Question 1

What are the Creative Commons licence types and which one should I pick?

Accepted Answer

Creative Commons has six standard licences — CC BY, CC BY-SA, CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-SA, CC BY-ND and CC BY-NC-ND — plus CC0, a public-domain dedication. BY is attribution; SA is share-alike; NC means non-commercial; ND means no derivatives. Pick CC-BY when you want credit preserved; pick CC0 when you don’t.

Question 2

What counts as "commercial use" of a CC-licensed track?

Accepted Answer

The BY-NC clause treats any use that earns revenue as commercial: ads on or around the content, branded or sponsored posts, monetised YouTube videos, and any paid placement that sells a product. Personal vlogs, non-monetised student films, and not-for-profit educational use stay non-commercial.

Question 3

“Opt-in” vs “opt-out” Creative Commons — what’s the real difference?

Accepted Answer

“Opt-in” Creative Commons means you posted the track with a CC licence attached — the terms follow the track. “Opt-out” is the popular misuse: someone found a CC-licensed track and used it without preserving attribution. No CC clause lets downstream users skip attribution — what matters legally is the clauses the licence has.

Question 4

How are royalty rates calculated when my track is licensed through LicenseTrack?

Accepted Answer

The fee on any sync licence closed through LicenseTrack is set by you — the composer. LicenseTrack takes a flat 15% and the remaining 85% settles to you, covering only sync fees. Mechanical and performance royalties are a separate stream paid by collecting societies (ASCAP, BMI, PRS), not part of the 15% cut.

Question 5

How do I dispute or file a DMCA when someone uses my CC-licensed music without credit?

Accepted Answer

When someone uses your CC-licensed music without preserving attribution, that’s infringement even though you licensed the work. Open the match and click “File DMCA” — LicenseTrack pre-fills the notice. The platform must act within a few business days, and a counter-notice triggers the standard 10–14 day reinstatement window.

Question 6

Which platforms does LicenseTrack monitor, and where does YouTube Content ID fit?

Accepted Answer

YouTube (including Shorts), SoundCloud, and Spotify run through LicenseTrack’s direct-search fingerprint pipeline today, with full coverage on each. YouTube Content ID is a separate system — LicenseTrack does not submit fingerprints to it, since Content ID is opt-in for rights holders. Use LicenseTrack for uncontracted UGC; Content ID remains a parallel programme.

Question 7

What’s the difference between sync, mechanical, and performance royalties?

Accepted Answer

There are three royalty streams. Sync is paid to the composer for use in a video, ad or game, collected via deal. Mechanical covers reproduction (streaming, downloads, vinyl), handled by Harry Fox or MCPS. Performance covers broadcast and public play, handled by ASCAP, BMI, PRS or SACEM. LicenseTrack covers sync only — the other streams flow through the collecting societies.

Question 8

How do I find and collect unpaid streaming royalties?

Accepted Answer

Streaming royalties leak at three points: unknown writer registration, mismatched ISRC codes, or unreported plays. The fix is registering every track with your local performing-right society (ASCAP, BMI, PRS or SACEM) and verifying the ISRC and ISWC codes match. LicenseTrack surfaces the upstream signal — uncontracted UGC use — which is where royalties are owed but not yet collected.

Indie composer FAQ

The eight questions composers ask most

The full FAQ

Proof & DMCA

Licensing

Monitoring

Payouts

Account & plans

Still have questions?

The eight questions composers ask most

What are the Creative Commons licence types and which one should I pick?¶

What counts as "commercial use" of a CC-licensed track?¶

“Opt-in” vs “opt-out” Creative Commons — what’s the real difference?¶

How are royalty rates calculated when my track is licensed through LicenseTrack?¶

How do I dispute or file a DMCA when someone uses my CC-licensed music without credit?¶

Which platforms does LicenseTrack monitor, and where does YouTube Content ID fit?¶

What’s the difference between sync, mechanical, and performance royalties?¶

How do I find and collect unpaid streaming royalties?¶

The full FAQ

Proof & DMCA

How does a DMCA takedown work?

How long does a DMCA takedown take?

How accurate is the music detection?

How fast does a DMCA takedown happen, and what does the process look like end to end?

What are blockchain receipts and how do I verify them independently?

Licensing

What is a licensing offer and how does it work?

What if I sample something — will that cause issues?

Can I approve takedowns manually before they’re sent?

What counts as a "detection" — how do you avoid false positives?

Monitoring

How does music monitoring work?

What platforms do you monitor?

What file formats can I upload?

What does "unlimited scans" actually mean on the Pro plan?

Payouts

How do I get paid when someone licenses my music?

What is the 15% platform cut?

Can I use LicenseTrack outside the UK?

How do I receive my licensing payouts?

What is your refund policy?

Account & plans

What is LicenseTrack?

Is the free trial really free?

What happens after the 7-day trial?

What is the difference between Pro and Annual plans?

What happens when someone uses my beat without permission?

Still have questions?