Is your use fair use?
- Fair Use Checklist (U of Chicago)The U of Chicago has a simple checklist to help you determine if your use is really FAIR USE.
Copyright, Public Domain & Fair Use
Creativity, Copyright, and Fair Use (by Common Sense Education, 2020)
Creative Commons licenses explained (Creative Commons Aotearoa New Zealand, 2011)
- Copyright Video Series (US Copyright Office)"Series of videos introduces copyright concepts and the Copyright Office to those who may be new to the topic or who want to learn more." --from copyright.gov
Music & Sound Resource Databases
Locating music or sound effects for your project requires attention to copyright and licensing. Check out this list of resources to locate audio files to support your podcast project.
Curated lists of music and sound recordings
- Creative Commons Music CommunitiesCreative Commons has compiled a list of music resources that utilize free licensing so you can use it in your work. See each resource for license details.
- Openverse (Search the Commons)"An extensive library of free stock photos, images, and audio, available for free use. All Openverse content is under a Creative Commons license or is in the public domain."
Individual music and sound platforms
- Free Music ArchiveIncludes different music genres with items holding different CC licensing.
- Free Sound"Freesound aims to create a huge collaborative database of audio snippets, samples, recordings, and all sorts of bleeps, ... released under Creative Commons licenses that allow their reuse."--from freesound
- MusOpen"We provide recordings, sheet music, and textbooks to the public for free, without copyright restrictions. Put simply, our mission is to set music free." --from musopen
- SoundBible"SoundBible.com offers free sound clips for download in either wav or mp3 format. We have free and royalty free sound effects and clips for video editors, movie scores, game designers, and more." -- from SoundBible
- World Hip Hop Beats"Download free hip hop beats. By downloading any of our beats you agree to abide by the license details." --from HipHopBeats There is an option to pay to support artists but is not required.
- YouTube Audio LibraryStart with this basic set of instructions to set up your YouTube audio library using a Google account. Then, search for royalty-free music and sound effects to use in your project.
Creative Commons in a nutshell
With Creative Commons (CC) licenses, creators can choose how others may use their work. CC licensing falls between copyright and public domain. Below are the icons you will see associated with creative commons licensing across various content and how to interpret their meaning.
Attribution :
"This license allows re-users to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use."
Noncommercial :
This license allows others to copy, distribute, display, and perform your work — and any derivative works created — but for noncommercial purposes only. You may not charge money or make a profit.
No Derivative Works :
This license allows others to copy, distribute, display, and perform only exact copies of your work. No derivative works are allowed.
Share Alike :
This license allows others to distribute derivative works only under a license identical to the license that governs your work. If you make something new with content under this license, you have to share your new content with the same permission for others to use.