Making videos on YouTube and Instagram has become a good source of income for many people these days. But many new creators make a big mistake – they use popular songs, music or other people’s video clips without permission. outcome? Suddenly copyright strike comes and sometimes the entire channel gets banned.

The easiest and legal way to avoid this problem is to use Creative Commons properly.

Why does copyright strike occur?
When you put someone else’s music, song or video clip in your video, its real owner reports it to YouTube. YouTube detects automatically. If you get three strikes, your channel may be closed forever. Especially using Bollywood, Hollywood songs or viral video clips is most dangerous.

What is Creative Commons?
Creative Commons is a licensing system in which creators make all or part of their work available for others to use for free. There are 6 types of licenses, but the most useful for YouTube creators are:

CC0 (Public Domain)- Completely free, no credit required.

CC BY- You can use it, but please give credit.

CC BY-NC- For non-commercial (not monetized) use.

Where to get Creative Commons music and clips?

• YouTube Audio Library- The safest and easiest place. Go to YouTube Studio and select music from Audio Library.
• Free Music Archive
• bensound
• Pixabay Music
• Pexels and Pixabay – for free video clips

How to use it properly?

1. Always read the license to see if monetization is allowed.
2. Make sure to give credit in the description of the video (eg: Music by XYZ licensed under CC BY).
3. If ‘Non-Commercial’ is written then do not monetize that music. Use more of your own original music, voiceover or royalty-free music.

Extra Tips

• Check old videos and change wrong music.
• You can also use paid platforms like Epidemic Sound or Artlist (trial available).
• Use Meta’s Music Library for Instagram Reels as well.
• Hard work and originality are necessary to achieve success on YouTube and Instagram. Don’t try to take shortcuts by stealing others’ music or videos.
• By making proper use of resources like Creative Commons and YouTube Audio Library, you can keep your channel safe and earn money in the long run.