Can I use Freesound samples in a commercial release?
Updated · 3 min read
Short answer
Yes, if the sound's licence allows it. Every Freesound upload has its own licence: CC0 sounds can go in a commercial release with no credit, CC BY sounds can too if you credit the author, CC BY-NC sounds cannot be used commercially at all, and the older Sampling+ licence allows commercial use only once the sound is transformed and never in advertising.
How Freesound licensing works
Freesound is a collaborative database of Creative Commons sounds run by the Music Technology Group of Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona. When someone uploads a sound, they choose its licence, and that licence applies to that one sound only. Two sounds by the same person can carry different licences, so there is no such thing as “the Freesound licence”.
The licences you will meet are:
| Licence | Commercial release? | What you must do |
|---|---|---|
| CC0 | Yes | Nothing. Credit is optional. |
| CC BY (Attribution) | Yes | Credit the author, the sound and the licence. |
| CC BY-NC (Attribution-NonCommercial) | No | Non-commercial projects only, with credit. |
| Sampling+ (older uploads) | Only if transformed, never in ads | Credit the author. |
Most newer uploads use the 4.0 versions of the CC licences; older sounds may still be under 3.0. For a producer the practical difference is small: both versions of CC BY allow commercial use with a credit.
Checking a sound before you use it
- Open the sound’s page on Freesound (every Sound Server result links to it) and read the licence shown next to it.
- If it’s CC BY, save the credit line now, while you still know where the sound came from. Sound Server gives you one on every result.
- If it’s CC BY-NC, keep it for practice or replace it before you release.
- If the sound is obviously a piece of someone else’s record, a film or a commercial library, skip it whatever its licence says.
Sound Server does this for you on every search: each result has a verdict (yes, yes-with-credit, restricted, no) based on the licence Freesound records for that sound, and the Commercial-safe switch hides everything that isn’t cleared for a release.
Downloading the original file
Freesound streams MP3 and Ogg previews to anyone, but the original WAV, AIFF or FLAC file needs a free Freesound account. Sound Server plays the preview and sends you to the sound’s page to download it. Previews are lossy, so always use the original file in a release.
Crediting
For CC BY sounds, put the credit where listeners can find it: the release notes on Bandcamp, the description of a YouTube video, the credits of a game or the liner notes of a physical release. See how to credit CC BY samples for the exact format.
Questions
- Do I have to credit CC0 sounds from Freesound?
- No. CC0 waives the creator's rights, so no credit is legally required. Crediting the recordist is still appreciated, and it costs you one line in your release notes.
- Does a monetised YouTube video count as commercial use?
- Yes. Ads revenue, paid streams, downloads you sell, beats you lease and sync placements are all commercial. A sound licensed CC BY-NC can't be used in any of them.
- Can I re-upload Freesound samples in my own sample pack?
- Only CC0 sounds without conditions, and CC BY sounds with the credit kept. Even then, sample stores usually refuse packs made of other people's sounds. Redistributing CC BY-NC sounds in a paid pack is not allowed.
- What if the uploader didn't own the sound?
- A licence can only be granted by someone who holds the rights. Freesound moderates uploads, but if a sound turns out to be copied from a record or a commercial library, the licence on it doesn't protect you. Avoid uploads that sound like sampled songs.
Try it
Live searches across every source, with a licence verdict on each result.
Sources
Practical information, not legal advice. AI agent? This guide is also available as Markdown.