When is 'free' not free?

A piece of music can help make your podcast sound more professional and interesting to listen to. However, care needs to be taken when selecting music to include in your recording if you want to stay within the law!

You may have paid good money for that CD or download from iTunes but paying for the music only gives you the right to listen, not to use it in a production of your own. And remember: 'royalty free' does not always mean free to use. There's often a fee to download or buy a CD before using a track without further costs involved. Even websites that claim to offer free audio for use in your podcasts should be treated with caution. Can you be sure the site is the copyright owner of the material or has permisson to distribute the audio for free?

To make your life easier we've put together a list of sites that offer free content. But please don't just take our word for it! We are not responsible for the content on third party sites and you should check the licensing conditions before downloading and using tracks.

Sound Loops

Sound loops are very short music files often only a few seconds in length and ideal for jingles. Use these to introduce your podcast or to serve as a bridge between sections of your show.

• Free Royalty Free Music
  Loops available for use in projects.
  
• Royalty Free Music Clips
  A very useful blog on what's available for free download.
• Jaybot7
  Several free clips available.
• Indiana University
  100 clips for podcasting. Not sure if non-Indiana people are free to use them though.
• Partners in Rhyme
  Lots of free loops and also packages to buy.
• Incompetech
  Lots of great clips here categorised and searchable.
• Flashkit Sound Loops
  Search for freeware tracks. Check author's notes for licensing restrictions.
  
• ACID Planet
  Weekly pack of 8 tracks
• Free Loops
  Free and 'One Click' buy all option.
• Indaba Music
  You will need to register first.

Sound Effects

Need the sound of a dog barking to give your recording a bit of interest? How about crashing waves to add a bit of atmosphere? Check out the links to sites offering sound effects.

• The Free Sound Project
  Collaborative database of audio snippets and samples.
  
• Acoustica
  From crying babies to crows, lambs and horses.
  
• Soungle
  Search for royalty free music downloads.
  
• JL Studios
  Lots of free to use sound effects.
• Sound Jay
  Various sounds all categorised.
• National Education Network
  Free to use clips for education only.

Longer Tracks

Looking for longer tracks to use as background music, musical interludes or simply to listen to yourself for pleasure? Try these sites:

• CCMixter
  A community music remixing site featuring remixes and samples licensed under Creative Commons licenses.
  
• Jonathon Roberts
  Royalty free music tracks from this artist.
  
• Jimmy G
  Royalty free music tracks from this artist.
• Music Alley
  Register and use podsafe music.