databases & archives

Databases for Creative Commons and Public Domain Audio

If you plan to publish your audio piece, you should only use music and sounds that are in the public domain or published under a Creative Commons license (or that you create yourself). The list below, courtesy of the UM Podcasting and Audio Storytelling Resource Guide, contains some of the most common sound libraries used by audio creators.

• ccSearch

• Free Music Archive

• FreeSound

• Musopen

• YouTube’s Public Domain Audio Library

• BBC Sound Effects Library

• Blue Dot Sessions

More Online Sound Archives — may not be public domain. Check specific sites for copyright details.

• Old Time Radio Archive

• PennSound Archive of poetry readings (alphabetical index by author)

• UbuWeb sound archive (extensive avant garde arts archive)

• Pacifica Radio Archives

• Internet Archive: Audio (a vast resource for archival audio of all kinds—historic radio, music, ethnomusicological field recordings, audiobooks... incredible!)