[the-dude]

What exactly does royalty free mean when I need put my tracks into a shopping cart?

I have been using https://bensound.com, which is much nicer ( not affiliated ).

[somada141]

+1 for bensound.com (no affiliation either). Per my understanding of their terms [0] the free tracks can be used in YT videos as long as you credit them. Unfortunately, the tracks that can be retrieved without subscription are a precious few but I found them rather pleasing.

Been doing a bit of research on the topic lately and haven't come up with sites as permissive as bensound.com. Anyone else aware of similar ones?

[0] https://www.bensound.com/licensing

[tjr]

https://www.bensound.com/licensing

They aren't zero-cost, either, unless you use the music in accordance with their Creative Commons licensing option.

[the-dude]

Fair enough, but that is my use case. I find 'royalty free' misleading.

[mintplant]

This is the standard use of "royalty free". I think you're in error here, not the site.

[jonathankoren]

Royalty free just means that you don't have to pay every time you play it. You pay a simple flat rate. It's no different than purchasing a stock photo, or stock sound effects.