License Terms

The background music (hereinafter referred to as the “BGM”) distributed on rightsfreesound.com (the “Site”) is composed and produced by the composer “RightsFreeSound” and distributed by them. Users may use the BGM based on the following license terms (hereinafter referred to as the “License Terms”). By downloading, purchasing a license, subscribing, or otherwise using the BGM, users are deemed to have agreed to these License Terms.

1. Ownership of Rights and Management

All rights arising from the BGM, including copyrights, neighboring rights, and any other rights under intellectual property laws, including the Copyright Act, belong to RightsFreeSound. These License Terms permit users to use the BGM under the conditions set forth herein and do not permit the transfer or assignment of any rights in or to the BGM. The BGM is managed directly by RightsFreeSound and is not entrusted to any copyright management organization such as JASRAC.

2. General Use

Subject to Sections 3 and 5 below, the BGM may be downloaded and used by anyone, for any purpose, without payment and without any credit or attribution notation. Credit notation is never required, but is always appreciated.

For use on platforms with an automated content identification system (such as YouTube), if a production using the BGM is monetized without a corresponding Commercial Use License covering that use, RightsFreeSound may collect the resulting advertising revenue rather than the uploader, as described in Section 6 (Content Identification and Revenue Collection). Use of the BGM itself is not restricted or removed as a result of this — only the advertising revenue is affected.

3. Platforms Requiring a License Regardless of Monetization

Use of the BGM in games, applications or software, and podcasts always requires a Commercial Use License (Section 4), regardless of whether the use is monetized. This is because these platforms do not support the automated, per-use revenue collection described in Section 2, so a license must be obtained in advance for any such use.

4. Commercial Use License

A Commercial Use License removes the revenue-collection consequence described in Section 2, and is required for any use described in Section 3. A Commercial Use License may be obtained in either of the following ways, as described on the Site’s pricing page:

1. Single-Track License — a one-time purchase granting a perpetual Commercial Use License for one specified BGM track.
2. Subscription — a recurring monthly payment granting a set number of license credits each billing cycle, which may be redeemed for Commercial Use Licenses on tracks in the RightsFreeSound catalog, primarily intended for use on YouTube and social media. Tracks licensed using a credit while the subscription is active may continue to be used indefinitely in the productions they were licensed for, even after the subscription ends. Redeeming additional credits, or licensing further tracks, requires an active subscription.

A Commercial Use License includes: the master-quality WAV file, any additional bundled assets for that track where available (such as loop or alternate-instrumentation versions), and a License PDF confirming the grant of the Commercial Use License. Current prices and credit allowances are published on the Site’s pricing page and may be revised from time to time, including for tracks or use cases not yet published at the time of a given revision; the terms in effect at the time of purchase or credit redemption apply to that license.

5. Large-Scale and Broadcast Use

Use of the BGM in national or international advertising campaigns, film productions, or television or radio broadcast is not covered by the Single-Track License or Subscription described in Section 4. Users seeking to use the BGM for these purposes must contact RightsFreeSound directly through the Site to obtain a custom license.

6. Content Identification and Revenue Collection

RightsFreeSound uses a third-party content identification service to detect use of the BGM on video platforms including YouTube. This detection is automated and based on matching audio content; it does not determine whether a given use is monetized, non-commercial, or licensed.

Where a detected use is monetized and is not covered by a valid Commercial Use License, RightsFreeSound or its content identification partner may cause advertising to be shown on the content and collect the resulting revenue, regardless of whether the uploader intended to monetize that content or is otherwise eligible to do so. This is separate from, and unaffected by, any credit notation given to RightsFreeSound.

A user seeking to keep such advertising revenue for a given production, or to have it associated with their own channel or account, may do so by obtaining a valid Commercial Use License for the track in question (via Single-Track License or Subscription, as described in Section 4).

