For any content creator, music is always one of the most complex issues to manage. What songs can I use? If it’s only a few seconds, could I have trouble posting here? Covering each and every platform is complex, so we are going to focus on Instagram, what music can I use in my publications, stories or direct.
What music can I use on Instagram
When you ask yourself what music you can use on Instagram, the quick answer is: all of which you have reproduction rights or are your own author. However, Instagram has updated its rules when it comes to using music with rights , to make clear what can happen when you publish one type of content or another on your platform.
And it is that it is not the same to publish a story to a publication in the main feed, in which you normally work with previously recorded material and there is post-production. What’s more, that’s where most problems really arise. Because an option would be to resort to royalty-free music, but that is not always interesting due to the limited number of quality pieces there are. So if you abuse, you end up sounding just like a tech analysis, travel vlog, or cooking recipe.
This is why many creators search for music in other libraries and repositories, but without considering whether or not it is a copyrighted piece. And of course, this can be a problem since the content could end up blocked or directly removed from the platform. So, regardless of whether or not you are a professional content creator or a regular user, you are interested in knowing how to use all kinds of music on Instagram.
Instagram and the use of music with rights
With the sudden increase in the use of live shows, Instagram has updated the criteria and cases that are considered when publishing content with copyrighted music. Some measures that seek to help and protect the artists, composers and partners that work in the production of these pieces.
If you are going to use copyrighted music, here is what you should know based on what you are going to post on Instagram. But first a clarification: the music that you can add to your Instagram posts through the Music sticker or the one that can be added by importing it from services such as Spotify, SoundCloud or Shazam does not count. It is music with rights, but the company has reached agreements with those who manage them and you can freely use them from these insertion options.
Now, what happens if you publish music with rights in stories, direct or feed publications.
Music in the stories
When you publish a story there is no limitation. You can show a live performance of an artist while playing their music or other video where a copyright protected theme plays in the background.
Music in general feed posts
In the publications that you are going to make within your main feed, the rules are similar to those of the stories, but with some limitations . First of all you can publish some video content where music is played with rights as long as they are exceptional occasions. Imagine, a performance by a musician.
However, if it is a piece that you have chosen to set your video, you should know that you cannot do it. Therefore, you risk that the content is detected, blocked and even deleted.
Live music
In the case of live shows, not only is everything clearer, there will also be warnings. You cannot directly play copyrighted music . If that happens, the platform will detect it more quickly and will show a warning on the screen indicating that if you do not solve the situation, the video will end up being interrupted, blocked and even deleted.
So keep that in mind and control what is playing while you are doing a live on Instagram, especially if you later intend to save it on IGTV so that it can be seen in the future by any user who accesses your profile.
Where to find music for Instagram
At this point, it is clear what Instagram’s policy is regarding the reproduction of copyrighted music on its platform. If you have the rights there will be no consequence, but if you do not, you will risk your content being affected.
In the case of needing music for publications, stories or direct, on Facebook they have a section with a wide variety of music , both by style and duration. And then, if you are looking for something with a greater repertoire and, sometimes, quality, there are services such as Epidemic Sound, Artlist.io or MusicBed that, from a subscription, allow access to a wide catalog of music for your networks and other audio and video.
