Creating a Theme Song For Your Podcast

So it's time to create a theme song for your podcast, video channel, or live streaming channel.  You probably want to grab a copy of your favorite hit song on your Spotify and use that.  Cool?  Don't do it.  That music is copyrighted and unless you've paid a lot of money for the rights to that hit song, you are not legally allowed to use it in the United States and most countries.  So then what?  We're not lawyers, but we're citing pretty darn good lawyers who validate this information.

Fair Use

Podcast creators love to throw around the term "Fair Use" or use some kind of disclaimer saying "No copyright infringement intended".  Fair use is defined as using copyrighted material under certain circumstances. Section 107 of the US Copyright act says fair use can be used “for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use, scholarship, or research)” and would not be an infringement.

Odds are that your podcast theme doesn't fit one of those categories.  While the odds are low, is it really worth the risk of being sued over your podcast that you do in your spare time?

Buying Music

While your favorite hit licenses are probably not affordable, you can buy some awesome music over at Audio Jungle.  They have an extensive catalog that allows you to purchase music and have the license to use it on your podcast.  

Free Music

There are music tracks out there that are free to use if you give the author credit in your podcast description or music that falls into the public domain.  The catch is that if the music is popular and free, odds are other podcasts will be using it too.  It might hurt the uniqueness of your podcast or video channel.

Voiceover or No Voiceover

Do you want a voiceover to introduce your podcast?  Be prepared to take the video into some kind of audio editors like Garage Band on a Mac or Audacity.  If you're not a pro at sound editing, you might be better off paying someone (see below) or use the audio only.  If you go audio only, keep the intro pretty short (15-20 seconds max) so your audience doesn't lose interest.

Pay Someone to Make a Theme

Maybe you want to buy a theme and want it professionally edited.  It's a lot more affordable than you might think.  Check out Fiverr for some awesome freelancers who can turn around a project for you in a couple of days.

Summary

Don't use copyrighted music without permission or by purchasing a license.  Fair use or silly disclaimers likely won't work.  It's not worth going to court over your podcast.  There are plenty of free and low-cost options that will make your show sound professional.  Be creative, but do it right!

Note: Affiliate links are used in this article.  If you click the link and make a purchase, we get a small referral commission.  It doesn't cost you anything, but your support helps go a long way to keep Stadium Scene going.  Thanks again for your continued support!