While it’s easy to get caught up in the visual branding of your podcast, your podcast’s sonic branding has never been more important. A new study from Veritonic reveals that:
- 50% of podcast listeners connect with a show’s sonic branding more than its visual branding
- 64% of listeners feel more connected to a brand when it has a sound identity
- 58% of listeners find sound elements most memorable
But still, for many podcasters, music is an afterthought.
With so many moving parts, we understand why music can fall to the back burner, but in this blog, we’re going to dive into why creating a sonic brand for your podcast is key and the websites we trust to help you set the soundtrack for your series.
The different music options for your podcast
Selecting the right music for your podcast enhances the listener experience and establishes a recognizable brand for your show. However, before selecting your sound bites, it's crucial to understand the different licensing types to avoid copyright issues.
Creative Commons music
Creative Commons (CC) music allows creators to use tracks with certain conditions set by the original artist. Many CC licenses stipulate that you must credit the artist when using their music.
However, some variations, such as "No Derivatives" licenses, prohibit altering the music in any way. Additionally, some CC licenses restrict commercial use, which may impact monetized podcasts. For these reasons, we suggest always reviewing the specific license before adding a track to your episodes.
Royalty-free music
Royalty-free music is a popular choice for podcasters because it eliminates the need to pay recurring fees. Instead, users pay a one-time fee or subscribe to a service for access to a music library. However, "royalty-free" does not mean "free to use" — restrictions may still apply regarding how the track is used or distributed.
Public domain music
Public domain music consists of tracks no longer under copyright protection, meaning they are free for anyone to use without restrictions. This typically includes classical compositions and older recordings whose copyrights have expired. While this is a cost-effective option, verifying a track's public domain status is important, as copyright laws vary by country.
Copyright-free music
Although often confused with royalty-free music, copyright-free music technically has no copyright claims attached. In reality, very few songs fall into this category, as most compositions have some form of ownership. If you come across a track labeled "copyright-free," ensure that the creator has explicitly waived their rights before using it in your podcast.
Custom music
While this is a less popular option for smaller podcasts due to the cost, you can always hire a composer, musician, or songwriter on UpWork or similar apps to create custom music for your series. This can include an intro, outro, background music for different scenarios, and more.
Where to find music for your podcast
1. Riverside
Price: Free (paid plans starting a $19/month)
Best for: Podcasters already using Riverside
If you’re already recording your podcast on Riverside, you don’t need to look elsewhere for music. The platform’s editor provides a library of 88 royalty-free tracks, including intros, outros, underscores, and transitions. This built-in music selection makes it easy to enhance your episodes without leaving your editing workflow.
Key features:
- Access royalty-free music directly within Riverside's editing interface
- Search tracks by categories such as lifestyle, news, and gaming
2. Pixabay Music
Best for: High-quality instrumental background music
Price: Free
Pixabay is well-known for its free stock images, but it also offers a robust selection of royalty-free music. The platform provides a smooth browsing experience, allowing you to filter tracks by genre, mood, duration, and more. Whether you’re looking for ambient music, cinematic scores, or upbeat tunes, Pixabay has a wide variety of options.
Key features:
- 100% royalty-free music, with no attribution required
- Easy-to-use interface with powerful search filters
- Search by genre, mood, tempo, and length
3. Incompetech
Best for: Searching tracks by genre and beats per minute (BPM)
Price: Free with attribution; paid licenses available
Incompetech is a go-to resource for podcasters, YouTubers, and advertisers. It offers a vast music library, many of which are specifically designed for content creators. You can browse tracks by mood, tempo, or genre, making it easy to find the perfect background music for your podcast.
Key features:
- Large collection of royalty-free music
- Search by mood, tempo, or genre
- Free with attribution, or purchase a license for use without credit
4. Pond5
Best for: Podcasters looking for exclusive, high-quality music
Price: Starts at $5 per track
Pond5 is a premium stock media platform that offers an extensive collection of music, sound effects, and other multimedia assets. With over one million tracks to choose from, it provides high-quality music for podcasters who want polished and professional soundscapes. While it’s a paid platform, the pricing is flexible, with options for individual track purchases or subscription plans.
Key features:
- Extensive library with over one million tracks
- One-time purchase or subscription options
- High-quality, professional-grade music
5. PremiumBeat
Best for: Professional-quality music with easy licensing options
Price: Plans start at $9.99/month
PremiumBeat, a Shutterstock company, specializes in providing exclusive, high-quality tracks that work well for podcasts, videos, and commercials. The platform’s curated collection ensures that every song meets professional production standards. Licensing is straightforward, making it an excellent option for brands and creators who want a seamless music acquisition process.
