
- Podcasts
- Audio Dramas
- Sound reinforcement for events or locations
- Hold Music/Background Music
- Pretty much anything else
- You can modify or manipulate the music to suit your needs, e.g. turn the volume down, make transitions, stretch, cut, etc.
- You can create an end product for you or for a third party/client
What can I NOT do?
- You can not re-distribute the music as is or with superficial modifications. (Spotify, Deezer, Amazon, iTunes etc.) I already self-publish my music. The terms of use of most stores don’t allow you to sell music that you don’t own the exclusive rights to, anyway
- You can not sub-license any music. New licenses need to be acquired via silvermansound.com
- You are not allowed to claim ownership of the music, whether it’s in original form or altered under this clause. Don’t be cheeky
- You are not allowed to register any music through content identification systems (on YouTube, Facebook, Twitch and similar platforms). This one just makes me really sad...
- You can not claim trademark or service mark rights over the music within an end product
How do I give credit if I use this music with the Creative Commons license?
For most applications, please use this format:
Music: Title by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com
Just replace 'Title' with the title of the track you're using, simples! Please don't remove the URL. The URL should also be a hyperlink, not just plain text wherever this is permitted please. For YouTube, Vimeo and similar, I prefer you include the credit and link in the description where possible. (If the medium you're using doesn't allow hyperlinks, then plain text will still cover you just fine.)
As long as clear credit it given, you're covered to use these songs for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. This covers you to use the song for anything. Yes! Even commercial use!
Most online platforms have a text description box; this is the perfect, and probably easiest, place to put the credit. Or you can do it in any way so that a curious consumer of your content can easily find the credits if they want to see who made that most amazing song they are hearing.
If you're wanting to use a track in a format that can't display a web-based credit (e.g. TV, Games & Radio), you can include the credit in any way the viewer can clearly find. If you cannot do this, you must purchase a non-attribution license. Having a non-attribution license means that you don't have to give credit. I charge $20 per song per project for these, and you can find a link to purchase one on the song's page below the description. Click here to read the terms of the agreement.
So, this is completely free right?
Yup, the Creative Commons license is totally free. However, you MUST give me credit (before you download and use anything, please make sure you're familiar with how to do that. Look at the first FAQ to see how to do that).
If you found this resource useful, I really appreciated a small donation though! You can really help me out by either:
Making a donation with your credit card, debit card, or PayPal account:
Or,
Buying one of my tracks on iTunes:
Or,
If you're feeling a little more flush, and you want cool perks (like unlimited licenses and downloads), you could set up a monthly recurring donation on Patreon:
You said it was free, why are you charging money when I click on a link?
Well, I thought I had made this clear, but the only things I charge for are high-quality WAV downloads (because they are big files), and for a non-attribution license (which is only if you can't/don't want to give credit as outlined above).
The mp3 is free and easy to download. Click on the "Download MP3" that's just below the player on any song's page. The "Download WAV" button is just for those that want a CD quality version of a track (and are willing to part with the princely sum of $5).
The "Purchase License" button is only there for people for whom giving a credit is undesirable/unfeasible for whatever reason.
What am I allowed to use this music for?
Whatever you want! Seriously! As long as I’m credited, there are no restrictions (almost). You can use the music for commercial applications, for educational purposes, for editorial use, filmmaking, video games, podcasts, YouTube, etc. etc...
You can't pass it off as your own, of course, that would make me a sad panda. You also can't sub-license it, which means you can't host the music yourself and offer it for download as stock music, even with credit. This is because by hosting it on my website, I can control the quality, and ensure that all traffic comes to this website. I can then place advertisements on the page to cover the cost of hosting, which I would otherwise miss out on.
To emphasise, in the hope that people stop asking: whatever the platform or application, wherever it's played, whether the music is in, on top of, or beneath the thing you are making, whatever the theme or subject - you are allowed to use it. You don't need to ask permission...
Simply put, as long as you adhere to the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, you can use the music in any which way you want, free of charge forever, and with no royalties.
Best of luck with your projects! =)
Why are your license prices so gosh-darn low!??
Simply put, I'm operating totally independently from the big royalty free music sites. Remember, when you buy from them, usually most of the money goes to the corporation, and the rest goes to advertising campaigns, and the little scraps left over actually go to the artist who created the music you really like. Because I don't advertise, and I try to keep my overheads low, I can offer a much more reasonable price for licenses. So the vast majority of the price you pay goes directly to me! Thus, now you're getting a bargain, and I get more sales (hopefully).
