Is Free Stock Music safe for YouTube Shorts?
Mostly, with credit and the thumbs-up tracks. Free Stock Music marks the tracks that are not registered with Content ID. Registered tracks get claimed if the credit is missing.
Not completely safe. Music from Free Stock Music can still get a copyright claim. For music with full protection, use the safest options.
- Type
- Free library
- Cost
- Free with credit, or a paid licence from the artist
- Credit
- Required in the description
- Copyright claims
- Claims happen
- How a claim clears
- Contact the artist or provider
- Monetised videos
- Allowed with credit
- Platforms named
- YouTube Shorts, Instagram ReelsThe FAQ names YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitch, X and Vimeo for monetised use with credit.
How it works
Free Stock Music collects tracks from independent artists. Most are under Creative Commons, mainly CC BY, so they are free for personal and commercial use, monetised YouTube videos included, as long as you credit the artist. Each track page has a credit to copy. If you cannot credit, many tracks link to a paid licence sold by the artist.
No account is needed to download.
Two kinds of track
The site sorts its tracks by how they sit in YouTube's Content ID system:
| Track | What Free Stock Music says |
|---|---|
| Marked with a thumbs-up icon in the listing | Not registered in Content ID. "In normal use, you should not receive copyright claims." |
| No icon | Registered in Content ID. You may be claimed if the credit is missing, or in rare cases if the artist restricts some uses |
For Shorts, filter to the marked tracks. Free Stock Music calls them "the safest and simplest option".
Even marked tracks have one rare risk, the site says: a third party who distributes the music unlawfully and registers it in Content ID.
The credit
Paste the credit from the track page into the description before you publish. Two of the common claim causes the site lists are timing problems:
- Credit added after publishing. A registered track may already be claimed.
- Upload still in progress. Content ID can scan the video before you finish the description.
How to clear a claim
Report it to Free Stock Music with the video link and details. The site says, "We will assist you in resolving it." For registered tracks, claims "can be released once proper credit is added", and the site points out they are "usually automated and not a strike".
What you cannot do
You cannot claim a track as yours, resell it, register it with Content ID or upload it to Spotify, Apple Music or other streaming services. You also cannot use a track as the backing for your own songs.
Common questions
Are Free Stock Music tracks registered in Content ID?
Some are. The site marks the tracks that are not registered with an icon in the listings. Those should not be claimed in normal use. Registered tracks can be claimed if the credit is missing.
Where should the Free Stock Music credit go?
In the video description. The FAQ says to put credits there "(not inside the video)" for YouTube and social media.
Can you shorten the credits for several tracks?
Yes. You can rearrange them, as long as each keeps the artist's name, the track title, the artist's link and the licence.
Sources
- Free Stock Music FAQfree-stock-music.com
- Free Stock Music on copyright claims and Content IDfree-stock-music.com
- Free Stock Music terms of usefree-stock-music.com
Facts checked against the sources below on . Licences and prices change, so read the provider's own page before you rely on one.