Feature
Copyright safe music for ads: use music whose licence covers paid ads
Music is safe to use in an ad when its licence covers paid advertising on the platform where the ad runs. Free app libraries, stock music licences and generated tracks each cover different things.
In short
- Copyright safe music for ads is music whose licence covers paid ads on the platform where your ad runs.
- TikTok's Commercial Music Library has 1 million songs that businesses can use free in TikTok ads and posts.
- Stock music sites cover ads only on some plans, such as Epidemic Sound Pro or Soundstripe's $199 Digital licence.
- Popular songs are not safe for ads unless you license them from the people who own them.
- Keep the music file, where it came from, the licence and the date for every ad you run.
- Songs in TikTok's Commercial Music Library, free for business use on TikTok
- 1 million
- Soundstripe's one-song licence that includes paid social ads
- $199
- A Cutroom track of up to 60 seconds, on Basic
- 50 credits
Where to get copyright safe music for ads
There are five common sources. They differ in price and in where the music may be used.
Five sources of music for ads
Read on each company's own pages, 21 September 2026.
| Source | Price | Can you use it in paid ads? |
|---|---|---|
| TikTok Commercial Music Library | Free | Yes, in TikTok ads and business posts |
| YouTube Audio Library | Free | In your YouTube videos. Check each track's licence before using it anywhere else |
| Stock music site | Paid plan or one-song licence | Only on plans that name ads, such as Epidemic Sound Pro |
| A popular song | Negotiated with the owners | Only with a licence from the song's owners |
| A track made in Cutroom | 50 to 130 credits, on Basic | It is made for you; read Cutroom's terms first |
Source: TikTok Commercial Music Library
- Price
- Free
- Can you use it in paid ads?
- Yes, in TikTok ads and business posts
Source: YouTube Audio Library
- Price
- Free
- Can you use it in paid ads?
- In your YouTube videos. Check each track's licence before using it anywhere else
Source: Stock music site
- Price
- Paid plan or one-song licence
- Can you use it in paid ads?
- Only on plans that name ads, such as Epidemic Sound Pro
Source: A popular song
- Price
- Negotiated with the owners
- Can you use it in paid ads?
- Only with a licence from the song's owners
Source: A track made in Cutroom
- Price
- 50 to 130 credits, on Basic
- Can you use it in paid ads?
- It is made for you; read Cutroom's terms first
Free music libraries in the apps
The big apps have free music libraries of their own, made for use on their own platform.
- TikTok's Commercial Music Library has 1 million songs cleared for business use on TikTok, in ads, branded content and normal posts.
- TikTok says businesses cannot use its general music library for commercial content, so business accounts should use the Commercial Music Library.
- YouTube's Audio Library, inside YouTube Studio, has free music you can use in your videos, including videos that earn money.
- Some YouTube Audio Library tracks use a Creative Commons licence. For those, you must credit the artist in the video's description.
- Meta has a free Sound Collection for Facebook and Instagram. Read its terms before you put a track in a paid ad.
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
Stock music licences: check which plan covers ads
Stock music sites sell licences in tiers. The cheapest tier often leaves out ads, so check the plan before you buy.
- Royalty free means you pay once instead of each time the music plays. It does not mean the licence covers ads.
- Epidemic Sound's Creator plan says you cannot use its music in digital advertising for a brand or company.
- Agencies that make ads for clients need a licence that allows client work, such as Soundstripe's Digital licence or Epidemic Sound Pro.
Which stock music plans cover ads
From Epidemic Sound's and Soundstripe's own pricing pages, read 21 September 2026.
| Service | Does not cover ads | Covers ads |
|---|---|---|
| Epidemic Sound | Creator plan | Pro and Enterprise plans |
| Soundstripe, one song | Personal licence, $49 | Digital licence, $199, including paid social and digital ads |
| Soundstripe, subscription | Personal plan | Pro plan and above |
Service: Epidemic Sound
- Does not cover ads
- Creator plan
- Covers ads
- Pro and Enterprise plans
Service: Soundstripe, one song
- Does not cover ads
- Personal licence, $49
- Covers ads
- Digital licence, $199, including paid social and digital ads
Service: Soundstripe, subscription
- Does not cover ads
- Personal plan
- Covers ads
- Pro plan and above
Can you use popular songs in ads?
