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50+ Sources For Royalty-Free Music, 
Sound Effects, Looped Tracks & More 
 
By Dave Courvoisier
Voice Actor & TV News Anchor
 
Have I mentioned I'm a prodigious list-maker? I am. My shrink has yet to explain the significance.
 
With Google around, it may seem a moot point, but then again, Google only provides search results, and the list below is sifted, winnowed, filtered and somewhat vetted.
 
Voice actors are always looking for royalty-free stock music, music beds, sound effects, looped tracks, and public domain music (must be 1922 or older, BTW).
 
Here's a great site that explains public domain, copywriting, and music copying principles: www.pdinfo.com.
 
HEAR IT HERE
 
And below is a list of 50+ royalty-free music sources that I've compiled from - first - my trusted friends at the VO-BB (Voice Over Bulletin Board), and secondly from a Google search using the terms royalty-free, music-beds, public domain and stock music.
 
I can tell you that I've visited each site and found them all to be exactly what they claim to be.
 
Not all sites are made the same, but you'll see a lot of similarities among them:
  • free download samples,
  • graduated pricing structures,
  • an occasional calendar special,
  • packaged specials, and
  • a spectrum of music genres.
Digging into some of the sites will also yield sections that offer looped tracks, special effects, stingers and sound effects.
 
I'd recommend checking out the first 10 or so on the list before going deeper. But they're all genuine!
 
ROYALTY-FREE SOURCES
 
 
ABOUT DAVE ...
 
Dave Courvoisier ("pronounced just like the fine cognac, only no relation") is an Emmy Award-winning broadcaster, writer, producer, voice actor, and the main weeknight news anchor on KLAS-TV, Channel 8, the Las Vegas CBS affiliate. He also writes Voice-Acting in Vegas, a daily blog of adventures and observations in a style that's true to his friendly Midwestern farm roots.

 

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Comments (10)
Mike
9/9/2020 at 3:12 PM
Thank you for this list. I see it was published some years ago, though.

Here's a new resource that offer one of the most affordable options to licensing music for commercial and freelance voice over projects:

https://www.tunepocket.com/music-for-voice-over/
rick
7/15/2016 at 2:33 AM
Thank you for this great music resource. Please consider adding http://www.freemusicpublicdomain.com to your list. It is a wonderful source for royalty free music.
Rainer
12/12/2015 at 5:30 PM
Do you know http://audiobello.com ? It´s a search engine for royalty free music.
Blindfold
7/13/2015 at 11:53 AM
You can also try http://www.blindfoldsound.com/
Jeff Morris
4/7/2013 at 12:25 PM
Hey Dave,
Thanks for the great information. I checked out a bunch of these. I found www.stockmusicstore.com to be really good. The quality of their music is very superior and all of their tracks are $15 or less. I've started using them and have been really impressed.

Thanks again.
Jeff
Andrew
12/13/2010 at 4:39 AM
Please check out this great new site:
http://www.directcomposer.com
Really a whole other level of production music.
cheers,
A
DanoSonsg
5/24/2010 at 9:13 PM
Also please check out http://www.danosongs.com
KJ
5/20/2010 at 7:01 PM
Didn't see this in your list:
http://www.jewelbeat.com
Some free background music and royalty-free sound effects.
Marcus Weems
5/20/2010 at 7:46 AM
As always, Dave, your generosity is appreciated and a continuing example of the attitude that I have found with almost everyone I've encountered in this business. Big "Howdy" from Dallas.
Dave Menashe
5/19/2010 at 1:25 PM
Excellent list - thanks Dave
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