For dive and travel video, Artlist and Epidemic Sound remain the two references. Artlist (15 euros per month on annual subscription) offers a lifetime licence on tracks downloaded during the subscription. Epidemic Sound (15 euros per month) covers YouTube, TikTok and Reels with a Content ID system that protects your channel.
Is the YouTube Audio Library really free?
Yes, completely free and usable on any platform, not only YouTube. Catalogue of more than 5000 tracks and sound effects. The limit: the catalogue is heavily used and your videos risk sounding like hundreds of others. A good starting point with no budget.
Can I use music found on Spotify or YouTube?
No, never. All commercial music is copyrighted. Used without licence in a published video, it triggers demonetisation (YouTube), audio stripping (Instagram) or geo-blocking. On TikTok, the music available in the app is licensed for personal use only, not for commercial content.
How does YouTube Content ID work?
It is an automated system that scans every uploaded video and compares it to a database of protected tracks. If a match is detected, the video is either demonetised in favour of the rights-holder, or blocked. A valid licence (Artlist, Epidemic) triggers an exception that protects your channel.
What musical tempo for a dive video?
Underwater video works well with slow to moderate tempos (60-110 BPM). Diving is a contemplative experience and high-tempo energetic music clashes with the image. For Reels and TikTok, tempo can climb (110-130 BPM) to carry a more rhythmic edit.
Do I always need to use music?
No. Silence or pure ambient sound (bubbles, water) is sometimes stronger than music. Used systematically, music loses its emotional power. Cut the music on the strongest moments (subject appearing, slow wide shot) to amplify emotion. For detailed sound work, see our article on <a href="/blog/underwater-video-sound-hydrophones-recording-design"> hydrophones and sound design</a>.
Does Reels and TikTok licensed music really protect me?
For personal, non-commercial use, yes. But if your account is monetised (partnerships, sponsoring), if you cross-post to YouTube, or if your content is reclassified as professional by the platform, the protection drops. For a serious creator, an Artlist or Epidemic licence covering all uses is better.
How many tracks should I use in a dive video?
For a short video (under 90 seconds): a single track is ideal. For a long video (4 to 12 minutes): 2 to 4 tracks that build emotional progression. Avoid track changes every 30 seconds, it fragments the listening experience and tires the viewer.
To learn how to get the most out of your gear underwater, discover the AquaExposure training.
Sound is 50% of the emotion in a video. That is probably the most quoted and least applied sentence in the field. Most divers who edit their videos grab a track from Spotify or YouTube, drop it under the images, export and post. Three days later, the video is demonetised, blocked or stripped of its audio track. Simple fix: use royalty-free music from the start.
My first YouTube video in 2022, edited on a Ludovico Einaudi track I downloaded I no longer remember how, was demonetised 6 hours after publication. Not blocked, just stripped of all value. I spent the evening hunting for a replacement track in the YouTube Audio Library, re-exporting, re-uploading. Three years and more than 200 published edits later for AquaExposure, I hold two subscriptions (Artlist + Epidemic Sound) in parallel. It is probably the best safety-to-cost ratio in my whole video setup.
Understanding the copyright problem
All commercial music is protected by copyright. That holds for pop, rock, electronic, recent classical, film soundtracks. Even a few-second excerpt is legally a use that requires a licence.
Platforms have automated detection. YouTube uses Content ID, a system that scans every uploaded video and compares it to a database of protected tracks. Instagram and TikTok have equivalent systems. The chances of slipping through in 2026 are essentially zero, especially for well-known tracks.
Three possible consequences when copyright is detected.
Demonetisation in favour of the rights-holder. On YouTube your video stays up, but the ad revenue flows entirely to the label that owns the track. For a monetised channel it is a direct loss.
Audio track stripping. On Instagram, the music is simply removed from the video. The viewer sees the image but hears nothing, which ruins the edit.
Geo-block or full block. In some countries (Germany notably), a video with unlicensed protected music can be blocked. In extreme cases (repeat offender channel), account suspension.
The risk is asymmetric: zero benefit to stealing a track, plenty to lose. The good news: legal alternatives are now abundant and accessible.
Free libraries
If you are starting with no budget, three reliable sources.
YouTube Audio Library
Accessible from YouTube Studio, completely free, usable on any platform. More than 5000 tracks and 1000 sound effects classified by mood, genre and duration. The "Attribution not required" filter is important: it spares you from crediting the author in the description.
Real limit: the catalogue is heavily used. You may find the same track in dozens of similar videos. For a video aiming at a strong musical identity, it is not ideal.
Pixabay Music
Free platform with diverse catalogue. Simple Pixabay licence, no required credit. Variable quality across tracks, but a few gems to find. A good complement to YouTube Audio Library to diversify sources.
Free Music Archive
Historic platform of Creative Commons-licensed music. Eclectic catalogue (jazz, indie, electro). Warning: not all licences are equal (some require attribution, others forbid commercial use). Check the licence of each track before using.
Paid libraries
For those who produce regularly and want a real musical identity, two essential references in 2026.
