Can You Use SoundCloud Music In YouTube Videos

One of the challenges that most YouTubers face is finding copyright-free music they can use for their videos. Since YouTube is very strict about copyright infringement, they must search for royalty-free music to use on the channels. This often leads to the question of whether SoundCloud music can be used in YouTube videos. 

This article will guide you on legally using SoundCloud music on your YouTube videos. But before we do that, let us discuss the importance of music in YouTube videos.

Why Use Background Music In YouTube Videos

You need to understand that using SoundCloud music in your videos is essential. One reason is that this will make your content more appealing to your viewers. This is especially so for people creating storytime videos or videos where a person is talking.

Music is also essential for setting the tone and mood of a video. You can use it to emphasize certain parts of your videos. You can also promote your SoundCloud music by sharing it on YouTube. However, you should be careful when adding music, as it can cause your account to get stuck or prevent you from monetizing your music. To find genuinely royalty-free music, you should filter the licenses by type and ensure you only choose royalty-free songs.

Can You Use SoundCloud Music on YouTube?

If you are wondering if it's possible to use SoundCloud music on YouTube, this will depend on the music upload license and whether you have the owner’s consent. First, SoundCloud allows creators to upload music under different licensing terms, including the Creative Commons License.

The Creative Commons is an organization that provides guidelines for the licensing of intellectual properties. Since it was created in 2001, it has been helping digital content creators earn from their work, share, or even sell it. The terms of the license differ and may require you to:

• Attribute the artist.
• Share adaptations. 
• Only use for noncommercial purposes.
• Not to edit or remix the work.
• Only use the work in the public domain.

Similarly, if you have the owner's consent, you can use the music in your YouTube videos. If not, it is not possible to use the music on YouTube. The general rule of YouTube is that you are not supposed to use music that you don't have a copyright to.

What should you do if you want to download SoundCloud music and use it for your video? There is no shortcut to this; you must contact the artist to request that they use their music in your videos. However, with many recording labels charging you according to the number of times their song is used, this can get expensive because it means you pay each time someone watches the videos. You shouldn't, however, give up on your bid to contact the artist. Some artists will allow people to use their tracks free of charge.

Alternatives to SoundCloud to Use Copyrighted Music in YouTube Videos

While so many songs are free on YouTube, everyone wants to use a popular or trending song. Such kinds of tracks are likely to draw attention to your videos. Unfortunately, in most cases, popular music is usually copyrighted. 

So, what do you do to use copyrighted music in YouTube videos without receiving YouTube strikes?

First, you should note that whenever you use a copyrighted song on YouTube, you expose yourself to copyright strikes or legal issues. The only way to safely use a copyrighted song on YouTube is by getting a license from the owner. However, reaching the top artists can be almost impossible unless you run a very large business.

Whether you can legally use the music depends on whether the content has been registered with the YouTube Content ID database. Here are a few tips to enable you to use copyrighted music on YouTube. These are:

Creative Commons License

There is a lot of free online music, such as Creative Commons music, public domain music, and more. This is in addition to the free music that musicians and public libraries distribute. 

Personal Use Videos

You don't need to worry if you make personal videos without monetizing them. Simply ignore the claims. Similarly, if you promote your SoundCloud tracks on YouTube, you don't need to worry. However, you need to check YouTube's music policy before using any track.

Use for Short Durations

You can overcome copyright claims if you are only using a copyrighted video for a few seconds. Alternatively, you can use a GIF of the copyrighted audio on your videos. 

Choose a Copyright-free Cover

If you are using instrumentals of a copyrighted video in your song, you can also use a cover of the song if it is free to use.

Avoid Using the Original Song

You can avoid using the original voice and instead narrate it. If you use the original song, you can change the speed, intensity, and pitch. However, there is no guarantee that your video will not get flagged. If you are doing a video such as a movie recap, you can avoid using the audio entirely and instead narrate the movie.

Use YouTube Audio Library

The YouTube Audio Library is a free resource consisting of thousands of free tracks. It is available for all creators to use without fearing copyright infringement. However, you should remember that you can only add music to the YouTube Audio Library on YouTube alone.

How to Contact SoundCloud Artists to Use Their Music in YouTube Videos

We noted that the only safe way to use SoundCloud music in your YouTube videos is by contacting the artist. This now brings us to the question of exactly how to do that. You can begin by searching for the exact artist you like. Once you find them, you can then send them a message on SoundCloud requesting that they allow you to use their song in your music.

In most cases, artists will be okay with this if you attribute the work to them in your video description. If you look at the description of most YouTube videos, you can see how they attribute the owner of the audio. Other musicians may require you to buy the right to use the songs on sites such as Bandcamp. However, this is also very affordable, costing as little as $1 for each song.

Before Messaging an Artist

Before sending a message to a musician, you should understand the license terms. You can see this information in the About Usage section of their profile. This will ensure that you know whether asking for permission is necessary. We recommend you also read our guide on how to get more likes and comments on YouTube.

How to Find Tracks for Users on SoundCloud 

While it's possible to find tracks you can use on SoundCloud using the search bar, there is another easy way. You can go through the video descriptions of bloggers in your niche. You will see a small section where they credit the music's creator. This will often link back to the artist's SoundCloud account. You can also subscribe to artists on Bandcamp to be notified each time they upload new music.

Conclusion

If you are wondering if you can use SoundCloud music on YouTube, the answer is yes and no. You can find copyright-free music on the platform if you understand how to do so. You should be able to do that by reading our guide. We also recommend you check out our guide on getting more followers on SoundCloud.