Incompetech (Kevin MacLeod)

Kevin MacLeod puts a huge catalog of short instrumental tracks on incompetech.com. The default deal is Creative Commons Attribution. No charge. You have to credit him. The music is not public domain. The recordings are still his copyright.

It is for indie and hobby shows that will actually say the credit. His FAQ is blunt about podcasts. The credit should be voiced, usually at the end. If you cannot credit, buy a Standard License. Ads and client work often go that way.

People really use this. His own site, dated May 25, 2026, says almost 400 tracks are on Spotify's podcast whitelist. On April 2, 2026 he published a help page because Spotify had been pulling some episodes that used his music. He says you have permission. The dispute path names Kelvin Ruijters, trading as Frequency Digital.

The later pain is that free and allowed is not the same as the apps leaving you alone. You may still have to fight a claim. Keep the license page and the track URL. If a sponsor read makes a voiced credit impossible, pay the Standard License instead of hoping the notes will do.

Download the track. Put the credit in the episode and in the notes. Use the copy-paste line he prints, with the real title. If Spotify flags it, dispute with the licensor name he printed.

Incompetech is the free catalog hosts have credited for years. The deal is the voiced credit. The mess, when it comes, is on Spotify, not on his price list.