# Can I use Freesound samples in a commercial release?

> 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.

Licensing guide, updated 2026-10-23. Yes for CC0 and CC BY sounds (with a credit), no for CC BY-NC, conditions for Sampling+. How to check a Freesound licence before you release a track.

## 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

1. Open the sound's page on Freesound (every Sound Server result links to it) and read the licence shown next to it.
2. 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.
3. If it's CC BY-NC, keep it for practice or replace it before you release.
4. 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](https://sound.shep.bot/guides/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

- [Commercial-safe kicks on Freesound](https://sound.shep.bot/search?q=kick&category=drums.kick&commercial=true&providers=freesound,openverse)
- [CC0 and CC BY vocal chops](https://sound.shep.bot/search?q=vocal+chop&category=vocals.chop&commercial=true)
- [Field recordings cleared for release](https://sound.shep.bot/search?q=rain&category=ambience&commercial=true)

## Collections

- [Free kick samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-kick-samples.md): Free kick drum samples for any genre, from punchy acoustic kicks to drum machine thumps, each with a preview and a verdict on commercial use.
- [Free rain ambience sounds](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-rain-ambience.md): Free rain ambience and storm recordings: light rain, downpours, rain on windows and thunder, as long field recordings with a preview and licence verdict.
- [Free footstep sound effects](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-footstep-sounds.md): Free footstep sounds on wood, gravel, snow, concrete and grass, walking and running, for film, games and textured beats, each with a commercial-use verdict.

## Related guides

- [CC0 vs CC BY vs royalty-free samples: what's the difference?](https://sound.shep.bot/guides/cc0-vs-cc-by-vs-royalty-free.md): CC0, CC BY and royalty-free licences all allow commercial music, with different strings: credit, redistribution and who granted them. A plain comparison.
- [How to credit CC BY samples in a song](https://sound.shep.bot/guides/credit-cc-by-samples.md): The credit line a CC BY sample needs (title, author, source, licence, changes), where to put it on Bandcamp, YouTube and streaming, with copy-paste examples.
- [What counts as commercial use of a sample?](https://sound.shep.bot/guides/what-counts-as-commercial-use.md): Selling, streaming for royalties, monetised videos, beat leases, sync and client work are commercial. How non-commercial (NC) licences apply to music.
- [What is the CC Sampling+ licence?](https://sound.shep.bot/guides/cc-sampling-plus.md): Sampling+ lets you transform a sound in new work, commercially too, but never in advertising or resold raw. What it allows and where you still meet it.

## Sources

- [Freesound: licences (help)](https://freesound.org/help/faq/)
- [CC0 1.0 Universal](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
- [CC BY-NC 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)
- [CC Sampling+ 1.0 (retired)](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/sampling+/1.0/)

This guide is practical information, not legal advice.

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Source: https://sound.shep.bot/guides/freesound-samples-commercial-use