Free music, voice overs, sound effects and more are extremely prevalent online. Izabela Russell and I tell you where to get free stuff from and compare it vs. paid audio in this podcast episode.
1. Free Music
There is plenty of good quality free music on the internet.
YouTube Audio Library – for use in YouTube videos and other content you create online as mentioned in episode 61 of the Music Radio Creative podcast.
Apple GarageBand – The loops and samples you can use to create music in GarageBand are completely free to use as long as you’re not reselling the samples – read Apple’s usage terms here.
The cons of good free music is that it often gets well known and overused very quickly so you can end up hearing the same free music beds over and over again. Izabela mentions that free music often won’t tick every single box and you may have specific requirements or require an exclusive music bed which you can pay to have created professionally. She goes on to mention that you shouldn’t expect music to be free as an artist has spent their own time and used their skill to create that track. Would you walk into a restaurant and expect the chef to cook you a free meal?
AudioJungle – this website offers paid music tracks of a high quality and often features musicians selling their own music tracks to make a living online.
2. Free Voice Overs
Buying equipment to get started as a voice over is easy to do and prices are affordable and this means that the voice over industry is an extremely competitive one. Pretty much anyone with a decent microphone can start recording voice overs for money or for free. Voice over artists also tend to be entrepreneurial as we discovered when chatting to Rachael Naylor on episode 60.
RadioDaddy – this website has been a place that voice over talent and those searching for voice overs can get what they want online for free.
There is always going to be a gap in the market for free stuff and we discuss in the podcast that you shouldn’t be afraid of that but should see it as a part of the whole picture.
Why would anyone pay for a voice over then?
- Getting a free voice over is like a lucky dip lottery.
- When you pay you’re buying top notch professional talent.
- You can ask for revisions and work to get what you want.
3. Free Sound Effects
Many production libraries or radio imaging libraries offer some free sampler packs but they are nowhere near what you’d need to image a full radio station, podcast or show. It’s good to try things out, Izabela mentions in the podcast, and those free samples can give you a taste of what you’ll get when you buy a quality sound effects library.
You can get some free radio imaging sound effects here. We also create and sell our own full production libraries. You can browse them here, under SFX & Music category.
4. Free Script Writing
Is there such a thing as script writing? It’s a skill so surely it should be paid for? Radio station owners are always looking for help writing catchy radio station slogans and tag lines. The same is true of DJs and podcasters. Izabela is working on an eBook that will give away some tools to create excellent scripts.
At Music Radio Creative we help our customers to come up with creative scripts but, Izabela argues, it’s a skill and if you want epic copy it’s worth to pay for the time. Another important point to mention is that certain scripts can fall under copyright and rightly so. Someone has put time into creating and crafting an epic script and the last thing you want to do is receive an email telling you that you’ve infringed another person’s copyright.
This applies to anything you accept for free. Make sure you are completely covered legally with regard to copyright and intellectual property.
5. Free Advice
We talk about what we do for free because it helps others but also, as mentioned in the podcast, it helps to promote what we do in a valuable way. Many podcasters offer free advice in the good faith that listeners will view them as a source of knowledge and an authority in their niche. Podcasts with free advice will also live on after our death which is something to think about when you consider your mortality. Check out Podcasters’ Roundtable for discussions on topics like this and more with Ray Ortega, Daniel J. Lewis, Dave Jackson and other great podcasters!
When you pay for advice you get exactly the advice you need without skipping around the subject or getting generic knowledge that may not benefit you.
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Hey Mike I do a lot of free work on Radiodaddy just to help out there are a lot Internet station and DJs who don’t have a lot of money or just to cheap to buy drops or liners.
As for FX I like to buy mines free is ok but you can’t beat a good packet of effects.
Thanks Mike. It’s great to offer a helping hand where you can just like you do. I couldn’t agree more on the paid FX – many of the best production libraries come at a price – well worth it!
Bit of a harsh comment, yes there are people who want a lot for free, but there are also people who would like to learn the industry. Mike I have never been paid for any of the work I do in radio, as a full time volunteer for a community station, everything I do is a learning curve, all your advice and pod casts are a huge welcome to people who are learning and just starting out in the industry… 🙂
Thanks Rob, great to hear your story and path in the radio industry – keep it up. Thanks for listening this week 🙂
Mike I never miss an episode, been with you from day 1 🙂
Hi Mike. A fantastic podcast from you and Izabela.
Very informative.
All my jingle production work is done for free at the moment for Internet radio stations.
It’s a learning curve for me.
Your help and advice is a godsend.
I have now purchased the Killer Hertz 1-4 Bundle which is due to your recommendation on this podcast. It’s downloading as I type this message, and I can’t wait to use it.
Keep up the good work both of you.
Best regards to the whole MRC team.
That’s great news Tony. You’ll love that audio production library. Jeff Thomas has worked on some very high end imaging projects. The most memorable for me are the test transmissions of Virgin Radio UK. Enjoy the FX and please send me something you create with Killer Hertz. I’d love to hear it! 🙂
One thing that is lost in the free vs paid debate. Free is not free, free in this meaning is like a bar offering free chips, nuts or any type of food when you buy a beer. The idea is if you buy a beer you get “free” food. Is it actually free? No, the cost is the beer and in the free items discussed I am sure there is something you are exchanging for the item. Just like your excellent podcast is advertising your services. Now that being said if you are trying to source something for “free” make sure they have an active community. Just like open source software with an active community you will get answers fairly quickly, most likely faster than from paid support.
Thanks for the valuable comment John. I couldn’t agree more that most free stuff is either covered by another cost factor or perhaps a temptation to show what you could have if you were to make a purchase.
Mike & Izabela
Many thanks for the great content and for including my comments in your episode and the shout out. I’m now exploring the resources out there and how I might improve my podcast in the coming weeks.
Kevin
You’re most welcome Kevin. Great to see your comment on this episode and that you’re an active listener to the podcast 🙂 Please let me know what you do to improve your podcast. I’ll be interested to hear about your journey. Thanks!
Thanks for the great resources! As an independent podcaster, I’m always on the lookout for quality tools that help me achieve the goal of producing a great sounding show. These usually aren’t inexpensive items but you’ve provided an excellent starting point for not only “free” but low-cost VO, sound, and music bed resources, not to mention the great MRC podcast full of priceless tips and tricks! Your efforts are very much appreciated. Thanks again!
Thank you for the kind comments Dmitri. It’s great to hear that you found some of these tips valuable.
You can be sure that in 2014 we’ll be bringing more of the same! Thanks for listening 😉