Music for YouTube Shorts

You can get full monetization on YouTube Shorts by using music from a direct-licensing service like Epidemic Sound or by using your own original music. Using music from YouTube's native Shorts library will result in a revenue share with the music's rights holders, which reduces your total earnings.

An Epidemic Sound license allows you to collect your full share of ad revenue without losing any of it to music copyright claims. For details on protecting your revenue, read about YouTube Shorts monetization.

You can adjust audio levels in a YouTube Short by using the "Volume" tool in the Shorts mobile editor after recording your clip. This tool allows you to mix the volumes of your added music and a voiceover. For more precise control, you can download audio stems from Epidemic Sound and mix them in an external video editor before uploading.

The length restriction for music from YouTube's in-app library is a maximum of 60 seconds, with some tracks limited to 15 or 30 seconds. If you use a track from a direct-licensing service like Epidemic Sound, you can use any portion of the track for the entire duration of your Short without these time constraints.

You can avoid copyright claims on YouTube Shorts by using music from a direct-licensing provider like Epidemic Sound. Once you connect your YouTube channel to your Epidemic Sound account, a process called safelisting, all music you use is automatically cleared in YouTube’s Content ID system, which prevents claims and protects your monetization. Learn more about safelisting your YouTube channel.

Yes, a single YouTube Short can have multiple songs if you edit the audio in an external video editor like CapCut or DaVinci Resolve before uploading the final video file to YouTube. The native YouTube Shorts editor limits you to using one primary audio track per Short.

You can add music to a YouTube Short from a desktop by first downloading a licensed track from a library like Epidemic Sound and then editing it into your video file with a desktop video editor. After embedding the audio, you upload the final video file directly to YouTube Studio. For step-by-step guidance on this process, see how to add music to YouTube videos.

A business can ensure its music for YouTube Shorts is fully compliant by securing a commercial license plan, such as the Pro or Enterprise plan from Epidemic Sound. These plans are designed for commercial use and provide the necessary legal coverage for branded content, advertisements, and promotional materials.

If you use copyrighted music in a YouTube Short without a license, your video will receive a Content ID claim, and you will be prevented from collecting any ad revenue from it. The revenue generated by that Short will instead be paid to the copyright holder. A service like Epidemic Sound protects your ad revenue from being claimed by music copyright holders.