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Royalty-Free Music License Agreement Template

license agreement

Looking for a royalty-free music license agreement template? This post provides a clean, professional, copy-and-paste license agreement designed for independent musicians, producers, and composers who sell music directly to clients or through marketplaces. A solid license agreement protects your rights, clarifies how your music may be used, and ensures you’re legally covered when licensing tracks.

This is the exact type of template clients expect when purchasing royalty-free music, and it works for Shopify, Gumroad, personal websites, private clients, and direct sales.

How to Use This Royalty-Free License Template

This template is built for independent creators selling their own music. Simply:

  • Copy and paste the template into your product page, PDF, or website.
  • Replace placeholders like [Composer Name] with your own information.
  • Include it with every royalty-free music purchase.
  • Modify the terms to match your pricing, usage rules, or territory restrictions.

Musicians who use clear agreements experience fewer disputes, fewer refunds, and more confident buyers. Now let’s get into the full template.

Royalty-Free Music License Agreement Template

ROYALTY-FREE MUSIC LICENSE AGREEMENT (Enhanced Version)

This Agreement (“Agreement”) is entered into between the purchaser (“Licensee”) and the composer/publisher (“Licensor”) regarding the music tracks provided (“Licensed Music”). By downloading, purchasing, or using the Licensed Music, the Licensee agrees to the terms contained herein.

1. Grant of License

The Licensor grants the Licensee a non-exclusive, non-transferable, worldwide, perpetual license to use the Licensed Music in the following ways:

  1. In synchronization with visual media, including films, videos, YouTube content, advertisements, trailers, social media, websites, video games, and mobile applications.
  2. As background or theme music in podcasts, presentations, live events, streaming content, or multimedia productions.
  3. In commercial, client, corporate, educational, personal, or monetized projects, unless otherwise restricted by this Agreement.

2. Prohibited Uses

The Licensee may not:

  1. Claim ownership, authorship, or exclusive rights to the Licensed Music.
  2. Resell, redistribute, sublicense, or make the Licensed Music available as a standalone audio file.
  3. Include the Licensed Music in any music library, sample pack, SFX collection, or similar product.
  4. Use the Licensed Music for creation of AI-generated audio, machine-learning training datasets, or automated music systems.
  5. Create derivative musical works intended for commercial release (e.g., releasing the music as your own track on streaming platforms).

3. Content ID / Digital Fingerprinting

Some Licensed Music may be registered in YouTube Content ID or similar fingerprinting systems. The Licensee may request a whitelisting/clearance if necessary to remove claims related to lawful use under this Agreement.

4. Broadcast Usage

This Agreement permits broadcast usage on television, radio, and streaming platforms. For national/international broadcasts with an expected audience exceeding 1 million viewers, the Licensor may request an upgraded broadcast license.

5. Territory
Worldwide. No geographic restrictions.

6. Term
Perpetual. The Licensee may use the Licensed Music for the lifetime of their project(s).

7. Exclusivity
This is a non-exclusive license. The Licensor may license the Licensed Music to other clients.

8. Indemnification

The Licensee agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Licensor from any claims, damages, liabilities, or expenses arising from improper or unauthorized use of the Licensed Music.

9. Limitation of Liability

The Licensed Music is provided “as-is” without warranties of any kind. The Licensor shall not be liable for any incidental, consequential, or indirect damages arising from use of the Licensed Music.

10. Fees
This license is granted for a one-time fee. No additional royalties or recurring payments are required for uses permitted under this Agreement.

11. Ownership

The Licensor retains full copyright and ownership of the Licensed Music. This Agreement grants usage rights but does not transfer intellectual property ownership.

12. Attribution
Credit is optional. If provided, please use: “Music by [Composer Name]”.

Optional Clauses You Can Add

  • AI Usage Restrictions – prohibit use in AI training datasets.
  • Broadcast License Upgrades – additional fees for TV or major commercial use.
  • Content ID Rules – specify whether the track is or isn’t registered.
  • Enterprise Use – separate licensing tier for large companies.

Conclusion

This royalty-free music license agreement template gives independent musicians a clear, professional legal foundation for selling their tracks online. It ensures clients know exactly what they can and cannot do with your music, and helps you avoid disputes, copyright issues, and unauthorized distribution.

Use this template as-is or customize it to match your own business model, pricing, and usage rules. A strong license agreement is one of the simplest ways to protect your music and increase buyer confidence.