Choosing a License
Not sure which license to use? Start with what you want to happen with your music and work from there.
Start With Your Intent
Section titled “Start With Your Intent””I want zero restrictions — let the world have it”
Section titled “”I want zero restrictions — let the world have it””Use FM:Open.
No attribution, no restrictions, no modifiers. Maximum freedom. If someone builds a hit from your stems, great — no strings attached.
”I want people to remix it”
Section titled “”I want people to remix it””Use FM:Remix and add the modifiers that matter to you:
Mix and match modifiers as needed. They always appear in canonical order: Credit → Mix → Royalty → ShareAlike → NoAI.
”I want people to remix it, but not sell it”
Section titled “”I want people to remix it, but not sell it””Use FM:NC.
Add Credit, ShareAlike, and NoAI as desired. Royalty is not available with FM:NC since there are no sales to collect royalties from.
”I’m sharing stems, not the full track”
Section titled “”I’m sharing stems, not the full track””Use FM:Stems.
Others can use your individual stems to build new compositions, but they can’t redistribute your full track.
”This is for DJs to play live”
Section titled “”This is for DJs to play live””Use FM:DJ.
DJs can create edits and perform your music publicly, but they can’t share the files. Perfect for extended mixes, instrumentals, and acapellas.
”These are samples and building blocks”
Section titled “”These are samples and building blocks””Use FM:Samples.
One-shots, loops, snippets — always at 0% royalty. Producers can use them freely in their own work.
Common Combinations
Section titled “Common Combinations”Here are the most common license setups for specific scenarios:
| Scenario | License |
|---|---|
| Remix-friendly track with credit | FM:Remix · Credit |
| Earn royalties from remixes | FM:Remix · Credit · Royalty(15%) |
| Sharing stems for other producers | FM:Stems · Credit |
| Free sample pack for the community | FM:Samples or FM:Open |
| DJ tools for live sets | FM:DJ |
| Share but protect against AI scraping | FM:Remix · Credit · NoAI |
| Maximum openness with ecosystem protection | FM:Remix · Credit · ShareAlike |
| Full protection stack | FM:Remix · Credit · Royalty(10%) · ShareAlike · NoAI |
| Non-commercial remix with credit | FM:NC · Credit |
Still Not Sure?
Section titled “Still Not Sure?”A few rules of thumb:
- When in doubt, start with FM:Remix · Credit. It’s the most flexible tier, and requiring credit is reasonable for most music.
- If you’re sharing building blocks (drums, loops, one-shots), use FM:Samples. Zero friction for the people using your sounds.
- If you want to earn from remixes, add Royalty. Even a small percentage (5-10%) establishes your intent for when commerce features launch.
Before You Publish: Licenses Can’t Be Changed
Section titled “Before You Publish: Licenses Can’t Be Changed”Once you publish a track with a license, that license is permanent. FreeMix doesn’t allow license changes after publishing — this is by design.
Why licenses are permanent: When someone downloads your track under a specific license, they have a right to use it under those terms. Changing the license after the fact would break that agreement. Permanent licenses mean everyone — you and the people using your music — can trust that the terms won’t shift.
What if I pick the wrong license? It happens. If you realize your license doesn’t match your intent, you can delete the track and re-upload it with the correct license. Any existing downloads remain under the original license terms, but new downloads will use the updated one.
Tips to avoid regret:
- Start with
FM:Remix · Creditif you’re unsure — it’s the most flexible tier that still requires attribution - If you’re sharing building blocks (drums, loops, one-shots),
FM:Samplesis almost always right — zero friction for other producers - If you want to earn from remixes, add the
Royaltymodifier. Even a small percentage (5-10%) establishes your intent for when commerce features launch - You can always ask the community for advice