7. Grandfathered Use (Pre-Launch Use)

Prior to the Effective Date of these License Terms, RightsFreeSound distributed BGM under an earlier version of these terms. For any production that was published or first made publicly available before the Effective Date, and which used BGM obtained under that earlier version, the user may continue to use that BGM in that production under the terms in effect at the time it was obtained, including for commercial purposes, provided any credit notation required at that time is maintained. This grandfathering applies only to productions published before the Effective Date; any new production, re-upload, or new use created on or after the Effective Date is subject to Sections 2 through 5 above.

8. Educational Use

To the extent applicable under Japanese law, use of the BGM by educational institutions may additionally be governed by Article 35 of Japan’s Copyright Act.

9. Processing

Editing and processing of the BGM (such as fade-in/out, looping, cutting, and volume/quality adjustments) are permitted under these License Terms, whether or not a Commercial Use License applies to the use in question.

10. Prohibited Matters

Users shall not engage in any of the following acts with respect to the BGM without the prior written permission of RightsFreeSound. If a user engages in any of the following acts without permission, RightsFreeSound may revoke any applicable license retroactively and may take measures such as requesting suspension of distribution or monetization of the user’s works, or any other measures available on the relevant platform.

1. Distributing or using videos or still images whose primary purpose is to allow the BGM to be heard or viewed, or other similar uses (e.g. using the BGM in loop animations or visual works where the BGM itself constitutes the main content).
2. Registering the BGM, or any musical work containing the BGM, with content identification systems such as YouTube Content ID, or similar services.
3. Registering the BGM, or any musical work containing the BGM, with copyright management organizations such as JASRAC.
4. Misrepresenting or falsely claiming to be the rights holder of the BGM.
5. Distributing the BGM for the purpose of defamation.
6. Using the BGM in videos containing religious or political content.
7. Using the BGM, or any additional bundled assets, as training data for AI or machine learning.
8. Re-licensing, redistributing, transferring, lending, or reselling the audio source, additional bundled assets, or sheet music of the BGM to any third party, or sharing account credentials, license entitlements, or subscription credit access with a third party.
9. Continuing to redeem subscription credits, or licensing further tracks under a Subscription, after that subscription has been cancelled or has lapsed.
10. Using the BGM in games, applications or software, or podcasts without a Commercial Use License, regardless of whether the use is monetized (see Section 3).
11. Using the BGM in national or international advertising campaigns, film productions, or television or radio broadcast without a custom license obtained directly from RightsFreeSound (see Section 5).
12. Engaging in acts that violate or may violate laws or regulations.
13. Engaging in acts that are offensive to public order and morals, or that may promote criminal activities.
14. Engaging in acts that may damage the honor or credibility of RightsFreeSound.

11. Disclaimer

RightsFreeSound shall not be liable for any damages incurred by users in connection with the use of the BGM.

12. Suspension of Distribution

RightsFreeSound reserves the right to suspend the distribution of the BGM, or the operation of the Site, at any time without prior notice. Users may continue to use any BGM properly licensed, or used under Section 2 or Section 7 (Grandfathered Use), prior to such suspension, in accordance with the terms applicable at the time.

13. Changes to License Terms

RightsFreeSound may revise these License Terms at any time without prior consent from users, if deemed necessary. The revised Terms shall apply to any license purchased, credit redeemed, or BGM downloaded, after the change; the details of such revisions will be posted as a revision history below.

Revision History

1. November 1, 2025 — First Edition: free-of-charge model for all use, with mandatory credit notation.
2. October 1, 2026 — Second Edition (this document): removed the credit notation requirement entirely — credit is never required, for any use. Reframed the free/licensed distinction around monetization and revenue collection rather than personal/commercial use: unlicensed monetized use on platforms with content identification (e.g. YouTube) results in RightsFreeSound collecting the advertising revenue, rather than the use itself being restricted. Added Section 3, requiring a Commercial Use License for games, applications/software, and podcasts regardless of monetization, since these platforms have no automated revenue-collection mechanism. Added Section 5, excluding large-scale advertising, film, and broadcast use from the standard Single-Track License and Subscription, requiring a custom license instead.