Bensound

Quick free background music for video, where podcasts are the wrong use case.

Bensound's been a free music staple for over a decade, but the free Creative Commons license explicitly excludes podcasts. Podcast use requires a paid license starting from around 34 euros per track. Free tier is video-only. The trap: many creators don't notice the podcast restriction until they get the takedown notice.

Bensound is a one-composer operation (Bensound himself) that grew into a brand over more than a decade. The free tier is genuinely useful for YouTube and online video projects under a Creative Commons license requiring attribution. But the license explicitly excludes podcasts, audiobooks, and music remixing — a restriction that catches many podcasters off guard because the broader site marketing positions Bensound as 'royalty-free music' without surfacing the use-case restriction prominently. For podcast use, you need a paid Pay-per-track Individual License, Professional License, or Business License, each granted in perpetuity. Pricing starts from 34 euros per track. The licenses are flat-fee perpetual rather than subscription, which means one-time costs but adding up fast for shows that need fresh music regularly. Where it shines is the simplicity of the free model for video creators and the perpetual nature of paid licenses for podcasts. Tracks like 'Acoustic Breeze' or 'Sunny' are widely familiar from years of YouTube ubiquity, which cuts both ways — recognizable but also overexposed. Where it falls short is for podcasters who didn't read the license: the free terms explicitly forbid podcast use, so any creator who pulled a Bensound track from the free tier and dropped it into their show is technically infringing. Best fit for YouTube-first creators, or podcasters willing to buy per-track perpetual licenses for a small number of recurring cues.