The Safest Ways to Add Music to Your Podcast

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Hey, Podcasters!

Over the years, we’ve received quite a few emails from podcasters in a panic!

Their latest episode had been removed from a directory because they used a popular song for the intro.

Most of them assumed it was fine because they credited the artist or weren’t making money from the show. But most music is protected, and using it without permission can lead to takedowns.

If you're using music in your show, the safest route is to use podcast-safe music, like:
• Creative Commons music: usually free with attribution
• Royalty-free music libraries: pay once or subscribe
• Public domain recordings: music with an expired copyright

In our latest blog post, we share 10 of the best places to get free music for your podcast.This topic actually came up recently in the Buzzsprout Facebook Community, where podcasters were discussing the safest way to add music to an episode without risking a takedown.

The general consensus was: if you don’t have the rights to the track, don’t use it.

And if you want to go a step further, we recently talked through the best practices for incorporating music into your podcast on an episode of Podcasting Q&A.

Cara walks through:

• How to choose music that fits your show

• Where to place it (intro, transitions, outro)

• How to make sure it enhances the listening experience instead of distracting from it

If you’re adding music to your podcast, or thinking about refreshing your intro, start here: 10 Best Places to Get Free Music for Your Podcast

Have a question for Megan? Send a text!

That's all for this week! Thanks for listening & keep podcasting!