If you’re making any kind of content, from videos, podcasts to games, you’ve most likely come across these terms on your travels:

Royalty-Free. Public Domain. Creative Commons.

These are three distinct and different things; they are not interchangeable. Misunderstanding what your rights are surrounding them will lad you to copyright issues, fast.

Royalty-Free Music

What it means:
You pay for a one-off fee (or access via a license), and you don’t have to pay for ongoing use of the content.

What it doesn’t mean:
Royalty-free does not mean copyright-free.

So, royalty-free music is still copyright protected, but you can use it under a specific licence which will define:

  • Where you’re able to use it
  • Whether you can monetise
  • Whether it’s allow to be used commercially
  • Usage limits

The main takeaway from this is clarity: when licensed properly, royalty-free music is designed for modern creator workflows.

Public Domain Music

What it means:
Either the copyright holder has relinquished their rights, or the copyright has expired. It is available for anyone to use without permission.

The catch:
Not everything labelled “Public Domain” is what it claims to be.

Common mistakes are:

  • Confusing public domain compositions with copyrighted recordings
  • Using modern recordings of old works (which are still copyrighted)
  • Incorrect or misleading uploads online
  • Thinking you can use public domain recordings in Content ID

Public domain is useful – but only if your are crystal clear on both the composition and the recording.

Creative Commons Music

What it means:
The original creator gives a license for use under certain conditions. Some of the licenses allow commercial use, while others don’t. Some ask for attribution. Some won’t allow you to modify the content in any way.

Why it’s easy to get caught out:

  • Attribution gets missed
  • Content later becomes monetised
  • Music is reused outside the original licence scope

Creative Commons is a family of licenses, not just one license with a single set of rules. All the details matter.

So which is safest for creators?

It all really depends on what your specific use case is, ebut most issues occur when:

  • Licences aren’t read carefully
  • Content grows or changes purpose
  • Music gets reused across platforms

Creators working professionally often prioritise clear, explicit licences over “free” options, because clarity scales better than assumptions.

Stop risking your channel’s revenue and momentum on a flawed system.

RouteNote Licensing guarantees that the music you license is protected from Content ID claims, allowing you to focus on what you do best: creating great content.

Click Here to Start Your Claim-Safe Journey Today!