Creative Commons
The seven Creative Commons license types, in plain English
A first-time visitor's map of the CC license spectrum — what each variant lets you do, what it forbids, and where the canonical definition lives. Use the table to scan the whole spectrum at a glance, then jump to any variant for the full plain-English explanation.
Which Creative Commons license fits your work?
Pro composers on LicenseTrack upload tracks that carry a CC license on the composition. When the proof certificate shows License · CC-BY, that's the deal: anyone who uses that track on YouTube, SoundCloud, TikTok, or Spotify has agreed to those terms — or owes you the difference. The table below maps the entire CC spectrum in one view.
At a glance
Commercial use, derivatives, and attribution across all seven CC variants
A green check means the use is permitted under the license's standard terms; a red X means it is restricted or requires a separate agreement with the creator. Read the per-variant sections below for the plain-English explanation.
| License | Commercial | Remix | Attribution | Share-alike | No-derivatives | Definition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CC-BY | Yes · with credit | Yes | Required | — | — | View deed → |
| CC-BY-SA | Yes · with credit | Yes · share-alike | Required | Required | — | View deed → |
| CC-BY-NC | No | Yes | Required | — | — | View deed → |
| CC-BY-NC-SA | No | Yes · share-alike | Required | Required | — | View deed → |
| CC-BY-ND | Yes · with credit | No | Required | — | Applies | View deed → |
| CC-BY-NC-ND | No | No | Required | — | Applies | View deed → |
| CC0 | Yes | Yes | Not required | — | — | View deed → |
Plain-English breakdown
What each Creative Commons license actually means
Each variant explained on its own terms: what the badge shortens, what the deed text says, and where to read the canonical definition on CreativeCommons.org.
CC-BY
Attribution (CC BY 4.0)
TL;DRAnyone can use, remix, and profit from the work, provided they credit the original creator.
The most permissive standard Creative Commons license. Anyone may copy, redistribute, remix, transform, and build upon the work — including for commercial purposes. The only requirement is attribution: credit the original creator, link to the license, and note any changes you made.
Canonical definition hosted by Creative Commons.
Read the deed on CreativeCommons.orgCC-BY-SA
Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA 4.0)
TL;DRLike CC BY, but any new work you create from it must be released under the same CC BY-SA license.
Same rights as CC BY — commercial use and derivatives are allowed with credit — with one extra clause: any remix, adaptation, or new work you build from this material must also be released under the same CC BY-SA license. This keeps derivative works permissively licensed in perpetuity.
Canonical definition hosted by Creative Commons.
Read the deed on CreativeCommons.orgCC-BY-NC
Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0)
TL;DRYou can remix and adapt the work, but only for non-commercial purposes, and you must credit the creator.
You may remix, transform, and build upon the work for non-commercial purposes only. Commercial use requires a separate agreement with the creator. As with all CC BY-* variants, attribution is required: credit the creator, link to the license, and indicate any changes.
Canonical definition hosted by Creative Commons.
Read the deed on CreativeCommons.orgCC-BY-NC-SA
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
TL;DRNon-commercial use with credit; any new work built from it must also be CC BY-NC-SA.
Combines the non-commercial restriction with the share-alike clause. You may remix and adapt the work for non-commercial use only, and any derivative work you release must be under the same CC BY-NC-SA license. Credit the creator as usual.
Canonical definition hosted by Creative Commons.
Read the deed on CreativeCommons.orgCC-BY-ND
Attribution-NoDerivatives (CC BY-ND 4.0)
TL;DRCommercial use is allowed with credit, but you cannot remix or adapt the work — only redistribute it intact.
Anyone may copy and redistribute the work, including commercially, provided they credit the creator. However, remixing, transforming, or building upon the work is not permitted — the original must be shared intact. If you want to remix a CC BY-ND work, you need a separate agreement with the creator.
Canonical definition hosted by Creative Commons.
Read the deed on CreativeCommons.orgCC-BY-NC-ND
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
TL;DRThe most restrictive standard license — no commercial use, no derivatives, credit required.
Often called the "default safe" Creative Commons license. You may download and share the work with credit, but you cannot use it commercially or alter it in any way. Any remix or monetized use requires a separate license agreement with the creator.
Canonical definition hosted by Creative Commons.
Read the deed on CreativeCommons.orgCC0
Public Domain Dedication (CC0 1.0)
TL;DRThe creator has waived all copyright. Use the work for anything, anywhere, with no strings attached.
CC0 is not technically a license — it is a public-domain dedication. The creator waives all copyright and related rights to the fullest extent allowed by law. You may copy, modify, distribute, and use the work commercially, with no obligation to credit the creator (though attribution is appreciated as good practice). Where the waiver is not legally enforceable, the work is offered under terms as close to public domain as possible.
Canonical definition hosted by Creative Commons.
Read the deed on CreativeCommons.orgWhich CC license applies to a proof certificate?
Reading the License · CC-BY badge on a proof certificate
Every proof certificate page at /proof/[id] carries a short license badge — License · CC-BY-SA, License · CC-BY-NC-ND, or whatever the composer chose when uploading the track. That badge is a clickable link straight to the canonical CC deed, but it doesn't explain what the deed means. Tap "Read the plain-English summary" underneath any license badge to land back on this page at the matching variant — #cc-by-sa, #cc-by-nc-nd, or whichever applies — and the matrix on this page will highlight the same variant in the table for context.
Why this matters on a DMCA
If a platform host uses a CC-licensed track without the credit the license requires, that's a license violation — not just unauthorized use. LicenseTrack treats attribution failures with the same severity as monetization failures: a platform player is still profiting from the work without adhering to the deal the composer published. The brief explains why a takedown is justified.
Go deeper
More from LicenseTrack
These explainers cover the topics that surface next to Creative Commons in the composer workflow — proof certificates, DMCA filings, and how LicenseTrack links it all together.