Can I use any music in my podcast?
Short answer: no. The music you hear on the radio or your favourite Spotify playlist is almost certainly off-limits for your podcast.
Be wary of myths like "it's fine if it's less than seven seconds" and "it's okay so long as I'm not making money". Neither is true. "Fair Use" gets quoted a lot too — but fair use is a defence you can lean on if you get in trouble. Who wants to be in that position?
Your podcast isn't going to live or die based on whether Bohemian Rhapsody is your theme tune. And if it does, you probably need to revisit the content planning stages.
Avoid commercial music altogether. There are plenty of legal, safe options — most of them free or cheap — covered in the next three microsteps. For a deeper dive on copyright, see thepodcasthost.com/copyright.