Do I need permission from you first?
No, go right ahead, download the track, and get cracking. However, I'd love to hear how you've used my music, so please feel free to send me links to your projects when they're up. Hit me up on Twitter @SilvermanSound. Or send me an email here.
I want to download all the songs at once, how can I do that?
This is a common request, and I’ve finally set this up! There are three ways in which you can do this.
The first is by buying the zip file of all the mp3s from my shop, which you can find here: https://shop.silvermansound.com/product/download-every-track/
The second way is to become my patron, whereupon joining the "Recording Engineer" tier you will be able to access the link to the regularly updated zip file with all the mp3s gently nestled within. Become a patron here.
The third and final way is to go through each song’s page and click on the download link. So have fun with that! ;)
If I buy a license, do I still need to give credit?
No, no, no, no! The whole reason for the non-attribution license is that that you don't have to give credit. That's the only reason it exists. Buying one and then giving credit would be a bit silly.
When buying a license, what exactly is a "project" and what does it cover?
I would consider a project to be all the parts of a related whole. For example, a film or game would have just one part, as it's standalone. For web series, podcasts, TV shows, advertising campaigns, and things that comprise multiple episodes, the license will cover you for the entire run. Rest assured you don't need to buy a license for each episode!
I'm confused! What's with all the different buttons on the song download page?
So there are basically three main buttons, and these are just below the FAQ button under the song's player. These are "Download MP3 (Free)", "Purchase License ($20)", and "Download WAV ($5)".
"Download MP3 (free)" - This button gives you an instant download of a high-quality 360kbps MP3 file of the song. Combined with giving a credit, this is the core of what I mean by "free music". You pay nothing, and can just save this file and use it however you wish.
"Purchase License ($20)" - this is a link to my shop where you can buy a non-attribution license for the song. Combine this with the MP3 and you can now use the song in any way you want, but you no longer have to give credit! See!
"Download WAV ($5)" - this button is a link to the shop to buy a WAV file of the song. That's a file format that's CD quality (or 16 bit at 44.1 KHz). This button is for people that need the highest quality version of the song, or they want the stems to do their own mixes (I only included this where explicitly stated in the description). You can combine this with either giving credit, OR with the non-attribution license.
Remember, buying the license doesn't mean you get the WAV free. I prefer splitting the cost, so people only have to buy what they need.
How can I help you out?
Firstly, thanks very much! You can really help by donating a dollar (or multiples thereof):
You can also become a patron, and donate monthly in return for exclusive perks!
Other than donating, you can really help by sharing a link to my free music page on your preferred social media website. You are helping way more than you can imagine. These days social media buzz is probably the best marketing tool that exists, so anything you do to spread the word, and drive traffic to my site is amazing!
Go and subscribe to my YouTube channel. YouTube is the second biggest search engine in the world, and you can help give me more views by subscribing and liking my videos.
Even better, if you run a blog, write a piece including a link to my free music page. This will really help to drive traffic to my website.
Also, by letting anyone you know who is involved in any aspect of the media industry that I actually exist, and have all sorts of music, and sonic services available is also incredibly helpful. Know an indie game developer, or filmmaker? Tell them about Silverman Sound Studios. Word of mouth for the win! I'm very easy to work with, I promise!
This website costs money, I have food to buy, and bills & rent to pay. Any and all donations, referrals, shares, and likes enable me to spend more time working on music, and especially expanding this collection of free music. =)
Can you make me some original music for my project?
So you need original music eh? Well, you’ve come to the right place!
Of course I can make you a professional quality track (or tracks), that I will create from scratch, formulate to fit your project perfectly, and can even feature a real full orchestral score! With me, you are getting someone with a lifetime of experience, a healthy musical obsession, and a genuine passion for what they do.
I have the technical skills, and the musical mind to create the very highest quality music for your project. I love composing music, so you can employ an enthusiastic, and skilled composer who charges very little because of his artistic temperance, and low overheads.
As a bonus, I will also mix, master, and compress any tracks I produce for free! Creating great background music is a fine art, one that must balance musicality without overwhelming the voice, visuals, and SFX. By hiring an experienced music composer, you’ll be receiving the best possible product.
I compose to your exacting specifications, and you can be sure of receiving a professional, and polished sounding track that is of broadcast quality. I will make as many revisions as you need until you’re happy. Turnaround times are very fast, and prices are competitive. Contact me for more details.
