Frequently asked questions

Audiocrowd is a marketplace for commercially usable music. Our catalog includes non-PRO and PRO music that can be licensed for social media, videos, podcasts, and many other contexts, either as an individual project license or as part of our music subscription.

Beyond media use, the music can also be licensed for events, business spaces, courses, and waiting areas.

No. The music tracks published on Audiocrowd come from identified human composers and producers. The Audiocrowd music catalogue is 100% human-made.

The usage rights required for licensing are granted contractually. For GEMA-free tracks, Audiocrowd also documents the composers’ status information and regularly checks known registrations with relevant collecting societies.

Yes. Audiocrowd music is curated for commercial use across many channels. You can use our music for small projects as well as large-scale advertising campaigns. Our licensing model covers many commercial use cases and can be configured to fit your project.

This may be permitted depending on the AI provider, the selected plan, and the applicable terms. However, permission for commercial use does not automatically mean that all training data, copyrights, and possible claims by other rights holders have been cleared.

For advertising, client projects, and long-term publications in particular, companies should review the specific provider, the generated track, the liability terms, and the intended use. Further information is available in our guide to using AI music in commercial projects.

The term "royalty-free music" is often misunderstood. Strictly speaking, music is never truly license-free, because every musical work is protected by copyright and always requires permission or a license from the rights holder for use.

In practice, "royalty-free music" usually refers to music that can be used without ongoing recurring fees after purchase. The term is also often confused with non-PRO music, but the two are not automatically the same.

Yes, you can use the entire catalog for social media and YouTube. After purchase, you will also receive a license document that helps with common questions regarding usage on social platforms.

No. If, for example, you run a YouTube channel on your own, you can configure a Solo license so that repeated use is covered as well. For companies and teams, the same type of setup is available through the Business license.

Yes, you can use Audiocrowd music for podcasts as well. You can license individual tracks with a suitable license for all episodes of your podcast, or simply use our music subscription if you want to use changing music across episodes.

The important thing is that the selected license or subscription matches your specific use case. If you are unsure, our License Navigator can help you choose.

Depending on the distribution path, P.R.O. tracks from the Audiocrowd catalog can also be suitable. If you manage and publish the podcast directly through individual services such as Spotify, Deezer, or Apple Podcasts, the PRO catalog can be a useful option, provided that the Audiocrowd license covers the concrete podcast use.

If the podcast is distributed through a podcast host or RSS feed, for example via Podigee, Acast, or Podbean, we tend to recommend royalty-free music. In that case, additional PRO reporting or licensing questions can become more relevant. Master and sync/embedding rights through Audiocrowd remain separate rights layers.

Yes, that is possible. At checkout, you can configure your license for sponsored posts and paid ad use. These use cases will then be covered by the purchased license for your project.

Yes, in many cases that is possible. Major platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook usually have their own agreements in place for the use of PRO music. If you are unsure whether your specific project is covered, the License Navigator and the track details on Audiocrowd can help.

If you only need a few different music tracks and do not need music for many different projects, a single project license is usually the right choice. There are no recurring fees, and the license remains valid permanently once paid for.

If you need many different tracks and want to use music across many projects, a music subscription is often the more economical option.

A Commercial Use permission from an AI provider initially defines which business uses are allowed under that provider’s terms. However, it does not automatically establish whether all training data was used lawfully or whether the generated track affects the rights of other authors.

At Audiocrowd, every published track comes from identified human composers and producers. With a purchased license, customers receive an individual license document stating the track, the licensee, the rights holders, the license scope, and the permitted uses. This makes it possible to understand who the music comes from and on what basis it may be used.

That mainly depends on whether you need music for one specific project or on an ongoing basis for many projects.

If you want to license music for one clearly defined project, project licenses are the right option.