Key features:
- Exclusive, high-quality tracks
- Simple and clear licensing
- A curated selection of professional-grade music
6. AudioJungle
Best for: Budget-friendly paid music with a variety of styles
Price: Starts at $1 per track
AudioJungle, part of Envato Market, offers an affordable way to purchase royalty-free music. It has a vast selection of tracks across different styles, making it easy to find music that matches your podcast’s tone. The platform also offers a subscription option for users who need regular access to new music.
Key features:
- Affordable pricing starting at $1 per track
- Huge selection of royalty-free music across different styles
- Subscription plans available for frequent users
7. Epidemic Sound
Best for: Podcasters who need unlimited access to royalty-free music
Price: Starts at $9.99/month
Epidemic Sound is one of the most popular music licensing platforms for content creators. With a single subscription, you get unlimited access to thousands of tracks and sound effects, all cleared for podcasting, YouTube, and social media. The music is categorized by mood, genre, and length, making it easy to find the perfect fit for your episodes.
Key features:
- Unlimited access to high-quality music and sound effects
- Simple licensing with no need for attribution
- Frequently updated music library
8. Artlist
Best for: Unlimited downloads with a single subscription
Price: Starts at $9.99/month
Artlist is a great option for podcasters who need a consistent flow of high-quality, royalty-free music. Unlike platforms that charge per track, Artlist provides unlimited downloads with a subscription, making it a cost-effective solution for creators producing multiple episodes or series. The platform also offers sound effects and stems for more advanced audio customization.
Key features:
- Unlimited downloads with a single subscription
- High-quality, cinematic-style music
- Includes sound effects and music stems for advanced editing
9. Audio Network
Price: Free to start; prices per track vary
Best for: High-quality, royalty-free music
Audio Network offers a premium library of over 200,000 original music tracks, catering to all types of audio production needs. Whether you need a powerful orchestral score or an upbeat indie track, this platform has something for every podcast. Audio Network's flexible licensing options ensure that creators only pay for what they need, and all tracks are pre-cleared for worldwide use.
Key features:
- Easily filter tracks by mood, style, instrumentation, and more
- Brief the team at Audio Network, and they’ll curate a selection of tracks tailored to your project within one business day
- Pay only for what you need with pricing structures that adapt to your specific project
10. Freesound
Price: Free
Best for: Royalty-free music and sound effects at no cost
Freesound is a great option for podcasters working on a tight budget, as it offers a wide selection of audio clips, music, sound effects, and recordings — all available under the Creative Commons license.
While the quality can vary, this platform gives you access to thousands of free sounds that can be used in your projects, provided you follow the specific usage restrictions. Freesound also allows users to upload their own audio clips, creating a community-driven space for sharing sounds.
Key features:
- Download and use audio tracks at no cost, as long as you comply with the Creative Commons licensing
- Upload their own audio and collaborate with others in the sound design community
- An efficient search function and tag filters
Why your podcast’s music choice matters
Selecting the right music for your podcast is more than just an aesthetic choice; it influences how your audience perceives your content. Here are the main reasons why getting it right matters.
Enhances brand recognition
Think of the most iconic brand jingles — the McDonald’s "bah-dah-bah-bah-bahhh" or Intel’s signature chime. These sounds are instantly recognizable and trigger a connection to the brand. The same principle applies to podcasts.
Your choice of intro, outro, or transition music serves as an audio signature, helping listeners immediately associate the sound with your show. Research from Leicester University suggests that listeners are 96% more likely to remember brands that use music aligned with their identity. If your music is unique, consistent, and reinforces your podcast’s personality, it will make your show more memorable and recognizable.
Emotional responses and engagement
Music has the power to set the mood for your podcast. Whether you want to evoke excitement, curiosity, nostalgia, or relaxation, the right soundtrack enhances the tone of your content.
Take Serial, for example. Even if you haven’t listened in years, the moment you hear the high-pitched piano keys and muffled telephone audio —“This is a Global Tel Link prepaid call from Adnan Syed”— you’re instantly transported back to the gripping storytelling that defined the show.
That’s why we always suggest carefully selecting music that complements your storytelling to immerse your listeners and make your podcast more compelling and memorable.
The wrong music choice detracts from the listener's experience
Just as the right song can reinforce your brand identity, the wrong music can weaken it. Using royalty-free music libraries can be convenient, but many podcasters unknowingly select tracks that are already being used in ads, YouTube videos, and even other podcasts.
