How to credit CC BY music in a YouTube video

To credit CC BY music in a YouTube video, paste a credit line into the video description that names the track, the creator, the source and the license, with links. Uncommon Ear writes that line for every track, and the examples below show what it looks like.

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Example tracks

These are real catalog tracks. The credit line under each row is the one Uncommon Ear generates.

  • kennysvoice Credit required Mid-tempo. Suggested for intro / outro.

    0:30
    Credit to include

    “Trailer Funk - Bed100BPM” by kennysvoice, via Freesound, licensed CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ https://freesound.org/s/347927/

  • FK_Prod Credit required Fast. Suggested for intro / outro.

    0:29
    Credit to include

    “Church organ music” by FK_Prod, via Freesound, licensed CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ https://freesound.org/s/190468/

  • reinsamba Credit required Mid-tempo. Suggested for intro / outro.

    0:23
    Credit to include

    “Church organ 2” by reinsamba, via Freesound, licensed CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ https://freesound.org/s/23417/

  • klankbeeld Credit required Fast. Suggested for loop, intro / outro.

    0:13
    Credit to include

    “Music box loop 36” by klankbeeld, via Freesound, licensed CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ https://freesound.org/s/170097/

  • cocojammin Credit required Fast. Suggested for loop, intro / outro.

    0:30
    Credit to include

    “FAT SQUAD FULL LOOP” by cocojammin, via Freesound, licensed CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ https://freesound.org/s/214512/

Steps

  1. Check which license the track has

    Open the track and read its license badge. CC0 needs no credit. CC BY 3.0 and CC BY 4.0 require credit, and both let you use the track in a monetized video.

  2. Copy the credit line

    Copy the line from the track panel, or read the credit_line field if you use the API or an AI assistant. This is the line for the first example track below:

    Copy the credit line 
    “Trailer Funk - Bed100BPM” by kennysvoice, via Freesound, licensed CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ https://freesound.org/s/347927/

  3. Paste it in the video description

    Add a heading such as Music, then one credit line per track. Creative Commons lets you give credit in any reasonable way for the medium, and the description is where YouTube viewers expect it. For several tracks, put them in a collection and export its credits as text.

  4. Say if you changed the track

    If you trimmed, looped, mixed or processed the track, add a short note, for example: Shortened to 20 seconds. CC BY asks you to indicate changes. Uncommon Ear adds the note when you export a clip or loop.

  5. Credit a clip or loop you exported

    Clips and loops you export from Uncommon Ear carry the credit line in their file tags, along with the license and its terms. Tags do not replace credit, because your audience does not see them. Copy the credit line into your description as well.

  6. Keep a record

    Keep the track page link and the license link in your project notes. A Creative Commons license does not stop another party from filing a claim on a recording. If a claim appears, the links show where the track came from and under which license.

Common mistakes

  • Putting the credit only in a comment. Comments can be deleted, and the description stays with the video.
  • Writing the license name without a link. Include the link to the license text and the link to the source page.
  • Leaving out a change. If you edited the track, say how.
  • Treating CC0 and CC BY as the same. CC0 needs no credit; CC BY always does.
  • Using a CC BY-NC track in a monetized video. NC licenses do not allow commercial use.
  • Relying on the credit tags in an exported file. Viewers never see them, so publish the credit line in the description too.