Frequently
Asked Questions

Got a question? We have the answer! If you can’t find it here, contact us. We’ll get back to you before you know it.
Licensing
What does it mean to use the music in a "single project"?
Each music track you license is limited to one project. However, each license covers all edits and language versions of the same audio or visual project, as well as all episodes of a single podcast or project in series.
Here are some examples of a ‘single project’ that is covered by one license:
• A campaign where you edit a video to different formats or lengths for a variety of social media platforms, using the same song. You would only need one Standard License for this use.
• A podcast series where you use the same song in the opening sequence for every episode. You would need one Standard License for each season of the series.
• A TV series where you use the same song in the opening sequence for every episode. You would need one Premium License for every season of the series.
Music purchased from the PremiumBeat production music library is royalty free. This means that after paying a one-time fee, you can use the music you’ve purchased as many times as you wish (unlimited needledrops) for as long as you like in accordance with the terms stated in the license agreement. You never have to pay us any additional license fees based on usage.
Please note that our licenses do not include public performance rights. If you are unsure whether your project falls under the scope of public performance, please contact your local Performance Rights Organization (PRO).
How am I allowed to use the music I license from PremiumBeat?
Usage rights are determined by the type of license you buy for each track. We offer 4 simple music license options:
Creator License
The Creator License covers all edits and language versions of a single project worldwide in perpetuity for the following uses (client work is not allowed):
• Websites, social media and podcasts
• Video-sharing websites such as YouTube/Vimeo
• Student theatrical projects such as films and plays
Standard License
The Standard License covers all edits and language versions of a single project worldwide in perpetuity for the following uses (client work is allowed):
• Websites, social media and podcasts
• Video-sharing websites such as YouTube/Vimeo
• Student theatrical projects such as films and plays
Premium License
The Premium License includes everything in the Standard License, plus, any of the following uses in one country:
• Any projects on broadcast TV/radio
• Any projects on VOD/OTT ("on-demand" services like Netflix or Hulu)
• Industrial uses like point-of-sale, trade shows or conferences
The Premium License can also be used worldwide for:
• Films with a budget of up to $2M USD and their associated trailers
• Up to 1000 downloads for any free or revenue-generating app
• Video games with a budget of up to $2M USD and their associated trailers
Business License
The Business License includes everything in the Premium License, plus, any of the following uses in up to five countries:
• Any projects on broadcast TV/radio
• Any projects on VOD/OTT ("on-demand" services like Netflix or Hulu)
• Industrial uses like point-of-sale, trade shows or conferences
The Business License can also be used worldwide for:
• Films with a budget of up to $5M USD and their associated trailers
• Up to 50,000 downloads for any free or revenue-generating app
• Video games with a budget of up to $5M USD and their associated trailers
All licenses also include indemnity for the same amount that is paid for the license.
Please see our license page for more details. If you are unsure of which license is right for your needs or you require broader coverage, simply contact us.
What social media platforms are covered with my Standard License?
All social media platforms are covered by the Standard License.
This includes (but is not limited to):
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• TikTok
• Twitch
• YouTube
• Vimeo
Are there restrictions on how I use music obtained from PremiumBeat?
Yes. The license permits usage of the music in a personal or professional context for yourself, your clients or your employer. PremiumBeat music may not be sold by itself, transferred, bartered, traded, shared, leased, or given away to any other party and the license may not be subleased to a third party. Our music cannot be resold except to the extent that is embedded in your own work as part of a finished end product. You may not market the music as your own even if you add other instruments or a voice to the music. You may not sing over the music and sell or distribute the song.
The above also applies to any music PremiumBeat may offer free of charge on our website, including watermarked previews. Please see the Limitations of Use section of our license agreement for further information.
If you are unsure whether the usage you are entertaining falls under our limitations of use, please contact us.
Can I monetize my YouTube video that uses a PremiumBeat track?
Yes, our Standard License permits use on video-sharing platforms like YouTube. You can monetize videos that use PremiumBeat music, as long as you don’t claim the music content to be your own within YouTube’s Content ID system.
What about public performance rights and cue sheets?
To ensure that our composers are compensated by the relevant Performing Rights Organisations, cue sheets must be completed for productions that are publicly broadcast, such as TV, radio, film and theatrical productions and advertisements. For more information please see our section dedicated to cue sheets.
If you are unsure whether your project falls under the scope of public performance, please contact your local Performance Rights Organization (PRO).
Can I purchase music from your site, sing my song or play guitar over it and distribute my album?
No, you cannot. This is not allowed.
We are a production music library. Our music is available to license for synchronization in media productions (websites, videos, DVDs, TV broadcasts, films, games, etc.) as background music. You cannot sing over the music track or add an instrument and market the results as your own music or as your song, even if the original track has been transformed or edited or if you add other instruments or vocals to the music. This is called a “Derivative Work” and is not allowed. PremiumBeat always owns the copyright of the music composition and recording.
You are allowed to record your voice and add the music as background for an audiobook, storytelling, hypnotherapy, guided meditation, self-help programs or any kind of narration. The difference is that the music is used as background for a product that is not marketed as a “song” or a musical product. The purpose of the music is not altered in any way and the copyright of the music remains clearly and entirely in the hands of the composer and the publisher. Please note that if your project is intended to generate revenue to you and you distribute more than 1,000 copies of your production, you will require a Premium License.
Can I buy PremiumBeat music anywhere else?
No. All of our music has been created by our team of gifted professional musicians and composers exclusively for PremiumBeat. This includes well-known classical music pieces, public domain music, Christmas carols and nursery songs. In these cases, the original copyright has expired and the specific recording and adaptation performed by our musicians is unique. We own the copyright for all our adaptations and recordings.
Do I need an Enterprise license?
If you need coverage beyond what’s included in our Standard and Premium Licenses, our Enterprise License could be for you!

