Scoring on a Budget: Royalty-Free Music Tips for Short Films

Music matters in filmmaking—we all know that—but for short films, it often ends up doing a lot of the heavy lifting. Why? Because storytelling, setting the tone, and great performances from your talent take two things that a short film production doesn’t usually have: time and money.

However, hiring a composer or licensing a popular song is expensive. So, how do you elevate your short film with great music without draining your entire budget? One affordable and accessible solution is royalty-free music, like the kind PremiumBeat offers.

PremiumBeat is a highly recommended resource due to the quality of the songs, streamlined integration with YouTube, and price point, so definitely check out its library and see if it’s right for you. If you want to give PremiumBeat a try, you can use the exclusive code NFSPB to get a 15% discount on individual tracks and Unlimited Subscriptions.

What Is Royalty-Free Music, Exactly?

Before talking about royalty-free music, it’s important to first understand what “royalties” are. Royalties are payments you make to a creator each time you want to use their content. And that’s in perpetuity, so you’re looking at paying royalties every month, quarter, or year so your project can contain that creator’s copyrighted content.

So, while “royalty-free” music still costs money (don’t let the word “free” fool you), it’s music that you can license without having to pay perpetual royalties. You only pay once and are free to use it in your project.

When Should You Use Royalty-Free Tracks?

The answer is really simple: any time you need music. Platforms like PremiumBeat have enormous libraries of royalty-free tracks that are good for pretty much everything, including background scores, end credits, and trailers.

So, if your short film budget isn’t large enough to shell out big bucks for a custom score, an end credit track, or a song for your trailer, opting for royalty-free music is a practical way to keep costs low without having to sacrifice quality.

Where to Find Great Royalty-Free Music

There are many platforms out there that offer royalty-free music. Some are free. Some are paid. Some have lots of features. Some don’t. Some have high-quality music, while others have music that is…not great.

Before you choose a platform, though, you need to think about what is most important to you and your short film project. Is it the price — do you need something that won’t eat up your whole budget? Is it quality — do you need your music to sound like it was recorded in a studio? Is it efficiency — are you deadset on finding the absolute perfect track for your short film? Is it security — do you just want the peace of mind of using music that won’t land you in court?

PremiumBeat is a great option for these types of filmmakers, ones who want:

• To keep costs low
• High-quality, studio-recorded music
• Tools that make it easier to find the right tracks for their project
• An easy licensing process that they don’t have to worry about

Tips for Choosing the Right Track

How do you know if you’ve picked the perfect music tracks for your short film? Well, your tracks have to do more work than just sounding cool, that’s for sure. While making your selections, think about these key elements:

• Your Scene’s Emotional Core: Ask yourself this question: What emotion do I want the audience to be feeling during this scene? Your tracks should be able to evoke those emotions.
• Tempo and Pacing: Your track should match the tempo of your scene.
• Music Genre: The genre of your track should match the context of your short film.
• Use Temp Tracks: No need to commit to a single track right away. Test a few of them out first and see which one fits.
• Music Quality: Avoid low-quality tracks at all costs. Seriously. Your audience will thank you for it.

The Legal Stuff

Now we get to the topic most filmmakers dread, but it’s important to understand the basics of copyright laws and proper licensing. Why? Well, if you’re planning on submitting your short film to a film festival or monetizing it on YouTube, you definitely don’t want to run into any legal issues. So, here are a few things you can do to safeguard yourself and your short film:

• Read the license terms before using the track.
• Check if attribution is required (and include it properly if so).
• Avoid sketchy download sites that offer popular music for “free”.

If you really want some peace of mind, PremiumBeat makes licensing music tracks really simple. Subscription tiers, licensing types, and usage rights are all clearly displayed on the website, so you’ll never have to worry about landing yourself in hot water.

Music is a powerful tool in storytelling, especially when you don’t have a ton of time to tell your story, so don’t be bummed out if you can’t afford to hire a composer or license an expensive song. Using royalty-free music is a great option for filmmakers who need high-quality tracks without breaking the bank.

So, have fun with it! Look at your options. Listen for those perfect tracks. You’ll be well on your way to giving your short film a score that sounds like a million bucks.

PremiumBeat is a highly recommended resource due to the quality of the songs, streamlined integration with YouTube, and price point, so definitely check out its library and see if it’s right for you. If you want to give PremiumBeat a try, you can use the exclusive code NFSPB to get a 15% discount on individual tracks and Unlimited Subscriptions.