Prices
For a unique composition, I will generally charge something in the region of $200-400 per minute of music for an exclusive license to use a track for one project, plus ancillary uses (like for promotional content, and advertisements, etc).
It's difficult to give a precise figure, as each project has vastly different requirements. A sedate ambient piece might not take quite so much work as, say, a hyper-detailed full orchestral composition. Besides this, whether your project just wants a license to use the track, or needs a full buyout will affect pricing.
If the project is really interesting, you may tempt me to do it for the price of a voluntary donation. This would be more of a collaboration between us, as it would become part of the Creative Commons library for everyone to use - and as such you’d have to abide by the rules that apply to that.
For a bespoke quote, please contact me, and give me the details on exactly what you need.
Can I alter these tracks in any way?
Yeah, go nuts. Sing over them, chop them up, add crazy effects, whatever. However, you HAVE TO identify what is my work, and what is your work in the credits. Cutting and splicing is fine though, just use the standard credit.
I wanted a song in a certain style, but you didn't have it, will you make it for me?
No guarantees, but by all means send me over any ideas you might have for certain styles. It's always very helpful to get inspiration from the people who use my music. I've got a long list of styles of songs I want to make, and if you've got a suggestion, I'll add it to the list!
How's best to keep up to date with new tracks, and other goings on?
Glad you asked. If you click right here, there's a form to subscribe to my newsletter, where you can learn about bits and pieces I've been up to. I'd love to have you along for the musical ride.
I also have a variety of social media gubbins that I post to. Mainly track updates, but useful if you like that kind of thing. Links to these are at the bottom of each page.
For more in depth things, I occasionally deign to post something to my blog. There are some bits and bobs there so check it out if you have time.
I've received a "matched third party content" notification on my video, help!?
Yes, unfortunately, this can happen, please use the dispute function and select: “I have a license or written permission from the proper rights holder to use this material”. After this, in the explanation section, state that you're using the music under a Creative Commons license, and include a link to the download page for proof. This should resolve your problem in a day or two.
Can I have the song in an uncompressed format?
I've made uncompressed files (16bit WAVs) available for the low low price of $5 per track. You'll find links below the song's description.
Or you can visit the shop here: https://shop.silvermansound.com/category/royalty-free-music-downloads/
WAVs are big ol' files, so I have to charge a bit to cover the cost of hosting them.
Some songs have extra goodies included when you buy the uncompressed file, such as alternative versions, and individual stems (instruments on their own track) so that you can make your own mixes.
How do you make your music?
After many years amassing equipment, instruments, and sample libraries, plus even more years of composing, and mixing music, I can't fully describe the exact process, but I'll give you an overview. I use Logic running on an iMac to create all of my tracks, and have a huge pile of tools to produce a nice sounding piece of musical goodness.
I generally compose all of my music on the piano or in my head, and sometimes guitar. Then I orchestrate the melodies and harmonies using sample libraries, and instruments to give a full sound. When that’s done, I mix everything, using Beyerdynamic DT880 headphones, an Avantone Mixcube, and then check levels, phase issues, and mix compatibility on some wonderful Yamaha monitors. Finally, I master the song, and do some final tweaks before it’s ready to upload to the website.
For recording, I have Gibson SG, and Fender Stratocaster electric guitars, Fender and Rickenbacker basses, various amps, a bunch of microphones, a Microkorg synthesizer, a Korg stage piano, and loads of other smaller instruments, including acoustic guitars, melodicas, penny whistles etc... This all runs through a Focusrite preamp and audio interface for lovely clean signals, and which can often be found hooked up to my mini recording booth.
I'm a composer/producer. Can I put my music on this site?
The website is not currently designed to work like that. It may be a thing in the future, but there are no plans even in the medium term. So no, not really.
Why are you giving them away for free?
Because I love making music, and I love people hearing my music! I've also benefited a lot from other people's hard work that they've freely shared. The least I can do is share some of my own work too. I know how difficult it is when you're starting out creating content, so giving away free resources is essential to getting fresh talent the tools they need to get out there.
Also, who doesn't love a freebie? Giving away my music for free will mean my music reaches a bigger audience (a bit egotistical, yes I know...) But the more people listen and share, the more I'm inspired to keep creating. This way gives me the motivation to keep regularly writing new songs. The knock on effect of this is (hopefully) I'll continue to improve my composition, mixing, and production skills.
