Creative Commons Music
CC Licenses Explained
Licensing Creative Commons Music Safely
When a track is released on a Creative Commons license, there are different licenses that allow different uses. You must check the CC license before using a track to see if what you want to do is allowed by the license, as misusing people’s intellectual property is a serious offence. If you are in any doubt whatsoever about the terms of the license, it is best practice to contact the copyright holder (artist) directly to request further information and explain your needs.
What is a music license?
A music license is an agreement between the creator of music and/or rights holder, and the licensee, which enables use of the creator’s original music for a specific purpose.
Creative Commons licenses do not replace copyright. They enable an artist to release music for free whilst protecting their copyrighted work.
IMLC artists can upload their own music and select a specific CC licence themselves. The IMLC does not own the copyright to these original works.
Creative Commons licenses are “royalty-free”. This means the rights holder states the song is not managed by a third-party collecting royalties.
How can I license CC music from the IMLC?
Firstly aquaint yourself with the different CC Licenses artists have available to release their work.
You may be able to use the work for free as long as you abide by the license conditions, which are outlined below, and in more detail on the Creative Commons website.
To license music beyond the conditions of the CC License chosen by the artist, you must contact them directly and seek further permission. This may involve a fee.
For fully cleared and safe to use music please see the IMLC’s extensive Membership Library.
How to use Creative Commons Licenses?
When you see one of these symbols on our site next to a song, it tells you how you may (or may not) use the track. Here are their detailed descriptions, courtesy of the Creative Commons website.
CC BY: Attribution
How to use it:
• You must credit the artist.
• You can use it for commercial purposes.
• You can put this song in a video or other derivative work.
• More permissions must be obtained directly from the artist.
CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike
This licence enables users to remix, tweak, and build upon an original work, even for commercial purposes, as long as the creator is credited and licences their new creations under identical terms.
How to use it:
• You must credit the artist.
• You can use it for commercial purposes.
• You can put this song in a video or other derivative work.
• You must add the same licence (CC BY-SA) to your video, remix or derivative work.
• More permissions must be obtained directly from the artist.
CC BY-ND: Attribution-NoDerivatives
This licence allows for redistribution, commercial and non-commercial, as long as it is passed along unchanged and in whole, and creators must be credited. If you remix, transform or build upon the material, you may not distribute, publish, share, or post the modified material. Syncing a track to video/moving images constitutes a derivative work, which is prohibited by this licence.
How to use it:
• You must credit the artist.
• You can use it for commercial purposes.
• You cannot put this song in a video or other derivative work.
• More permissions must be obtained directly from the artist.
CC BY-NC: Attribution-NonCommercial
This licence lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work non-commercially, as long as the creator is credited. A commercial use is one primarily intended for commercial advantage or monetary compensation. You may NOT use this for fundraising, advertising, or promoting a product or service without further permission, even if you’re a non-profit organization.
How to use it:
• You must credit the artist.
• You cannot use it for commercial purposes.
• You can put this song in a video or other derivative work.
• More permissions must be obtained directly from the artist.
CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
This licence lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work non-commercially, as long as the artist is credited and new creations are licensed under identical terms. A commercial use is one primarily intended for commercial advantage or monetary compensation. You may NOT use this for fundraising, advertising, or promoting a product or service without further permission, even if you’re a non-profit organization.
How to use it:
• You must credit the artist.
• You can put this song in a video or other derivative work.
• You cannot use it for commercial purposes.
• You must add the same licence (CC BY-NC-SA) to your video, remix, or derivative work.
• More permissions must be obtained directly from the artist.
CC BY-NC-ND: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives
This licence is the most restrictive of our six main licences. Only allowing others to download your works and share them with others as long as the artist is credited, the use is non-commercial, and the work is passed along unchanged. If you remix, transform or build upon the material, you may not distribute, publish, share, or post the modified material. Syncing a track to video/moving images constitutes a derivative work, which is prohibited by this licence. A commercial use is one primarily intended for commercial advantage or monetary compensation. You may NOT use this for fundraising, advertising, or promoting a product or service without further permission, even if you’re a non-profit organization.
How to use it:
• You must credit the artist.
• You cannot use it for commercial purposes.
• You cannot put this song in a video or other derivative work.
• More permissions must be obtained directly from the artist.
CC0: Public Domain Dedication / No Rights Reserved
The person who associated a work with this deed has dedicated the work to the public domain by waiving all of his or her rights to the work worldwide under copyright law. This includes all related and neighbouring rights, to the extent allowed by law.
How to use it:
• You can use it for commercial purposes
• You can copy, modify, distribute and perform the work
• You can put this song in a video or other derivative work.
• No permission is needed
Note: CC0 can only be applied by the right’s holder. CC0 does not cover:
1. works in the public domain whose copyright has expired.
2. works in the public domain due to expired copyright may still be protected by state or local statutes.
The information regarding a track’s public domain status is to the best of our knowledge and should not be considered authoritative.
Creative Commons Music FAQs
Below are some frequently asked questions concerning Creative Commons licenses and what you’re able to do with them. There are 8 different licenses, so it’s important to check what license each creation is released under.
No this isn’t the case. There are some CC licenses that allow free derivative or commercial use with attribution, but others don’t. Best practice is to check what license the track is released under to see what is allowed. If unsure, contact the artist.
A derivative work is any work that uses the original piece but adapts it in some way. This could be, but not limited to, editing the track, fading it out, talking over it or syncing to film or images.
No! This is a big misconception. Creative Commons licenses are copyright licenses that allow the author to release their work whilst protecting their copyright, or right to be seen as creator.
There is one Creative Commons license that’s completely copyright free, and that’s CC0. CC BY is also another very open license that allows many uses with attribution. Check our CC video guide for more info.
Unfortunately yes, you can get into a lot of trouble. Using intellectual copyrighted property illegally can lead to serious legal issues and big fines. Should an artist choose to bring legal action, proving culpability is straightforward.
Commercial use is primarily use that is for monetary reward. However it also entails things that are promotional. Therefore projects that are not directly for monetary reward, but promote a service or are linked to an organisation can also be seen as Commercial use.
Contact the artist. Many of us will have a website with info or where you can purchase a license clearing commercial or derivative use. usually for a reasonable fee. Check out our library!
You must be logged in to post a comment.