Licenses in plain words

CC0 — no rights reserved

The artist has placed this music in the public domain. It belongs to everyone, with no strings attached.

You can

Use it anywhere: videos, games, podcasts, apps, ads, films.
Use it commercially — in things you sell or monetize.
Edit, remix, loop, or sample it however you like.
Use it without crediting anyone.

You must

Nothing. Credit is always a kind gesture and artists appreciate it, but with CC0 it is entirely optional.

Public domain — already free of copyright

Nobody owns this music any more. Its copyright has expired, or it never had one, so it is free for everyone — the Public Domain Mark simply records that fact.

You can

Use it anywhere: videos, games, podcasts, apps, ads, films.
Use it commercially — in things you sell or monetize.
Edit, remix, loop, or sample it however you like.
Use it without crediting anyone.

You must

Nothing. Naming the composer or performer is polite and helps listeners find more, but nothing requires it.

The difference from CC0: with CC0 a living artist deliberately gives up their rights, while a public domain work is one that is already free of copyright — an old recording or composition, for instance. For you as a user, the practical answer is the same: do what you like.

One catch worth knowing

Copyright expires at different times in different countries, and a new recording of an old composition can carry its own separate rights. If a project matters commercially, it is worth checking the status where you are.

Official Public Domain Mark 1.0

CC BY — credit the artist

The workhorse license. Do almost anything with the music, as long as you say who made it.

You can

Use it anywhere, including commercial projects.
Edit, remix, shorten, or layer it under your own work.
Redistribute it, on its own or inside something bigger.

You must

Credit the artist and name the license, with a link. Put it in your video description, game credits, podcast notes — anywhere a viewer can reasonably find it.
Not imply the artist endorses you or your project.
Mention it if you changed the track (e.g. “edited for length”).

Credit format

Artist — Title, CC BY 4.0, link

For example: “Mia Rivers — Night Drive, CC BY 4.0, creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0”. Linking to the track page on Openwaves as well is welcome but not required. The same format works for CC BY-SA, CC BY-NC and CC BY-NC-SA — just swap the license name.

Official CC BY 4.0 deed

CC BY-SA — credit + share alike

Like CC BY, with one addition: if you remix the music itself, your remix must stay just as open.

You can

Use it anywhere, including commercial projects.
Edit, remix, and build new music out of it.

You must

Credit the artist, exactly as with CC BY.
Release any adaptation of the track itself — a remix, a re-arrangement, a new song built from it — under CC BY-SA too. Simply using the unchanged track as background music in a video does not usually make your whole video an adaptation.

Official CC BY-SA 4.0 deed

CC BY-NC — credit + non-commercial only

Free for personal and non-commercial work. If money is involved, this license does not cover you.

You can

Use it in personal videos, student films, hobby projects.
Use it in non-profit and educational work.
Edit and remix it for those same non-commercial uses.

You must

Credit the artist, exactly as with CC BY.
Not use it commercially. Monetized videos, ads, paid apps and games, client work — those need a different license or the artist’s separate permission.

Not sure if your use is commercial?

The honest test: does anyone make money because the music is there? A monetized YouTube channel, a sponsored stream, or a product demo all count as commercial. When in doubt, ask the artist — many say yes.

Official CC BY-NC 4.0 deed

CC BY-NC-SA — credit + non-commercial + share alike

The most protective license here. Personal and non-commercial use only, credit required, and any remix has to stay under these same terms.

You can

Use it in personal videos, student films, hobby projects.
Use it in non-profit and educational work.
Edit and remix it for those same non-commercial uses.

You must

Credit the artist, exactly as with CC BY.
Not use it commercially. Monetized videos, ads, paid apps and games, client work — those need a different license or the artist’s separate permission.
Release any adaptation of the track itself — a remix, a re-arrangement, a new song built from it — under CC BY-NC-SA too. Using the unchanged track as background music in a video does not usually make your whole video an adaptation.

Think of it as CC BY-NC and CC BY-SA stacked together: both conditions apply at once. If your project earns money in any way, this license does not cover you — ask the artist.

Official CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 deed

Side by side

License	Commercial use	Credit required	Remixes must keep license
CC0	Yes	No	No
Public domain	Yes	No	No
CC BY	Yes	Yes	No
CC BY-SA	Yes	Yes	Yes
CC BY-NC	No	Yes	No
CC BY-NC-SA	No	Yes	Yes

AI-generated tracks, labeled honestly

Openwaves hosts human-made music, AI-generated music, and everything in between. We do not hide which is which: every track carries a provenance label on its page — made by a human, AI-generated (with the tool named), or human + AI collaboration.

Uploaders declare at upload time that they hold the rights to publish the track under its license, and those declarations are stored permanently. For generator services whose terms depend on a paid plan (such as Suno or Udio), we additionally require the uploader to confirm they had a paid subscription when the track was made — free-tier output generally cannot be relicensed.

Being honest also means saying this: the law around AI-generated music is still settling, and in some places purely AI-generated works may not carry copyright at all. We label provenance so you can decide what you are comfortable using. If a track infringes your rights, send us a takedown notice.