Here are some examples of use cases that require a customized Enterprise License:
Worldwide coverage for projects on broadcast TV or Radio
Worldwide coverage for projects on VOD/OTT (‘on-demand’ services like Netflix, Hulu, etc.)
Worldwide coverage for Industrial uses like events, tradeshows, and point of sale
• For films that have a budget over $2M USD and their associated trailers
• For video games that have a budget over $2M USD and their associated trailers
• For apps generating over 1000 downloads
• For OOH (out of home advertising), like for use in arenas, stadiums, or physical public display

Our Enterprise experience also includes the following features:
• Full indemnification
• Unwatermarked previews
• Localized currencies
• Team collaboration tools
• Music curation support
• Custom invoicing and billing
• A dedicated support rep
• Role-based controls

Get in touch with our support team and we’ll point you in the right direction. Please include as much info as you can about your project. For example:
• Type of project
• Where the project will be distributed
• How many territories the project will be distributed in
• Your budget (if the project is a film or a video game)
Subscription
How does the PremiumBeat subscription work?
With a PremiumBeat subscription, you get access to our exclusive music library at a great value. We offer both a monthly and a yearly subscription.

The monthly subscription includes 5 Standard Licenses per month (unused credits don’t roll over into the next month). This subscription is billed each month unless you cancel and has a 3-month commitment period (keep in mind that if you cancel within your 3-month commitment period, you’ll still be charged for the remaining months in that period before your subscription expires). You can cancel from your account settings at any time.

The yearly subscription offers more flexibility for changing needs throughout the year and includes 60 Standard Licenses per year, added to your account all at once. This subscription is billed each year unless you cancel. You can cancel from your account settings at any time.

SFX are not included with a subscription, but can be purchased individually.

Our Standard License covers many web-based projects: videos hosted on your own personal or company websites, social media, video-sharing platforms like YouTube or Vimeo, and podcasts. Client work is allowed under the Standard License. Each Standard License covers you for all edited versions of a single project, worldwide, in perpetuity. Read more about what 'single project' means here.

You’ll need the Premium or Business License if you plan to use PremiumBeat music on broadcast TV or radio, on VOD/OTT services like Netflix, for industrial use cases, in apps, in films or film trailers, or in video games or video game trailers.

Here is an overview of what each of our licenses offer:

Compare Our Royalty-Free LicensesStandardPremium
EnterpriseContact us
Number of projects covered11Unlimited
Client work allowed
Corporate Videos & Personal Use
Web & social
Podcasts
TV & radio (broadcast)
Single territory
Worldwide
VOD/OTT (video-on-demand, over-the-top)
Single territory
Worldwide
Industrial
Single territory
Worldwide
Apps
Up to 1000 downloadsUnlimited downloads
Films and film trailers, theater
Student Project OnlyBudget < $2 million USDUnlimited budget
Video games and video game trailers
Budget < $2 million USDUnlimited budget
OOH
Enterprise features