Imagine hearing the Friends theme song — “So no one told you life was gonna be this way”— only to realize it’s being used in a car commercial. That disconnect can be jarring. If your podcast’s theme song is also playing in a skincare ad or a random TikTok trend, it dilutes the emotional connection listeners have with your brand.
To avoid this, consider:
- Custom music: Hiring a composer or sound designer for an exclusive track
- Less common licensing libraries: Investing in higher-tier music that fewer creators have access to
- Audio branding elements: Adding unique sound effects, voice cues, or audio motifs to make your podcast stand out
Strengthen listener loyalty and habit formation
Have you ever heard a song and immediately remembered a specific moment in your life? That’s because music is tied to memory through the phonological loop, a process that helps us retain and recall sounds.
By using consistent music across episodes, you can create a sense of familiarity and comfort for your audience. When listeners hear your intro music, it signals that they’re entering a space they recognize and enjoy. By building this audio familiarity, you increase listener retention and strengthen your community.
Podcasts with sonic brands we know and love
Swindled
The slow-building music and old-timey new reporter overlay set the perfect tone for Swindled, a podcast focused on true crime and corporate greed. The music is dark, intense, and suspenseful, with an ominous rhythm that immediately pulls the listener into the world of deception and fraud.
This works so well for Swindled because it mirrors the core themes of the show: uncovering dark secrets and exposing the hidden machinations behind corporate malfeasance. The slow, deliberate pace of the music builds a sense of anticipation, priming the listener for the shocking revelations to come.
You can check it out for yourself here.
The Daily
The intro and outro music for The Daily has become a sonic signature of listeners' daily routines. Hearing the same music every morning gives the audience a sense of familiarity, creating a predictable moment that helps listeners ease into the news without distraction, making it feel like a reliable part of their routine.
You can read more about the theme song in this post by The New York Times.
Darknet Diaries
The theme music for Darknet Diaries works perfectly with the show’s focus on cybercrime, hacking, and the hidden world of the internet. The intro features a haunting, electronic beat that creates an eerie, suspenseful atmosphere, immediately setting the tone for the dark and mysterious stories the podcast tells.
The pulsing rhythm and layered, glitchy sounds enhance the intro by making the listener feel like they're stepping into a world of intrigue and danger, creating a sense of anticipation and excitement that complements the storytelling style.
Listen to the song alongside the animation here.
Armchair Anonymous
A great example of a more humorous, low-production intro is Armchair Anonymous. With its energetic rhythm, upbeat instrumentation, and quirky vocal elements, the song immediately sets the tone for the listener experience. The distinct and catchy melody makes it instantly recognizable, reinforcing brand identity and creating a sense of familiarity for returning listeners.
FAQs about using music in your podcast
Now we’ll be leaving you with some commonly asked questions about using music in your podcast, so you can feel confident selecting music you love (and that you’re entitled to use).
Can I use any song in my podcast if I credit the artist?
Giving credit to the artist does not replace the need for proper licensing. If a song is copyrighted, you must obtain permission from the copyright holder or use a properly licensed track to avoid legal trouble or having your podcast removed from listening apps.
Is it true that I can use a few seconds of a song without permission?
Not necessarily. There is no fixed time limit that allows you to use copyrighted music under "fair use." Even a short clip can be considered an infringement if you don’t have the right to use it.
What if my podcast is not making money? Can I still use copyrighted music for free?
No, copyright law applies regardless of whether your podcast is generating revenue. Even if you’re not making money, you still need permission to use copyrighted music.
What happens if I use copyrighted music without permission?
Your podcast could be taken down from platforms, and you may receive a copyright claim or even legal action. Some rights holders allow content creators to license their music retroactively, but this isn’t guaranteed.
Selecting the right music for your podcast
Selecting the right music for your podcast is a crucial step in crafting a memorable and engaging listener experience. Music plays a pivotal role in podcast branding, helping to establish your show’s identity, evoke emotions, and create a lasting impression on your audience.
Whether you choose royalty-free music, licensed tracks, or custom compositions, understanding music licensing types and selecting audio that aligns with your brand identity is key to developing a strong sonic presence. The right background music, intro, and outro enhance brand recognition, reinforce storytelling, and create a seamless listening experience.
By carefully curating your podcast’s soundscape, you can set the right tone for your content, strengthen listener loyalty, and ensure your show stands out in an increasingly competitive podcasting landscape.
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