Despite the increased variety of online social video platforms available to creators today, YouTube remains the top and best option for those looking to launch their channels, brands, and careers.
Sure, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook are hugely popular apps, but when people seek answers or entertainment, they still predominantly turn to YouTube. When it comes to educational content, or at least videos that answer questions and explain concepts, YouTube remains the king.
If you’ve ever considered making YouTube explainer videos or similar content on other platforms, there are some crucial production elements to keep in mind. The most important thing is that music, and in particular royalty free music, can make or break the success of your video.
Let’s go over some of our top picks for the best royalty free music for explainer videos on YouTube. We’ll provide some context on what royalty free music is and why it'll be your best option to keep your videos free and clear of any copyright strikes or issues. And we’ll also provide you with some top tracks and playlist recommendations to help you get started.
What is an explainer video?
While the term “explainer video” can be a catch-all phrase that encompasses a wide range of video types, speaking generally, an explainer video is any video that explains a concept, product, phrase, or idea.
As you can see in the example video above, an explainer video can be created to explain what an explainer video is. Pretty meta, right?
Overall, you’ll most often see explainer videos created by brands to explain products or services, or to better explain concepts or concerns. For example, a law firm might create an explainer video to explain what to do if you get a traffic ticket. Or a furniture company might make an explainer video that goes over how to put together a piece of furniture that’s been shipped in separate parts.
What makes a good explainer video
As mentioned above, explainer videos can vary drastically. However, speaking generally again, explainer videos do often follow some specific guidelines. For one, explainer videos should be concise, easy to follow, and straightforward to understand.
Animation or motion graphics are often used in explainer videos as they’re easily watchable and straightforward to follow along with. Text is also often used in explainer videos as a way to go over more information quickly.
There are also genres of explainer videos where a host shows the audience how to do something, such as changing the oil in a car or fixing a broken television remote. These could also be called self-help videos, but can also fall into the explainer video genre.
10 top royalty free songs for explainer videos
Regardless of what type of explainer video you’re interested in creating, the one thing that every video needs across the board is good explainer music to set the tone, reinforce the message, and keep viewers engaged from start to finish. For better or worse, explainer videos aren’t always the most interesting types of content.
High-quality and engaging background music for explainer videos is your best bet to make your content feel fun, informative, and watchable. To help you with your projects, here is some of the the best music for explainer videos - ten royalty free songs that will help you accomplish your goals.
- Description: A low-energy, electronic song best described as chill and romantic. Synth and bass are the primary instruments in this track.
- BPM: 100
- Key: C Minor
- Listen and license here
- Description: A medium-energy rock song that is best described as hopeful and inspiring. The guitar and electric guitar are the primary instruments on this track.
- BPM: 74
- Key: A Major
- Listen and license here
3. Tropical Dance by Material Gurl
- Description: A medium-energy corporate song that is best described as fun and happy. Percussion and xylophone/mallets are the primary instruments in this track.
- BPM: 105
- Key: F Major
- Listen and license here
- Description: A low-energy, electronic song that is best described as chill and reflective. Synth and bass are the primary instruments in this track.
- BPM: 105
- Key: F Minor
- Listen and license here
- Description: A low-energy, electronic song that is best described as chill and romantic. Bass and synth bass are the primary instruments in this track.
- BPM: 117
- Key: G Minor
- Listen and license here
- Description: A medium-energy, funk song that is best described as fun and happy. Bass and bass guitar are the primary instruments in this track.
- BPM: 93
- Key: A Minor
- Listen and license here
7. Curious Play by Cast Of Characters
- Description: A low-energy, corporate song that is best described as fun and happy. Percussion and xylophone/mallets are the primary instruments in this track.
- BPM: 110
- Key: G Major
- Listen and license here
- Description: A medium-energy, electronic song that is best described as happy and fun. Synth and bass are the primary instruments in this track.
- BPM: 103
- Key: C Minor
- Listen and license here
- Description: A medium-energy pop song that is best described as fun and happy. Percussion and bells are the primary instruments in this track.
- BPM: 90
- Key: C Major
- Listen and license here
- Description: A medium-energy, acoustic song that is best described as fun and happy. Guitar and acoustic guitar are the primary instruments in this track.
- BPM: 102
- Key: C Minor
- Listen and license here
These are just a few recommended explainer video tracks from our royalty free music collection, which we encourage you to explore further in our full catalog on our Soundstripe app.
What is royalty free music?
We’ve also mentioned a term here a few times that you might not be familiar with. “Royalty free music” is a music licensing phrase that can sound odd, but it’s quite simple. Here’s a great read on what royalty free music means.
To understand how music rights and royalties work, you must understand that all music has basic copyrights. These copyrights extend to both the composer of the music and the musicians who recorded it. And if you want to use any music in any videos, you’ll need to obtain permission from the copyright owners.
Royalty free music can be an excellent option for all your explainer videos, simply because it’s easy to find and use. Soundstripe’s music is composed and recorded by Grammy-winning artists who know how to make great music for all types of films and video content.
Tips for using royalty free music in your explainer videos
Once you’ve selected the ideal soundtrack for your YouTube explainer videos, here are some helpful tips, tricks, and resources
- If you want to go the animated route, try Adobe Character Animator for an easy-to-use animation program.
- Generative AI does quite well with basic motion graphics videos these days. Explore various AI video models.
- Consider downloading preview tracks to use as placeholders in your edits before deciding if a track is right for your project.
- Explore our library of royalty free sound effects to add extra energy and action to your animated videos.
- Try out Soundstripe’s AI Song Editor to instantly edit your audio track to match the length of your videos.
And finally, just remember to keep things simple. The best explainer videos are those that are direct and to the point, without cluttering the information they need to convey. The rest is up to you.
