Short answer: License AI music from the generator that made it, on a paid plan: Suno (Pro or Premier permitted downloads), ElevenLabs' Eleven Music, Soundraw and Mubert Pro all grant commercial use for things like monetized YouTube videos, with different limits each. Stock libraries are a different bet: Epidemic Sound says it doesn't offer AI-generated music at all. No marketplace guarantees a clean AI license, so keep the plan receipt and license certificate for every track. ONCE is a music distributor, not a licensing marketplace, so it's the wrong tool for this question unless you're the one making the music.
Checked against each vendor's own license pages on October 31, 2026. Not legal advice.
Who licenses AI music for videos, ads and podcasts
| Source | Commercial use in your content? | The catches | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suno (Pro / Premier) | Yes, for a permitted download | Commercial use only for tracks created on Pro or Premier and obtained as a permitted download within your monthly allocation. Free-tier, trial and Remix output is non-commercial. Don't strip watermarks or metadata. Suno says commercial rights don't guarantee copyright. | Suno Terms · ONCE's reading |
| ElevenLabs (Eleven Music, paid plans) | Yes | Self-serve plans cover online and offline commercial use except film, TV, radio and "Studio Games." Free plan: no downloads, attribution required. You can't build a music library from the output. Streaming-store release is allowed only on Creator and up. | ElevenLabs Music Terms |
| Soundraw | Yes, all plans | YouTube, UGC, product videos, games, client work. Not OK: registering in Content ID, or using it in content you don't own (movies, TV, ads need a conversation with Soundraw). For meditation, lo-fi and relaxation content that uses tracks as downloaded, the content stays covered only while your subscription is active. | SOUNDRAW license |
| Mubert | Yes, Pro and Business | Pro or Business is needed for monetized videos, and client or agency work needs Business. Free and Creator plans are non-commercial. Content ID registration, streaming-store release and stock-site resale are banned on every plan. Mubert owns the tracks. | Mubert license |
| Beatoven.ai | Sync only | License covers tracks synchronized with your own video, game or podcast. No distribution through Spotify, Apple Music or any streaming service. Beatoven keeps the copyright. Its terms page was last updated June 5, 2024, so confirm current plan terms. | Beatoven terms |
| Epidemic Sound | No AI-generated music | Its catalog is human-made. Its AI tool, Adapt, edits Epidemic's own tracks. | Epidemic Sound |
| Artlist (human stock) | Yes, for projects | Licensed per subscription. Music can only be used inside a project, not as a standalone file, and Artlist tracks can't be registered in Content ID. We did not confirm that Artlist sells AI-generated music tracks. | Artlist license |
Five checks before you license any AI track
- Which generator, which plan, and when? The terms on the day it was made are the ones that count.
- Proof. Receipt, creation date, and for Suno the permitted-download record.
- Who owns what? Fully AI-generated output can't be copyrighted in the US (U.S. Copyright Office). You're buying permission under a contract, not a copyright. Human-written lyrics and performed parts keep their own protection. More in what you can release.
- Voices, samples, lookalikes. Anything imitating a real artist needs that artist's authorization.
- Disclosure. YouTube requires creators to disclose realistic AI content, and its own list of examples includes AI-generated music (YouTube Help).
"Royalty-free" is a license term, not a property of AI. Read the license, not the landing page.
A track on Spotify is not licensed for your video
Streaming a song gives you the right to listen, not to put it under your video. If a song is on Spotify or Apple Music, that doesn't make it licensed for your content, AI or not. You need a sync license from whoever holds the rights.
Where ONCE fits
ONCE doesn't license music to anyone. It distributes music to streaming stores for the person who made it: 2 credits ($1 per credit) per AI song, 1 credit per human song, paid once, with AI disclosure handled and 0% of royalties kept by ONCE. A delivery partner deducts 6 to 8% in fees. If you're making AI music for your own channel and want it on Spotify and Apple Music too, that's the fit: see AI music distribution, Suno on Spotify and pricing. Note: check your license first. Mubert and Beatoven.ai both prohibit streaming-store release of their tracks.
When ONCE isn't the right fit
- You want to buy or license music for a video, ad, game or podcast. That's sync licensing. ONCE doesn't sell it, clear it or broker it.
- You need YouTube Content ID. It isn't in the ONCE release fee, and several of the tools above prohibit it anyway.
- Your tracks come from Mubert, Beatoven.ai or Loudly. Their terms don't let you distribute them to stores.
- You need a legal opinion on whether a track is clean. ONCE doesn't confirm eligibility under a generator's terms. That's on you and your lawyer.
- You want publishing admin or sync pitching. ONCE registers with a PRO for performance royalties, but isn't a sync agency. See music publishing.