Free Music Archive
Free Music Archive is a big free archive of independent music, mostly under Creative Commons licenses. It's run by Tribe of Noise, which also sells paid licenses through Tribe of Noise PRO. Each track has its own rules, so streamers who monetize should only use tracks marked for commercial use.
TL;DR
Creators on a zero budget who are willing to filter by license and only use CC BY or Public Domain tracks. Where you can use it: Twitch safe with steps, YouTube safe with steps, TikTok safe with steps, Instagram safe with steps, Kick safe with steps. You must credit it.
Where is Free Music Archive safe to use?
Based on Free Music Archive's own license terms, checked October 2026. “Copyright-free” on one platform doesn't mean safe everywhere, so we check each one.
- Safe
- Safe with steps
- Not allowed
- Not confirmed
| Twitch live streams | Safe with steps FMA's pages never mention Twitch, but CC licenses work in any medium. Use only CC BY, CC BY-SA or CC0 tracks if you monetize, and give credit. PRO's FAQ says its licensed music is 'ready for ... Twitch'. |
|---|---|
| Twitch VODs, clips & highlights | Safe with steps Same license rules as live. FMA says nothing about Audible Magic, so a VOD mute is possible if an artist has registered their track with a fingerprinting system. Not confirmed either way. |
| YouTube videos & live streams | Safe with steps Allowed for tracks whose license permits video (CC BY, CC BY-SA, CC BY-NC, CC0; not ND). Monetized videos need a commercial-use track. FMA warns some artists use Content ID and FMA cannot remove claims. |
| TikTok | Safe with steps Not named by FMA, but CC licenses cover any medium. Follow the track's license and credit the artist in the caption. Tribe of Noise PRO Bronze explicitly lists TikTok. |
| Instagram Reels & Live | Safe with steps Not named by FMA, but CC licenses cover any medium; credit in the caption. Tribe of Noise PRO Bronze explicitly lists Instagram. |
| Kick | Safe with steps Kick is never named by FMA or PRO. The CC license itself is not limited by platform, so a CC BY / CC0 track with credit should be fine; PRO licenses do not mention Kick, so treat PRO as unclear for Kick. |
Free Music Archive at a glance
- Price
- Free
- Free option available
- Catalog
- Large CC archive
- Credit
- Required
- See how to credit below
- Contains
- No AI music
Genres
- Blues
- Electronic
- Hip-Hop
- Jazz
- Rock
- Classical
- Experimental
- Instrumental
- Soul-RnB
- Country
- Folk
- International
- Pop
- Old-Time/Historic
- Spoken
Company
Run by Tribe of Noise (team based in the Netherlands; Tribe of Noise founded 2008). FMA was started in 2009 by radio station WFMU and bought by Tribe of Noise in 2019.
Includes
- Advanced search filter by license (Commercial Use, Use in a Remix or Video, CC BY etc.)
- Paid licensing via Tribe of Noise PRO
- Free downloads
Which plan you need
The free FMA tracks have their own Creative Commons license each, so what you can do depends on the track. Paid licensing goes through Tribe of Noise PRO: one-time fee per song per project (Bronze EUR 45 covers YouTube, online video and social media; Silver EUR 549; Gold EUR 918). PRO is a separate catalog, not every FMA track. A business subscription is mentioned but no price is listed. No channel limits are stated.
Can you monetize?
Only tracks whose license allows commercial use (CC BY, CC BY-SA, CC0/Public Domain) are safe for monetized streams and videos. NC (NonCommercial) tracks are not allowed for commercial use, and a stream with ads, subs or bits is very likely commercial. ND tracks cannot be put in videos at all. A paid Tribe of Noise PRO license is the other route.
How to credit Free Music Archive
For any CC BY-type track, credit the song title, artist, 'Free Music Archive' and the license name, with links to the track page and the license (e.g. 'Song by Artist, from Free Music Archive, licensed CC BY 4.0' in your YouTube description). On Twitch, put the same credits in a panel or a !music chat command and show the song on screen while it plays.
