Music in podcasts
Using music in your podcast can enhance the listening experience and give your content a professional feel. To use copyrighted music you need, among other things, a license from Stim. This license gives you the right to use music in your podcast and ensures that the music creators receive compensation for their work.
Who needs a license?
If you produce a podcast that contains music, whether it's in the background, as an intro or outro, or as part of the content, you need a license from Stim. This applies to both commercial and non-profit podcasts.
How to use music in your podcast – legally and easily
This guide shows how to do it right from the start, so you can use music professionally and legally – while ensuring that the music creators are paid.
Want to use all music – not just royalty-free?
If you want to choose from all the music in the world and not be limited to royalty-free music, you need Stim's music license for podcasts.
How you use the music affects which rights you need
It doesn't matter if you only play a few seconds, have music in the background, broadcast live or have obtained permission from an artist – you always need a license. Stim's podcast license covers the copyright to the music and is an important step to using music legally.
The three rights you always need
To use music in a podcast you need rights from three different sources:
- The music's copyright – via Stim
This covers the song's melody, lyrics and composition. Stim gives you a license for this right. - The right to the recording – via record labels
This applies to the actual audio track you play back. You need permission from the record label that owns the recording. - Synchronization rights – via music publisher or creator
When you combine music with other content (for example speech), a specific synchronization right is required. Contact the music publisher or the creator directly for this.
This is not in the Stim license
Stim cannot give you the right to use the recorded version of a song, or to combine the music with other content (synchronization). These rights must be obtained by you from the record label and the music publisher or the creator.
Intro, outro or jingle? Special rules apply
Do you want an intro, outro or a theme for example for advertising or recurring segments? Then the Stim license is not enough – you also need permission from the owner of the recording and the synchronization rights required.
Quick checklist: Do you have the right licenses?
- Stim license for the song itself (melody, lyrics and composition)
- Permission from the record label to play the sound recording
- Synchronization rights from the music publisher or creator (for speech + music)
Now you're ready!
With the right licenses and rights in place you can use music in your podcast in a secure and professional way. You gain access to an enormous selection of music – and those who created the music receive the correct compensation.
Do you have questions? Please get in touch – we're happy to help!