Only with permission from the people who own the song and the recording. That means a paid licence, usually negotiated with a record label and a music publisher.
- Buying the song or streaming it does not give you the right to put it in an ad.
- Crediting the artist in the caption does not replace permission.
- Using only a few seconds of a song is not automatically allowed.
- A platform can mute or remove an ad that uses music without a licence.
What to keep for every ad
If anyone asks about the music later, these four records answer the question.
- Save the music file itself next to the ad file, not in a chat thread.
- Note where the music came from, such as the library and track name, or the description you typed.
- Note the licence or plan you had, and the date you used the track, because terms change.
- Note the ad account and the platform where the ad ran.
Where Cutroom fits
Cutroom's music tool makes a new track from a description you type, such as 'warm acoustic guitar, no drums'. It is made for you, not taken from a library.
- You pick a length of 15, 30, 60, 90 or 120 seconds. Up to 60 seconds costs 50 credits, 90 seconds costs 90 and 120 seconds costs 130.
- Music comes with Basic, $39.99 a month for 2,500 credits. The free first video and Lite do not include it.
- Leave the lyrics box empty for an instrumental. Type lyrics and they are sung.
- Each track is new, so it is not the same recording other ads use.
- Cutroom does not promise that every use is safe. Read Cutroom's terms before you run a track in a paid ad, and keep a record.
A stock music library compared with a Cutroom track
A stock library wins on choice and paperwork. A Cutroom track is quick and new each time.
Hear the exact track before you pay
Stock music library: Browse and listen firstCutroom: You describe it, then hear itA written licence that names paid ads
Stock music library: Only on the right planCutroom: Read Cutroom's termsTracks longer than two minutes
Stock music library: Full-length songsCutroom: 120 seconds at mostMade at your ad's length
Stock music library: You shorten it yourselfCutroom: 15, 30, 60, 90 or 120 secondsA recording no other ad uses
Stock music library: Popular tracks are used widelyCutroom: A new track each time
| Stock music library | Cutroom | |
|---|---|---|
| Hear the exact track before you pay | Browse and listen first | You describe it, then hear it |
| A written licence that names paid ads | Only on the right plan | Read Cutroom's terms |
| Tracks longer than two minutes | Full-length songs | 120 seconds at most |
| Made at your ad's length | You shorten it yourself | 15, 30, 60, 90 or 120 seconds |
| A recording no other ad uses | Popular tracks are used widely | A new track each time |
Questions people ask
- What music can I use in ads without copyright problems?
- Music whose licence covers paid ads where your ad runs. That can be TikTok's Commercial Music Library for TikTok ads, a stock music plan that names ads, or music made for you. Popular songs need permission from their owners.
- Can I use TikTok music in an ad?
- Yes, if it comes from TikTok's Commercial Music Library. It has 1 million songs that businesses can use free in TikTok ads and posts. TikTok says businesses cannot use its general music library for commercial content.
- Does royalty free mean I can use it in an ad?
- Not always. Royalty free means you pay once, not per use. The licence still decides where you may use the music, and cheaper tiers often leave out ads, like Soundstripe's $49 Personal licence.
- Can I use a song if I credit the artist?
- No. A credit does not replace permission. You need a licence from the song's owners, or music from a library whose licence covers ads.
- Can I use YouTube Audio Library music in ads?
- It is free to use in your YouTube videos, including videos that earn money. Some tracks require a credit to the artist. Check each track's licence before you use it anywhere outside YouTube.
- What does a generated track cost in Cutroom?
- 50 credits for up to 60 seconds, 90 for 90 seconds and 130 for two minutes. Music comes with Basic at $39.99 a month for 2,500 credits. Read Cutroom's terms before you use a track in a paid ad.
Pick music whose licence names ads, and keep a record for every ad. Your first video is free; music comes with Basic at $39.99 a month.