Content ID, claims, and VOD mutes
FMA does not register tracks itself, but its FAQ says some artists use YouTube Content ID, which can flag videos even when you follow the CC license. FMA says it 'cannot and does not license music' and cannot resolve claims; you must contact the artist. Tribe of Noise works with Pex to track usage on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and more. If you bought a PRO license, you get a certificate you can use to dispute a claim.
Not sure how claims, strikes, and mutes differ? Read our DMCA guide.
Watch out for
- Every track has its own license - check it before you use it.
- NC (NonCommercial) tracks are risky on monetized streams and videos; stick to CC BY, CC BY-SA or Public Domain.
- ND (NoDerivatives) tracks can't go in videos - FMA says syncing to video counts as a derivative.
- CC BY-SA tracks in a video mean your video should carry the same SA license.
- Old 'FMA-Limited' tracks are for personal listening only - no videos or broadcast.
- Some artists use Content ID; FMA can't remove claims for you.
- FMA has no published AI policy, so some uploads could be AI-made.
- Track pages and genre lists don't always show the license up front - use Advanced Search's license filter.
Free Music Archive FAQ
Is Free Music Archive safe to use on Twitch?
Yes, with conditions. Live streams: FMA's pages never mention Twitch, but CC licenses work in any medium. Use only CC BY, CC BY-SA or CC0 tracks if you monetize, and give credit. PRO's FAQ says its licensed music is 'ready for ... Twitch'. VODs and clips: Same license rules as live. FMA says nothing about Audible Magic, so a VOD mute is possible if an artist has registered their track with a fingerprinting system. Not confirmed either way.
Will Free Music Archive music get my YouTube videos claimed?
Yes, with conditions. Allowed for tracks whose license permits video (CC BY, CC BY-SA, CC BY-NC, CC0; not ND). Monetized videos need a commercial-use track. FMA warns some artists use Content ID and FMA cannot remove claims. FMA does not register tracks itself, but its FAQ says some artists use YouTube Content ID, which can flag videos even when you follow the CC license. FMA says it 'cannot and does not license music' and cannot resolve claims; you must contact the artist. Tribe of Noise works with Pex to track usage on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and more. If you bought a PRO license, you get a certificate you can use to dispute a claim.
Can I use Free Music Archive on TikTok, Instagram, or Kick?
TikTok: Yes, with conditions. Not named by FMA, but CC licenses cover any medium. Follow the track's license and credit the artist in the caption. Tribe of Noise PRO Bronze explicitly lists TikTok. Instagram: Yes, with conditions. Not named by FMA, but CC licenses cover any medium; credit in the caption. Tribe of Noise PRO Bronze explicitly lists Instagram. Kick: Yes, with conditions. Kick is never named by FMA or PRO. The CC license itself is not limited by platform, so a CC BY / CC0 track with credit should be fine; PRO licenses do not mention Kick, so treat PRO as unclear for Kick.
Is Free Music Archive free?
Yes, there is a free option. Pricing: Free. The free FMA tracks have their own Creative Commons license each, so what you can do depends on the track. Paid licensing goes through Tribe of Noise PRO: one-time fee per song per project (Bronze EUR 45 covers YouTube, online video and social media; Silver EUR 549; Gold EUR 918). PRO is a separate catalog, not every FMA track. A business subscription is mentioned but no price is listed. No channel limits are stated.
Do I need to credit Free Music Archive?
Yes. For any CC BY-type track, credit the song title, artist, 'Free Music Archive' and the license name, with links to the track page and the license (e.g. 'Song by Artist, from Free Music Archive, licensed CC BY 4.0' in your YouTube description). On Twitch, put the same credits in a panel or a !music chat command and show the song on screen while it plays.
Can I monetize content that uses Free Music Archive?
Only tracks whose license allows commercial use (CC BY, CC BY-SA, CC0/Public Domain) are safe for monetized streams and videos. NC (NonCommercial) tracks are not allowed for commercial use, and a stream with ads, subs or bits is very likely commercial. ND tracks cannot be put in videos at all. A paid Tribe of Noise PRO license is the other route.