Royalty Free Music for YouTube Intros and Outros – 10 Top Tracks to Boost Your Channel's Vibe
Jourdan Aldredge
Jul 9, 2024
If you watch enough YouTube videos, you might assume that the social video-sharing platform mandates that all content start with a creator yelling “What is up, YouTube?” directly into their camera.
While that’s certainly not a rule, it does seem like most YouTube videos follow the same tried-and-true format of using royalty free intro sounds to streamline the feel of their videos. When done well, this is a quick and easy way to let your audience know that you know what you’re doing as a creator—and that the content will be worth their time.
When done poorly, though, these copy-and-paste intros can feel forced and—dare we say—cringe. However, one area in which you can help ensure that your videos will feel more professional and engaging is your intro and outro music selections.
To help you on your YouTube content creation journey, whether it be for a business or a brand that you represent or for your own solo channel, let’s give you some help tips and tricks—as well as many recommendations—for the best royalty free music for YouTube intros and outros.
10 top royalty free songs for YouTube Intros and Outros
Okay, while we’ll go into some tips and recommendations for working with music for YouTube intros and outros. Plus, you know, actually go over what this term “royalty free” means and how it makes your content creation life easier. Let’s start by giving you some curated selections of royalty free songs, which would be great for intros and outros for your YouTube videos.
Description: A high-energy pop song best described as hopeful and inspiring. Strings and synth are the primary instruments in this track.
2. A Funky Expedition by Dr. Delight
Description: A medium-energy, funk song best described as fun and happy. Horns and saxophone are the primary instruments in this track.
Description: A low-energy, hip-hop song best described as chill and hopeful. Synth and bass are the primary instruments in this track.
Description: A high-energy, electronic song that is best described as angry. Drums and electronic drums are the primary instruments in this track.
5. Adventurous Spirit by Reveille
Description: A medium-energy, acoustic song best described as hopeful and inspiring. Guitar and acoustic guitar are the primary instruments in this track.
6. Shiver Walk by Tony Sopiano
Description: A low-energy, hip-hop song best described as fun and happy. Bass and synth bass are the primary instruments in this track.
Description: A low-energy, electronic song best described as chill and hopeful. Bass and synth bass are the primary instruments in this track.
8. Majestic Skies by Strength To Last
Description: A medium-energy, electronic song best described as chill and happy. Ambient tones and drums are the primary instruments in this track.
Description: A low-energy, electronic song best described as inspiring and hopeful. Synth and ambient tones are the primary instruments in this track.
Description: A low-energy, electronic song that is best described as chill. Synth and piano are the primary instruments in this track.
These are just some top picks, though. If you’d like to explore any songs further (or dive deeper into our genre-rich library), check out our music on the Soundstripe app.
What is royalty free music?
Next, let’s take a step back and delve into what royalty free music means and how it works, particularly for YouTube. In simple terms, royalty-free music is music whose royalties have already been paid, allowing creators to use it freely after purchasing it.
Royalty free music can be obtained through individual song purchases or by subscribing to a plan offered by music licensing sites such as Soundstripe.
There are many other options available, including some provided by YouTube itself. However, if you’re looking for top-quality tracks recorded by Grammy-winning artists with full usage rights, be sure to explore our top track selections above or the playlists below.
Why do you want to use royalty free music on YouTube?
Since we've highlighted some of our top picks, let’s delve deeper into the details of royalty free music and the intricacies of music licensing. On YouTube, you can only use music you have created yourself or have properly licensed from the artist.
This regulation safeguards artists from having their work used without permission or compensation. Imagine your videos being used by major brands without your knowledge or payment—that wouldn’t be fair, would it?
Music copyright laws ensure that artists are compensated for their creations, and that’s where YouTube’s music policy comes into play. Violating YouTube’s music policy, intentionally or accidentally, can lead to copyright strikes, muted or removed videos, and potentially even the suspension of your channel.
Our top playlists for YouTube creators
Now that we’ve covered some of the basics of royalty-free music and how it works, let’s dive back into providing you with plenty of selections of top music for your YouTube outros and intros. These are some genre-specific playlists, which should give you a better way to sort through our music library here at Soundstripe.
Description: Upbeat tunes are trending among our vloggers and social media content creators.
Description: Vlog underscore for your next lifestyle content drop.
Description: Show your channel the world with these tracks curated for Travel Vlogs.
Description: Cruising tracks that set the tone of a slick unboxing video.
Description: Chill electronic tracks are trending among our vloggers and social media content creators.
These playlists range from modern and poppy tracks to more toned-down and chilled-out tunes. You can explore more royalty free music playlists, too, if you’re looking for a different genre or vibe for your YouTube videos. But those are some of our favorites.
How to use royalty free music for intros and outros
Hopefully, you’ve found some great music options for your intros and outros in this article. But we’d also like to leave you some tips for working with intros and outros in your YouTube videos. There’s no right or wrong way to edit intros and outros, just as there’s no exact right or wrong music to use.
But if you’d like some helpful tips for adding these music-backed bumpers to your videos, here are some of our recommendations.
- For intro music, try to pick something engaging that builds momentum
- Try working with stems, which usually include intro and outro cuts
- Unless the vocals are about your subject, look for instrumental tracks
- Keep intros short, ideally no more than 15 or 30 seconds
- Outros can be longer and more chill to let viewers unwind at their own pace
At the end of the day, though, it’s up to you to explore and find the right voice, tone, and style for your videos. So, enjoy the YouTube content creation journey however you see fit.
If you’re still concerned or have questions about where to find the best royalty free music for YouTube though, here’s everything you need to know about how to use copyrighted music on YouTube.