Artlist
Annual subscription around 200 euros (16 euros per month). Catalogue of more than 50,000 tracks and 100,000 sound effects. Lifetime licence on everything you download during your active subscription. Even if you cancel, your videos stay legal.
Strong points: very high musical quality, catalogue covering every genre, clear search interface. The "Cinematic" and "Ambient" sections are particularly suited to underwater video. Several tracks from artists like Stanley Gurvich or Borrtex fit perfectly with the contemplative ambience of diving.
Weak point: no Content ID system to protect YouTube accounts before publication. If you forget to declare your licence and a strike lands, you have to file a manual dispute.
Epidemic Sound
Personal subscription at 12 euros per month, commercial at 24 euros per month. Catalogue of more than 40,000 tracks. Licence valid as long as the subscription is active (important difference from Artlist).
Major strong point: integrated Content ID system that automatically protects your YouTube videos. Connect your channel to your Epidemic account, and copyright claims on their tracks are released automatically. The most reliable system on the market in 2026.
For a creator who posts regularly on YouTube, Epidemic is probably the best safety-to-price ratio.
Musicbed and Soundstripe
High-end alternatives (20 to 60 euros per month). Smaller catalogues but very high editorial quality. Often used by documentary productions. Over budget for most amateurs, but relevant for serious commercial content.
How to pick music that serves the image
Picking a track is not just a matter of taste. It is a narrative decision that shapes the viewer's emotion. Four criteria to avoid mistakes.
Tempo
Underwater video has a contemplative rhythm. A dive is lived slowly and the image carries that. A slow tempo (60-90 BPM) naturally accompanies most shots: reef, fish, exploring diver.
A faster track (110-130 BPM) suits more dynamic sequences: rhythmic edits for Reels, school of fish on the move, multiple transitions. Beyond 130 BPM, you leave the diving universe and enter the action-clip space, which can work on a short format but rings false on a long one.
Dominant emotion
Identify in one word the main emotion of the track: melancholic, contemplative, joyful, mysterious, epic. Compare to the emotion of your image. A dive on a colourful Maldivian reef does not call for the same register as a Mediterranean wreck dive. Emotional coherence is the first criterion.
A classic mistake is to pick an "epic" track (orchestral, tension build-up) on a quiet dive video. The result is false and tires the viewer in under 30 seconds.
Breathing room
A good video track has moments of relative silence or low intensity. Those breaths let you slip in a comment, a sound effect, or simply let the image speak. A track that never breathes (constant intensity from start to finish) becomes a wall of sound and smothers the image.
Listen to the track with your eyes closed before using it. Spot the moments where it opens a space. That is where your strong shots will sit.
Compatibility with strategic silence
Silence is the most powerful tool in the edit. Cutting music 3 seconds before a strong subject appears amplifies emotion. For that to work, the track needs a natural cut point (end of musical phrase, clean fade). Check before editing that there is a place to cut without breaking coherence.
This silence logic is developed in our article on ambient sound and hydrophones, where sound ambience takes over from music on the key passages.
Mixing music with ambient sound
Music should never be the only audio layer of a dive video. The ideal mix combines restrained background music and ambient sound (water, bubbles, marine ambience) in front.
On a long YouTube edit, I typically aim at: music at -18 dB, ambience at -12 dB, punctual accents at -6 dB. On a Reel or TikTok, the mix can be tighter, music at -14 dB to push energy, ambience at -16 dB.
Simple test: watch your video on a smartphone, in a noisy environment (transit, cafe). If the music covers everything and the ambience disappears, lower the music. If the image seems to float without sonic support, raise the ambience. The right mix is the one that holds up on every listening surface.
TikTok and Instagram offer their own licensed music libraries, accessible directly inside the app at the editing stage. Very convenient and legally valid for personal use.
Three pitfalls to know.
The licence is platform-bound. A TikTok video edited with a TikTok library track cannot be reposted as-is to YouTube or Instagram without copyright risk. If you want to decline content across platforms, in-app licensed music is not an option.
The licence is for personal use. If your account becomes monetised (partnerships, course sales, sponsoring), you leave personal use and the licence no longer covers your activity.
Available tracks change. A track used in a video posted 6 months ago can later be pulled from the catalogue, leaving the audio mute over time.
For a serious creator building an audience across multiple platforms, an Artlist or Epidemic Sound subscription remains the best long-term investment.
The pre-publication checklist
Before publishing any dive video, 4 musical checks.
1Does the licence cover the targeted platform or platforms?
2Is the track declared in the anti-copyright system (Epidemic, Artlist) if applicable?
3Does the audio mix pass the smartphone test in a noisy environment?
4Is there at least one musical breath in the video to let ambience or silence speak?
If you tick all 4, your video is ready. Otherwise, rework before posting.
To start or progress in underwater video, the photo and video course includes a dedicated module on audio post-production (track choice, mix, export), with hands-on sessions on DaVinci Resolve.
AquaExposure earns no affiliate commission on Artlist, Epidemic Sound or the other services cited. The choices presented reflect my real use in editing teaching and travel videos.
Music for your dive videos: where to find royalty-free tracks | AquaExposure
