First Five FAQs

 

1. Is your music really free?

 

Yes. All of the music tracks on this website can be downloaded individually in MP3 format for free. All of the same tracks are available in the uncompressed WAV format in which they were originally produced (and which is the audio industry's standard format) for $1 (US) per track. But to reiterate, you can download the MP3s (which is a highly compressed format) for free.

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2. WHAT AM I PERMITTED TO DO WITH YOUR MUSIC TRACKS?

 

You are allowed to use my music in any commercial or non-commercial product you create—save for the exceptions listed in what you are NOT permitted to do with my music—as long as I am given appropriate credit. All the music on this website has been made available by me under the Creative Commons License CC-BY 4.0. This license permits my music to be used (if I'm properly credited) in the following products and scenarios:

 

1. Videos and/or Livestreams (on YouTube, DTube, Vimeo, Twitch, Facebook, Tiktok, Instagram, or other similar site);

 

2. Films (Major Releases, mini-budget Documentaries, and everything in between);

 

3. Video Games (all kinds);

 

4. Podcasts (all kinds);

 

5. TV and/or Radio programs (syndicated or not);

 

6. Live Performances and Productions (theater plays, revues, etc.);

 

7. Audio Background for Live Events and/or Locations (formal parties, role-playing games, installations, etc.);

 

8. Hold/Background Music (for telephone calls, etc.);

 

9. Almost anything else (for exceptions, see below).

 

You are also allowed to adapt and/or alter my music tracks in order to accommodate them to your, or your clients', needs—for example, you may change a track's volume, modify its length, stretch it, cut it, do whatever to it—as long as I am properly credited for the use of my music (or what's left of it).

 

3. WHAT AM I NOT PERMITTED TO DO WITH YOUR MUSIC TRACKS?

 

1. You CANNOT claim (openly or inadvertently) ownership of my music. The Creative Commons License (CC-BY 4.0), under which I am licensing the use of my music, is a license of non-exclusive use; the full copyrights to the compositions and sound-recordings of all my music tracks are mine.

 

2. You CANNOT re-distribute my music as is or superficially modified; specifically, you CANNOT re-distribute and/or sell my music on Spotify, iTunes, Amazon, Deezer, Pandora, etc. These and similar companies do not allow you to sell music on their platforms without the exclusive rights to the music in question. I possess those exclusive rights; you do not. Anyway, I've already distributed my music on these sites and platforms.

 

3. You CANNOT register any of my music, in whole or in part, in any Content Identification System. This means that you CANNOT register my music, openly or inadvertently and in whole or in part, in YouTube's Content ID system, or in Facebook's, or Twitch's, or any other platform's similar system. As mentioned above, I own all the copyrights to my music; you do not. Through the Creative Commons License CC-BY 4.0, I have extended to you several non-exclusive rights to use my music. By wrongly registering my music in a Content Identification System (such as that of YouTube), you would be claiming an exclusive right, which you do not possess, to my music. The result of such an action on your part (on YouTube, for example) would be copyright strikes against everyone else who used or will use my music on the platform. Such strikes, needless to say, are a headache to resolve. Please, do not register my music in any Content ID System! By means of the Creative Commons License CC-BY 4.0, I've granted everyone a non-exclusive right to use my music (subject to the conditions in the license); as long as everyone abides by this agreement, no one will suffer a copyright strike.

 

4. Do I have to credit you for using your music for free?

 

Yes. This is a requirement under the Creative Commons License CC-BY 4.0 under which I am licensing the non-exclusive use of my music.

 

5. How do I properly credit you for using your music?

 

[Put Track Title here] by Justin Allan Arnold - https://www.ifnessfreemusic.com

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

 

Where possible, the URLs should also be hyperlinks. The credit should appear in a place where the consumer can easily see the credit: for example, in the text description box of a YouTube video. Including the credit in the credit reel of a film or video is fine. Likewise, in a podcast, the credit may be spoken at the end of the recording. If you use my music in a medium where it's not possible to display or provide the appropriate credit, you must purchase a non-exclusive non-attribution license for the music. This license costs $19.99 (a separate license is needed for each unattributed track). The license is available on each track's download page.

 

6. If I can't properly credit you, can I still use your music in my project?

 

If you can't (or don't want) to credit me for the use of my music, you must purchase a non-exclusive non-attribution license ($19.99). A separate license is needed for each unattributed track. The license is available on each track's download page. (Note: a few of my music tracks have NO non-exclusive non-attribution licenses available, and thus, as per the Creative Commons License CC-BY 4.0 these tracks are licensed under: they must always be credited. To see which songs belong to this category, view this list.)