Creator Music eligibility and restrictions

Creator Music is now available to U.S. creators in the YouTube Partner Program (YPP). Expansion to YPP creators outside of the U.S. is pending.

Creator Music eligibility

To be eligible to use Creator Music, YouTube creators must either be in the YouTube Partner Program or been notified by Google that they’re eligible. Creators must also be in compliance with all applicable YouTube policies, including, but not limited to:

Creator Music is currently not available to:

Companies or YouTube creators that primarily produce content that’s commercially released in theaters, on television, and/or via over-the-top streaming television services.
Commercial brands whose YouTube channels are dedicated to promoting such brands, goods, and/or services.

Google reserves the right to change the eligibility criteria for Creator Music in its sole discretion.

Creator Music restrictions

The restrictions listed below outline how Creator Music tracks can be used in YouTube videos. These restrictions apply to all tracks available for licensing through Creator Music. Individual tracks have their own usage details, which are set by the track's rights holders.

Restricted categories

Creators must make sure tracks licensed from Creator Music aren’t used in videos that contain content in any of the following restricted categories:

Commercial use

Creators are prohibited from using Creator Music tracks in a video where the creator has been paid by a brand or service to make content that’s primarily dedicated to endorsing or promoting that brand or service.

Examples of commercial use restrictions

Permitted: Creator A, a food creator, uploads a 10-minute video that mentions a third party brand sponsor’s product as part of the video’s intro. Most of the video is focused on the creator walking through a new recipe.

Not Permitted: Creator B, a beauty creator, was paid by a brand to make a video that promotes and reviews a new product. Creator B publishes a 10-minute video that’s primarily focused on promoting the company’s new product.

Additionally, videos using revenue sharing tracks are not eligible for YouTube Shopping features. Learn more about sharing revenue using Creator Music or sharing revenue on eligible cover videos.

Usage limitations

Creators who license tracks from Creator Music must follow these usage limitations:

No fundamentally altering the Creator Music tracks (e.g., no remixing).
No creating new lyrics or translating lyrics into other languages.
No using artist or songwriter name or likeness other than to identify the Creator Music track and artist or songwriter.
No creating an Art Track (static image while the entire song plays), visualizer (simple repetitive visual while the entire song plays), lyric video, or karaoke video from the Creator Music tracks.
Make available, distribute, or perform Creator Music tracks separately from the Creator Video(s) (e.g., standalone distribution of Music files is not permitted)
No using the Creator Music tracks in a manner that is derogatory or casts the artist, record label, or songwriter in a negative light.

Examples of usage limitations

Permitted: Creator A buys a license for a track and uses it as part of their video’s intro without editing the original song.

Not permitted: Creator B buys a license for a song and uses third-party editing software to remix the song and add a new verse.

Violation of these restrictions may result in license termination and the associated videos may be subject to removal. For full details on Creator Music restrictions, go to the Creator Music Terms of Service.

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Creator Music eligibility and restrictions