Solo is suitable for solo founders, freelancers, and creators working on their own, including commercial own-use and client projects such as social video, podcasts, or brand films.
Business is suitable for companies, teams, and agencies where multiple people or a company context are involved, for example for social video, podcasts, or brand films without broadcast use.
Premium is intended for single projects involving music use in radio, TV, cinema, VOD, or trailers.
Campaign is designed for larger campaign frameworks, product launches, and multiple assets across placements, motifs, or formats.

If you produce content regularly and need music on an ongoing basis, a music subscription is often the easier and more cost-effective solution.

Solo Subscription is intended for creators, solo self-employed professionals, and freelancers who work alone and need recurring music for typical own-use and client projects.
Business Subscription is suitable for companies, teams, and agencies with ongoing content, marketing, and client project needs in a business context.
Premium Subscription is intended for larger teams with recurring professional campaigns, broadcast, and brand projects within a regular professional scope.

If you are unsure whether a project license or a subscription makes more sense for your use case, it is best to use the License Navigator or the Subscription Navigator on Audiocrowd.

In that case, please use our License Navigator. It guides you to the right license in just a few steps. If you often work within the same usage context, you can also save that license setup as a preset in your account.

Yes. For each license, you can specify whether it is intended for a client project. If the license is for your client, you can select the license recipient and a separate billing address at checkout.

Yes, depending on how you configure your license. When selecting the appropriate license level, such as Solo, Business, or a higher tier, you can choose at checkout whether you want to use the track in multiple different projects. Once purchased, the license will then cover that usage.

Yes. You can use our music as an intro or outro. At checkout, simply specify that you want to use the music as an intro. The license will then be adjusted automatically for that use case.

Each license covers up to three language versions. If you need more language versions, please configure your license for multiple use. That will cover all language versions.

No. We offer both non-PRO music and PRO music.

No. “AI-generated” describes how a track was created. “GEMA-free”, on the other hand, concerns whether certain rights in a musical work are administered by GEMA.

If human creative contributions were involved or cannot be ruled out with certainty, an AI track may be protected by copyright and subject to remuneration for public playback. The label “AI-generated” is therefore not reliable proof that music is GEMA-free.

An AI track may also contain protected elements of an existing work. The absence of a GEMA registration says nothing about whether the training data was used lawfully. GEMA-free music still requires an appropriate license for commercial projects.

Not automatically. AI music is not GEMA-free simply because it was created with an AI tool. If human creative contributions were involved or cannot be ruled out with certainty, the music may be protected by copyright and subject to remuneration for playback in a business. AI generation alone is therefore not reliable proof that music is GEMA-free.

For your business, use music with a traceable chain of rights and clear GEMA status. Audiocrowd provides GEMA-free music from identified human composers with a documented chain of rights.

Non-PRO music does not involve ongoing public performance fees through a collecting society. With PRO music, the composer is registered with a performing rights organization such as GEMA, AKM, SUISA, ASCAP, or BMI. For many standard content projects, the difference does not matter much in practice. It mainly becomes relevant when music is publicly performed, broadcast, or streamed under your own responsibility.

In some contexts, non-PRO music can be more cost-effective for commercial use because no collecting-society fees are due for public performance, for example at events or in retail spaces used as background music.

For videos and social media, non-PRO music is not always necessary in practice, because there are often no direct cost advantages there. Most major social media platforms already have agreements in place with collecting societies, so PRO music can often be used there as well, giving you a broader selection for your projects. Audiocrowd offers both non-PRO and PRO tracks, depending on what fits your project context best.

Usually not as a standard producer or customer. Additional performance rights mainly become relevant if you are publicly performing, broadcasting, or streaming the music yourself and there is no suitable agreement in place with a collecting society. In many cases, those rights are already covered by broadcasters, platforms, or venues.

Some of our composers protect their works against unauthorized use on YouTube through Content ID. If you use a protected track on YouTube, YouTube may require proof that you are authorized to use it by issuing a copyright claim.

