Guides for new short-video creators
Each guide answers one question, links the page every fact came from and shows the date it was last checked.
- Free music you can't use on YouTube
Music that is free inside one app is usually licensed for that app only. TikTok and Meta say so in their terms, SoundCloud forbids reuse unless the uploader allows it, and YouTube disowns "royalty-free" channels.
- How to start posting Instagram Reels
You need to be 13 or older. Reels can run to 20 minutes, but Instagram won't recommend one over 3 minutes to new audiences. A free creator account adds insights and shows what you can monetise.
- Safest music for Shorts, Reels and TikTok
On YouTube, use the Audio Library or the in-app sound picker. On Instagram and TikTok, use each app's own library inside the app. For one source across all three, subscribe to Epidemic Sound.
- How to appeal an Instagram music removal
Dispute from the notification Instagram sends you. Meta may restore the Reel itself, pass you to the rights owner or have its staff review it. A country-only block cannot be appealed.
- Instagram music copyright: what gets muted
Meta lets rights owners mute, block or remove a Reel that uses their music without permission. Long, music-heavy clips are the most likely to be limited. Meta's Sound Collection is licensed for its own apps.
- Can you repost TikToks to Shorts and Reels?
Only if the music is yours to take with you. Music added inside TikTok or YouTube is licensed for that platform alone, and a visible watermark from another app makes a video ineligible for TikTok's For You feed.
- Can you use Suno music on YouTube?
Not on the free plan if you want to earn from the video. Suno says free-plan songs are for personal, non-commercial use and cannot be monetised, and subscribing later does not cover them by default.
- Copyright claim vs strike on YouTube Shorts
A claim is an automatic Content ID match that affects one video and never counts against your channel. A strike follows a valid legal removal request, and three strikes in 90 days can end a channel.
- Copyright claims on YouTube vs TikTok
YouTube's Content ID puts a claim on the video, which usually stays up while the revenue moves. TikTok mutes or removes the video instead. Both let you appeal, and both can end an account for repeat infringement.
- Creative Commons music in YouTube videos
CC BY music works in any video if you credit it. SA puts the same licence on your video. NC is out once a video earns money. ND music cannot go in a video at all, because syncing to video counts as adapting it.
- How to appeal a muted TikTok video
Open the notification in your TikTok inbox, select Appeal and explain why you have the rights. If the appeal is approved the audio comes back. Replacing the sound from the Unlimited Sound Library is the faster fix.
- How to dispute a YouTube Content ID claim
In YouTube Studio, open the claim details on the video and choose Take action, then Dispute. Attach your licence details. The claimant has 30 days to respond, and disputing within 5 days protects your revenue.
- How to start on TikTok as a creator
Start with a Personal account, which keeps the full sound library and is the only type eligible for the Creator Rewards Program. That programme needs 10,000 followers, 100,000 views in 30 days and videos over a minute.
- Music licences for Instagram and TikTok
Epidemic Sound, Artlist, Envato and Bensound name Instagram and TikTok in their own pages. NCS and StreamBeats are built around YouTube and Twitch. None of them can stop a platform from muting a video.
- Royalty free vs copyright free music
Royalty free means you pay no fee each time the music plays. It still has an owner and can still be registered with Content ID. Truly copyright-free music is rare, and "no copyright" in a name is usually a licence.
- TikTok Commercial Music Library explained
The Commercial Music Library is the only TikTok music cleared for promoting a brand, product or service. Business Accounts see nothing else, and videos made with it may only be posted on TikTok.
- TikTok music copyright: what gets muted
TikTok does not issue claims. Its audio recognition system mutes the flagged part of a video or removes it. TikTok's own libraries are the safe choice, and outside music can be muted even when you hold a licence.
- What happens when you cancel a music licence
With Epidemic Sound, Artlist and Envato, videos you published while subscribed stay licensed after you cancel. What you lose is the right to publish anything new with the music, even tracks you already downloaded.
- Where to get free music for YouTube Shorts
Start with YouTube's own Audio Library and the Shorts sound picker, which YouTube says won't be claimed. After that, StreamBeats needs no credit, and Incompetech, NCS and Bensound are free if you credit them correctly.
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