Public domain music is free to use for anything, but it takes some care to be sure a track really is public domain.
Composition versus recording
A composition by Bach or Beethoven is in the public domain, but a recording made last year by an orchestra almost certainly is not. For audio you can use directly, the recording needs to be public domain or openly licensed too.
Recordings that are public domain
- Recordings dedicated with CC0 by the performer or producer.
- Very old recordings whose protection has expired. Rules differ by country, and in the United States, sound recordings follow special rules under the Music Modernization Act, so check carefully.
- Some government recordings, such as works made by US federal employees as part of their job, which are not protected by copyright in the US. The underlying composition may still be protected.
Where to look
- Archives and libraries with clear licence labels on each item
- Creative Commons search tools filtered to CC0 or public domain marks
- Collections such as Musopen, which commissioned and released classical recordings to the public domain
- Our free library, which collects 58 CC0 recordings with the source and licence on each track page
How to check a track
- Find the original source, not a re-upload.
- Look for an explicit licence statement or public domain mark on the item itself.
- Check whether the composition is also free to use.
- Save the source page link with your project.
Red flags
Compilations titled "no copyright music" without links to original sources, tracks with no named artist, and anything that sounds like a well-known commercial song.
Written by the Sonvela editorial team with AI drafting assistance, then checked against the sources linked in the text. Spotted an error? Tell us and we will correct it.