Steven O'Brien
Royalty-Free Music Collection

Content ID Safe!

All music on this page is free of YouTube's Content ID (also applies to Twitch, Facebook, etc). Monetization on your content will not be affected if you use it, and provided you follow the instructions listed below, you will not receive any copyright strikes or DMCA takedown notices.

Can I use this music for free?

Yes! But you must always credit me with the following text:

Music by: Steven O'Brien
https://www.steven-obrien.net/

<names of tracks used>

(Used for free under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/)

This applies for both commercial use and personal use. Even if you are making money off of your content, you can still use my music for free by following the instructions.

Read Proper Crediting and Disallowed Uses for more information.

While free-of-charge, you might consider purchasing a license/subscription or making a donation if you are getting good use out of my music. The support is always appreciated.

Read Broadcast Usage if you want to use my music in a television program, or commercial.

Then why purchase a license?

Sometimes, giving appropriate credit is inconvenient, or not possible (such as in radio or television commercials). For these use cases, a premium license can be purchased.

Additionally, when you buy a license, you get lossless .wav files (44.1KHz/16-bit).

Licenses come in the following forms:

$30 - Single-track license (for individuals)
$90 - Single-track license (for organizations)
$12/month** - All-you-can-eat subscription (for individuals)
$36/month** - All-you-can-eat subscription (for organizations)

**Subscriptions are charged as an annual fee of $144/yr or $432/yr (excl. taxes).

You can either pay for use of a single track, or you can purchase a subscription which allows you the use of all tracks on this site in any new media published during the subscription period.

Buying a premium license frees your organization from the burden of having to ensure credit is properly given in every use case. For a small fee, you can ensure that you are always in compliance.

You can read the full license text here.

Proper crediting

All music on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 License (CC BY).

By accessing this website and using any associated services, you are agreeing to abide by the terms of the Music License Agrement and Terms of Service.

If you haven't purchased a separate paid license or subscription, you can use any of the music on this site for free, as long as you put the following credit in the content itself or in an accompanying description:

For online media, such as YouTube videos or podcasts, you can put this credit in the accompanying description.

If the content is primarily going to be viewed through an embed (where the accompanying description is not visible), or if the content is standalone (like a film, a television show, etc.) credit should be given in the content itself (i.e. end credits, or a subtitle), or alongside the embed where it can easily be found by the viewer.

Don't hide the attribution away in some random page or file where nobody will ever find it.

The most important thing is to ensure that people who want to find more information about the music can easily find: What music was used, who created it, and at what link they can find it.

If you want to use my music, and you can't give proper credit as outlined above, you can consider purchasing a license, which will free you of this obligation.

Disallowed uses

⚠️ You must either give proper credit, or purchase a license to use the track without giving credit. See above.
❌ The music must be used in a transformative way. You cannot simply re-upload the music on its own, it needs to be used as part of your own original content. (i.e. using it as background music for a video, or redistributing the music files as part of a game, is fine)
❌ You absolutely, cannot, under any circumstances, upload any part of my music to distribution services such as Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, YouTube Music, etc. If you want to release a compilation soundtrack with my music, or if you want to use my music as part of your own original song, contact me for permission.
You will receive a DMCA takedown notice if you do this without permission, as I cannot risk having people be affected by spurious content ID claims.
❌ You cannot use my likeness, or claim that I endorse your content without explicit written permission.

Example uses

✔️ Using the music in commercial content that you are making money off of is fine.
✔️ Using the music in the background of a YouTube video/Twitch stream/podcast, with proper credit on-screen, or in the description, or with a paid license.
✔️ Using the music in a film/television show/video game/on-demand content, with credit given in the end credits, or with a subtitle, or a paid license. (A cue sheet should be filed for television broadcasts)
✔️ Let's Play videos of your game do not have to provide credit separately. The music being properly credited in the game itself is sufficient.
✔️ Using the music as background music in a store or other commercial location, with clearly posted credit in the store, or a paid license.
✔️ Using the music in a television commercial, or corporate presentation, with a paid license (if credit can't be given), and following the instructions in Brodcast Usage.

Broadcast usage

Note: Not relevant for YouTubers, Twitch streamers, game developers, etc.

I am a member of the performing rights organization IMRO. Regardless of whether or not you are using a paid license, if my music is used for broadcast (on television, radio), you are expected to file a cue sheet with your local PRO (ASCAP, BMI, PRS, SACEM, GEMA, etc.), providing the following info:

Titles of the tracks used
Composer: Steven Edward Lawrence O'Brien
Publisher: Steven Edward Lawrence O'Brien
PRO/Society Affiliation: IMRO
CAE/IPI: 843124557

If you don't understand what any of the above means, it probably doesn't apply to you. This does not apply to usage on YouTube, Twitch, in video games, etc.

What if I didn't follow the license terms?

Idiot. Dimwit. Numbskull. How much clearer could I POSSIBLY have made my EXTREMELY SIMPLE instructions, you utter blockhead?? How do you even manage to dress yourself in the morning, you mooncalf??? All you had to do was follow the damn instructions, CJ, and you couldn't even do that, could you? How does that make you feel, you absolute nincompoop? Pillock. Wally. Lamebrain.

Honest mistakes are fine. Just be sure to add the credit as laid out above (or, if that's not possible, purchase licenses for the offending tracks) and don't repeat the mistake. If you have concerns or questions, feel free to reach out: [email protected]

Offenders may be liable to DMCA takedown notices, though I generally only do this as a last resort, or in egregious cases of abuse.

Please be aware that much of my music is registered with services such as Shazam and Tunesat. Viewers will notice if you've used music without properly crediting, and they will tell me.

Who are you?

My name is Steven O'Brien, I'm 28, a composer living in Ireland, and I like long walks on the beach.

You can visit my personal site here if you want: https://www.steven-obrien.net/personal/

Did you compose the music on this site?

Yes, I composed and produced all of the music on this site. I do not use samples from, or make covers of, music written by other people.

How can I trust that you won't copyright strike my channel?

I have been offering Creative Commons music for well over a decade and have a long-established reputation. Here is an example of a video, with 42 million views, by Ze Frank, which uses my music, and has been in perfectly good copyright standing for a decade: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdYaTa_lOf4.

I received a Content ID claim/Copyright Strike!

This is a fraudulent claim made by a third-party. This rarely happens, and I have safeguards in place to ensure that it stays that way. Email me, and I will ensure that it gets resolved.

Can I upgrade a previously purchased license/subscription?

Yes. Email me with the order numbers of the purchases you wish to upgrade, and I will give you a coupon code that will credit what you've already paid for the individual licenses.

Can I transfer a license/subscription?

I will review your request. Email me.

Can I cancel a subscription before it expires and receive a refund?

No. When you purchase a subscription, you are signing up to a one-year contract that is renewable annually. If this is not something you want, you should purchase a single-track license instead, or review the free-use options.

(This does not affect your statutory rights or apply to any provisions in the Music License Agreement)

Can I pay for a subscription on a monthly basis instead of a yearly basis?

No. See above.

Is it okay to use music on this site that is listed as being part of a "soundtrack" or album?

Yes! These soundtracks were written on commission, with a provision in the contract allowing me to later release it under a Creative Commons license and license it out separately. The people I wrote these soundtracks for are well aware of this and have no issue with it.

Donations

First of all, thank you!

If you want to support me, I would recommend purchasing a license/subscription, or buying something from my Bandcamp. That way, you get something in return for your money.

If you still want to send a separate donation, you can do so via:

PayPal.