In such cases, the license PDF you receive after purchase serves as proof. The document includes all relevant information needed to resolve any claims quickly and easily. We are also happy to help if anything is unclear during the claim resolution process. Until the issue is resolved, monetization is usually disabled, but the video typically remains online.

Even properly licensed music can be automatically detected and flagged on platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok. This often happens through systems such as Content ID or similar upload scanners. A claim therefore does not automatically mean that you are using the music unlawfully.

Many composers deliberately use such systems to protect their works so that third parties cannot improperly register the music as their own or generate revenue from it without authorization.

In many cases, the claim can be resolved through the platform dispute process. The license PDF included with your purchase usually contains the key information needed to prove lawful usage. If necessary, Audiocrowd can also help clarify the case.

The most important thing is to stay calm and first determine whether it is an automated claim or an actual copyright strike. In the case of automated claims, you can usually file a dispute directly on the platform. Your usage license should be ready to provide or upload as proof.

Yes. For nearly all tracks on Audiocrowd, you can use the demo download to test the music in your project beforehand. The demos are protected with a subtle watermark. That watermark is, of course, not included in the final purchased audio file.

We accept PayPal, credit card, SEPA direct debit, Google Pay, and Apple Pay. Payment by invoice is also available.

You receive the track audio files in WAV, AIFF, and MP3, as well as telephone system formats such as WAV A-LAW and WAV MU-LAW. If the track includes alternate versions, you can also download those as WAV and MP3.

In addition, you receive the invoice and the license document as PDF files.

The license document contains all key information about the permitted use, the composer, the PRO status, and additional information for resolving possible claims. Every license is also verifiable, so you can prove, if needed, that it was lawfully purchased on Audiocrowd.

Yes. Included track variations are provided at no extra charge.

Yes. You can extend a license later if needed. You can upgrade each individual license under "My Purchases" in your account.

Once you have found a suitable track, you add the license to your cart. For solo founders and freelancers, Solo is usually the right license. For companies and teams, Business is usually the better fit. At checkout, you can fully configure all selected licenses for your project so that the license matches your intended use as closely as possible.

If the license is intended for a client, you can also choose a separate license recipient address. Payment can be made online or by invoice. After online payment, the purchased tracks are available for download immediately. If you choose invoice payment, the order stays open first; invoice and status are visible in your account, while downloads and license documents are released once payment has been received. If timing is critical, please contact us and we can review an earlier release.

WAV, AIFF, MP3, and telephone system formats such as WAV A-LAW and WAV MU-LAW.

Yes. All tracks are available in WAV A-LAW and WAV MU-LAW, as well as MP3.

Yes, for projects that were created and completed during the active subscription period. However, stockpiling licenses for future projects after the subscription has ended is not permitted.

If you cancel your music subscription, you may no longer license new projects using subscription content. Projects that were properly licensed and completed during the active subscription period remain valid.

For new projects after the subscription has ended, you will need either an active subscription again or an appropriate project license. Whether previously downloaded files remain available in your account depends on your account and download access. What matters for usage is not only the download itself, but whether the project was properly licensed during a valid subscription period.

Shortening, extending, fading in and out, and technical adjustments are allowed. For any further changes, it is best to contact us directly.

No. Registration with Content ID, Facebook Rights Manager, Haawk, or similar services is not permitted.

Such uses are not part of the normal standard use case and should be coordinated with us in advance.

No. After purchase, you do not need to add a credit to Audiocrowd in your project.

Yes. Our music catalog and music subscription are designed for commercial use in professional projects. Licensing and workspace-related workflows are built with agencies and company teams in mind. In these cases, Business or Premium licenses and subscriptions are usually the most suitable options.

You can configure multi-project usage for each license at checkout so that repeated use is covered by your license. If you want to use Audiocrowd as a team, Business or Premium subscriptions are the right fit. With these subscriptions, you can book the required number of user seats directly.

Yes. Displaying and naming such projects as part of your references is allowed.

Yes. You can apply to work with us at any time. For an initial inquiry, it is best to use the contact form.