Please reach out to us if you need to add territories for TV & Radio, VOD/OTT, or industrial use cases.
Paying for a PremiumBeat subscription
We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, China UnionPay, Discover & Diners, and Japan Credit Bureau for subscription purchases. PayPal is not accepted at this time, but is for individual license purchases.
I only need one track or SFX. Can I purchase them individually?
Yes, Music and SFX can be purchased individually with both Standard and Premium licenses.
Does the music subscription cover TV, broadcast, radio, film or in-app use?
Your music subscription includes credits that cover the Standard License, which covers many popular types of online use, such as videos on your own personal or company websites, social media, video-sharing platforms like YouTube and Vimeo, and podcasts. It also covers student projects such as student films.
You can still upgrade any of the Standard Licenses you download with your subscription to Premium or Business by going to the order detail page for that license. Click the ‘Upgrade License’ button next to the track you want to upgrade and you’ll only need to pay the difference in license fees.
You'll need the Premium License if you plan to use music for the following types of broadcast projects in one country:
• Any projects on broadcast TV/radio
• Any projects on VOD/OTT ("on-demand" services like Netflix or Hulu)
• Industrial uses like point-of-sale, trade shows or conferences
• Films with a budget of up to $2M USD and their associated trailers (worldwide)
• Up to 1000 downloads for any free or revenue-generating app (worldwide)
• Video games with a budget of up to $2M USD and their associated trailers (worldwide)
You'll need the Business License if you plan to use music for the following types of broadcast projects in up to five countries:
• Any projects on broadcast TV/radio
• Any projects on VOD/OTT ("on-demand" services like Netflix or Hulu)
• Industrial uses like point-of-sale, trade shows or conferences
• Films with a budget of up to $5M USD and their associated trailers (worldwide)
• Up to 50,000 downloads for any free or revenue-generating app (worldwide)
• Video games with a budget of up to $5M USD and their associated trailers (worldwide)
Please see our license page for more details. If you are unsure of which license is right for your needs or you require broader coverage, simply contact us.
Referral Program
How does the referral program work?
If you’re a PremiumBeat customer who knows someone that can benefit from our collection of high-quality, exclusive music, you can be rewarded for referring them to our platform! Here is how it works:
If you’re a PremiumBeat customer and you currently have an account, you can access your personal referral code by clicking on the profile icon when you’re logged in. Click it to copy your referral message and send it to your friends.
When your friend uses your referral code at checkout on their first purchase of PremiumBeat tracks (this code is not applicable on a subscription purchase), they’ll get 25% off their purchase and you’ll get a $25 PremiumBeat credit added to your account immediately.
There’s no limit to how many people you can refer. For every successful referral, you’ll get another $25 credit in your account. Keep in mind that you can only use one promotion at checkout at a time. This means, only one of your $25 credit rewards can be used per purchase.
You can learn more about the reward program and applicable rules here.
Troubleshooting
How soon do I receive the music I license from PremiumBeat?
Within minutes! As soon as your transaction has been processed, you will immediately be transferred to your download page. Additionally, we automatically send a link to the email address you’ve provided. If you did not receive the download instructions by email, please check your “Junk” or “Spam” folder - it may have landed there. If you are a PremiumBeat member, you can also retrieve the download from your account.
I purchased a license and the music still has the PremiumBeat voiceover on it!
It’s likely that you are still listening to a downloaded preview file. The purchased track and the preview file have the same file name and some applications (including iTunes and iMovie) don’t automatically update the source path every time you download a file.
The best way to fix this is to delete both versions of the song and re-download your purchase from the Orders & Download section of your account.
I paid for a license but there is an extra fee of $.75 or $.90 on my credit card statement. Why?
We are aware of these extra credit card charges, but they do not come from us. PremiumBeat never charges or receives any additional fees; the total amount you see on your screen when you purchase our products is the amount we receive.
The extra fee on your statement is a “foreign transaction fee” charged by the bank that issued your credit card. A number of US banks have a policy of adding a fee to the transaction if the seller is located outside of the USA (we are located in Canada), even if the purchase is made in US dollars. This fee varies between 0% and 3% depending on the credit card you are using. For bookkeeping purposes, this is considered as a bank service fee.
Please see the discussion about this topic on our blog.
I received a notice from YouTube that the music I licensed from PremiumBeat belongs to a third party. What do I do?
Firstly, we apologize if this happens to you. We can assure you that all our music is 100% copyright clear. Using our royalty-free music with a purchased license is 100% legal, and you are not doing anything wrong.
