Music for a podcast intro: which license you need

Music for a podcast intro is the first thing your listeners hear, and it is easy to borrow a few seconds of a song you like without a second thought. A few seconds of a song you like is still a song someone else made, so the intro needs a license that names podcasts. This guide covers what that license should say, when you need to give credit, which uses need more than a basic license, and how one weekly show picks a track and a version.

Why music for a podcast intro needs a license

The U.S. Copyright Office's guide for musicians explains that a recorded song can involve two works protected by copyright: the musical work (the composition and any lyrics) and the sound recording. It adds that these are subject to different rules and are commonly owned and licensed separately.

For a podcaster, that means a track you hear somewhere is not free to reuse just because it is short, or because your show is small. You need permission from someone who can give it, for the way you use it. That is what a music license is.

Wavecrate gives that permission for music it makes itself. Its plans and licenses page answers the question new podcasters ask most, "Do I own the music?", with: "No. You get a license to use it. We keep the copyright."

What the license should say

Before you pick a track, read its license for three things:

• Podcasts are named. Wavecrate's music table lists "YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Twitch, podcasts" in its first row, and all three licenses tick it.
• Monetized shows are covered. If you run sponsors or earn from your feed, look for that. On Wavecrate, "Monetized channels" is ticked under Free, Standard and Extended.
• Credit rules are clear. Some licenses ask for credit, some do not. On Wavecrate, Free needs credit text in the description, and Standard and Extended do not.

Every Wavecrate license also comes with a certificate and a code that anyone can check on the verify page, without an account. Keep it with your show notes.

Free, Standard or Extended for a podcast

Here is how the three licenses on a music track fit a podcast. The prices are the ones listed on one track page, Porch Light, on 9 October 2026, for when sales open. Paid licenses are not on sale yet (Wavecrate says purchases open soon), while tracks marked Free can already be downloaded with a free account.

• Free. Only on tracks marked Free. It covers online videos and podcasts, with credit text in the description. A free account gets 3 free downloads a month.
• Standard, $15 on Porch Light. Online content for one creator or business, with no credit needed. Your registered channels are printed on the certificate.
• Extended, $49 on Porch Light. Everything in Standard, plus paid ads, TV and radio broadcast, apps, games and client work.

For an ordinary show you make and publish yourself, Free (on a Free track, with credit) or Standard covers the intro. Extended is for the cases in the next section.

When a podcast intro needs Extended

Three situations move a podcast intro out of Standard on Wavecrate's table:

• You run the intro in a paid ad. A paid promo for your show that uses the intro music is paid advertising, which is Extended only.
• The show goes out on radio. TV, radio and cinema are Extended only, even if the same episode is also a podcast.
• You make the show for a client. Producing a podcast for a company or another host is client work, which is Extended only.

Wavecrate's Pro plan does not change this: it gives Standard licenses on the whole catalog and never Extended. The pricing page says that, once purchases open, moving from Standard to Extended will cost only the difference.

A worked example: a weekly interview show

Say you host a weekly interview podcast about travel. You want a warm, relaxed intro of about 20 seconds that you can talk over, and you will publish on your own feed and post clips to Instagram.

1. Search by feel and numbers. On Wavecrate you can filter music by mood, BPM, key and energy. You pick a happy mood and a relaxed energy, and land on Porch Light: an acoustic instrumental at 96 BPM in G major, tagged travel.
2. Pick a version. The track page offers the full track (1:20), a 30 second edit (0:30) and a loop of 8 bars (0:20). For an intro you talk over, the loop or the 30 second edit saves you editing the full track down.
3. Pick a license. Porch Light is marked Free, so you can use the Free license and put the credit text in each episode's description. If you would rather have no credit line, Standard is listed at $15 on its page, for when sales open.
4. Keep the proof. Save the certificate and its code in your show folder, next to the episode template, so the license is easy to find later.

Six months in, you decide to run a paid ad for your show that uses the intro. Now that use is paid advertising, so it needs Extended for that track, listed at $49 on its page.

If you plan to use many tracks (an intro, an outro, and beds under segments), Pro is listed at $99 a year or $12 month to month and is not on sale yet; it gives Standard licenses on every track, in all three versions. The pricing page also says that content you publish while subscribed stays covered after Pro ends.

Four mistakes to avoid with intro music

• Thinking a short clip is fine. Length does not change who holds the rights to a song, and the Copyright Office warns musicians not to assume they can freely use other works.
• Dropping the credit line. If you use a Free license, the credit text belongs in the description of every episode that plays the track, not only the first one.
• Using a Free license for a paid promo. The Free license covers online videos and podcasts. A paid ad for your show is a different use, and on Wavecrate it needs Extended.
• Expecting Pro to cover everything. Pro gives Standard on every track, which suits a show you publish yourself. Radio, paid ads and shows you make for a client still need Extended per track.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use a few seconds of a popular song as my podcast intro?

Do not assume you can. The U.S. Copyright Office warns against assuming you can freely use other works, and notes that a recorded song can carry two copyrights, the composition and the recording, which are often licensed separately.

Do I need to credit the music in my podcast?

It depends on the license. On Wavecrate, the Free license needs credit text in the description, while Standard and Extended need no credit line.

Does a monetized podcast need an extended license?

Not on Wavecrate's table. Monetized channels are covered by Free, Standard and Extended; paid ads, radio broadcast and client work are what need Extended.

What happens to my old episodes if I cancel Pro?

Wavecrate says content you publish while subscribed stays covered. New downloads after Pro ends need a free download, a single license, or Pro again.

Get started

Browse Wavecrate: you can join free and download items marked Free now, paid licenses are not on sale yet (purchases open soon), and every download comes with a license certificate and a code anyone can check on its verify page. Filter by mood and energy, try the loop or the 30 second edit under your voice, and keep the certificate with your show notes.