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Music Licensing for Social Media and Ads

If My Post Becomes an Ad or TV Spot, Am I Still Covered?

A group of logos for different types of social media apps that require specific music licensing for ads on their platforms
by Jourdan Aldredge

While it feels like social media has been around for ages at this point, in many ways, the world of social content is very much still a new space, which brands and creators alike are still trying to fully understand.

Social media may feel personal—driven by people sharing thoughts, photos, and videos with friends and family—but it has also grown into one of the biggest channels for marketing and advertising. That’s why music licensing on social platforms is such a crucial consideration for both brands and creators.

Many brands and agencies run into trouble here. The rules for using copyrighted material, like music, are very different for personal accounts compared to business or brand accounts, and overlooking those differences can lead to serious copyright issues.

To help clear up this distinction, let’s look specifically at what happens if your social post becomes a paid ad or television spot, and whether or not you’re still covered by your music license.

The complexity of licensing for different platforms

An iPhone displays different social media icons, while the user learns about music licensing for social media

As we’ll explore below, there’s a lot to unpack with the question above. To address this concern and many others, we must first explain the complexities of licensing music for different platforms.

If you aren’t familiar with what music licensing is and how options like royalty-free music work, here are some helpful music licensing guides. Simply put, though, all music has natural copyrights associated with it that must be secured for it to be used for any commercial purposes.

The umbrella that covers what can be considered “commercial use” is quite broad, and a good rule of thumb to remember is that if you’re financially benefiting from any content in any way whatsoever, you’ll want to properly license music and other assets.  Skipping this step could put you in violation of copyright laws, leaving your content at risk of being muted, blocked, or removed across social platforms.

To simplify music licensing, many companies offer tiered fee structures that outline how assets like music can be used across marketing, broadcast, and commercial projects. These rights can also extend to areas such as television, OTT, and mass-market media—like music in TV ads—and often require enterprise-level deals for broader protection and indemnification.

If you’re curious to learn more about enterprise plans at Soundstripe and how they work, find out more info in this guide.

Understand the scope of your initial license

As mentioned above, there are specific differences between organic content and promotional content. Look into any of the terms of service guidelines on any major social media platform. You’ll find specific (but often similar) language about how each company approaches these two types of content.

When licensing music and other assets for your posts and content, it’s essential to check the limits of your license. Just because you’ve worked out a deal with a musician or record label to use music for one post doesn’t necessarily mean it’s covered for other uses.

Similarly, when you work with a music licensing company like Soundstripe—offering multiple subscription and licensing options—you can be confident your content is protected from takedowns both now and in the future.

Find the best royalty-free music for your social posts

A content creator in a white shirt sits in front of her phone and laptop, researching about how to get a license music for commercial use

Don’t let any of the above scare you too much. If you’re just a regular Joe looking to post videos on his or her social media page, there are a lot of options available to you. In fact, we have hand-picked royalty-free music recommendations for all of the different social media platforms. 

Check out these tailored song recommendations from the Soundstripe blog below.

How Soundstripe simplifies cross-channel licensing

How does Soundstripe do this? Great question, let’s explore!

Soundstripe offers flexible subscription plan options that cater to different levels of licensing needs. Here are the three main subscription plans which hobbyists, freelancers, and solo creators should consider:

  • Personal: For hobbyists licensing for non-commercial projects, like a graduation video or wedding slideshow.
  • Pro: For creators and freelancers licensing for their work or client projects, like a videographer sharing a how-to video on their YouTube channel.
  • Business: For agencies, brands, and other organizations licensing commercially for TV ads and more.

You can find out more info about each option on the Soundstripe pricing page here. The Business plan might be the best option for the majority of brands, businesses, and agencies looking for custom sync options. It’s designed to support everything from using music in advertising on social media, to more advanced music licensing for commercials, giving you a license tailored to your specific requirements.

Get the help you need

A group of content creators research music licensing for ads on their cellphones

At the end of the day, navigating the tricky world of music licensing for social media content can be pretty perplexing these days. If you ever have questions about whether or not your content might need more protection, we’re happy to help—just reach out to the Soundstripe Customer Care team here.

Still looking for more resources and help with your music licensing questions? Here are some additional articles from our blog that we’d recommend checking out.