Classical music has a higher risk of being misidentified by YouTube software since the composition remains the same; only the masters (the actual interpretations or recordings) are different. A Mozart piece performed by Olive Musique can be misidentified as the same Mozart piece interpreted by a different artist on a recording that may belong to Sony, for example.
Unfortunately, false or mistaken copyright claims are a known issue with YouTube and music libraries. The most efficient response is to simply counter the claim with your PremiumBeat license. The claim will then be dropped. You can read more about making a counter notification here.
Please note that your PremiumBeat license does NOT allow you to upload your project to YouTube’s Content ID system. PremiumBeat retains ownership of the recording. Due to the nature of YouTube’s content recognition software, uploading PremiumBeat music to Content ID will cause mistaken copyright claims for other users and for your future projects, and constitutes a violation of our licensing terms.
If you have more questions about the YouTube claim process, please contact us.
I live in the European Union. How can I make sure my VAT ID number appears on my invoice?
In the Billing & Preferences section of your account there is a VAT number field for our customers in the European Union. If you have not created a PremiumBeat member account, you will be prompted to enter your VAT number with your billing information during checkout. In both cases, we verify the validity of your VAT number and display it on the invoices for your orders.
PremiumBeat license fees do not include taxes, which are added to the license fee in your cart during checkout. You can read about this under the “Taxes” section of our license agreement here.
Can I return a music file and get a refund?
Once you have purchased and downloaded a music file, PremiumBeat cannot offer a refund unless an error has occurred.
Technical
What is a Full Track?
A Full Track is a complete musical mix with an introduction and an ending. Track durations vary and may be as short as 50 seconds or as long as 10 minutes.
What is a Music Loop?
A Music Loop is a piece that “loops” or, in simpler terms, repeats itself indefinitely. Loops of various types and durations are offered in our packages. Please note that loops are always delivered in .wav format only because MP3 format is not suitable for looping.
Each music loop is repeated 3 times as a demo in the preview music player. The loops set contains all the loops shown in the preview window and do NOT contain an end piece - only the loops.
What is a Short Clip?
Short clips are a set of 15, 30 and 60 seconds music clips designed for TV and radio advertising. They can also be used for podcasts, video ads, or any project requiring a short music excerpt.
In what type of file format will the music be sent to me?
After you purchase a license from our site, you will have the option to download the file in superior quality .wav format as well as in MP3 format for complete flexibility, with the exception of the Loops which are always delivered in .wav format only (the MP3 format is not suitable for seamless looping).
Some customers may choose to use the broadcast quality .wav sound files for television or radio projects as well as for DVDs or CD-ROMs. However, many customers do need the compressed MP3 version for web-based projects, such as background music for a website.
What you hear when previewing music on PremiumBeat.com is compressed MP3 quality.
Will the voiceover still be present after I purchase a license?
No. The “PremiumBeat.com” voiceover is only present in the music that you preview. After you purchase a license, you will be able to download a clean copy.
Help! My payment was declined!
Your credit card company may have declined your transaction. Please call the number on the back of your card to find out why it was declined.
As a security precaution our system will lock out your IP address for several hours after 3 denied attempts. In this case, please try using the PayPal option at checkout to process your card (you do not need a PayPal account to use this option). Once on the PayPal payment page select “Don’t have a PayPal account?” and then process your credit card (Visa, Mastercard, AMEX, China UnionPay, Discover & Diners, Japan Credit Bureau).
Security
Is it safe to make a purchase on your website?
We fully understand the need for security when making online purchases. PremiumBeat uses a state-of-the-art encrypted processing system. Your credit card information is used only by our bank and is processed on a separate, secure server.
Please see our Privacy policy for more information.
Will PremiumBeat give, share or sell my e-mail address and personal contact information to anyone?
No! PremiumBeat respects your privacy and will not share, give, rent or sell the e-mail addresses or personal contact information of our clients to any third party. In addition, PremiumBeat will only send information and e-mails to customers who have expressly given us permission to do so. These emails may include information about PremiumBeat products, other Shutterstock products, or similar information that will be relevant to you. You can unsubscribe from these at any time.

Still Need Help?
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Through our simple music licensing and commitment to world-class support, we aim to provide you with the best possible customer experience. If we can do anything to assist, please don’t hesitate to contact us.