Incompetech CC BY 4.0 credit line: wording and where to put it
Kevin MacLeod's Incompetech FAQ gives the exact credit wording, where it must sit, and when a TV or radio spot needs a Standard License instead.
To use an Incompetech track under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0, put this line where viewers can reasonably find it: "Title Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0", with Title replaced by the piece name. The FAQ allows monetized YouTube videos and many other uses. It does not cover a spot where credits are impossible, such as TV or radio commercials; those need a purchased Standard License.
What does the Incompetech FAQ say you may do?
The table summarizes the FAQ, read 2026-10-03. The quoted line is the only wording the FAQ prescribes.
| Question | FAQ answer |
|---|---|
| License | Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 |
| Monetized YouTube video | Listed as an allowed use |
| Other listed uses | Streaming platforms, live productions, video games, films, podcasts, other projects |
| Public domain? | No. The music is copyrighted; only some baroque and classical compositions are public domain |
| Edit the track? | Yes, but the credits must say which parts are yours and which are his |
| Custom or sound-alike pieces | Cannot be requested |
| Credits impossible (TV, radio commercials) | A Standard License must be purchased |
Where does the credit go on a video?
The FAQ's test is that credit sits where users can reasonably find it without obstruction. For an online video that is usually the description or an end card. Whatever you choose, write it into the delivery checklist so each re-cut of the video carries it.
Can the track be mixed into a Sume Timeline?
The Incompetech file is not hosted by Sume, and Timeline 1.0 accepts only media.sume.com artifacts or assets for the spine, the video slots and the soundtrack field. The route the docs name for bringing media in, POST /v1/media-imports, is described in the API as a mirror for public TikTok or Instagram video URLs. So the practical flow is to render the picture with Sume and add the Incompetech track and its credit in your editor.
If you would rather not carry a credit line at all, a generated bed is the alternative. Music Router jobs return a Sume-hosted audio artifact at the fixed Music price, which Music 1.0 lists as $0.125 per accepted generation. That bed drops straight into the Timeline soundtrack. Whether a generated track needs a credit or label anywhere is a separate question to check against the platform you publish on.
When is a Standard License the right call?
Buy it when the format has no place for text: a TV spot, a radio ad, a cinema pre-roll. Also consider it when a client's legal team refuses attribution requirements in any form. For everything else, a credits file and one line in the description is the cost of the free license.
What counts as modifying a track?
The FAQ allows edits but says the credits must make clear which parts are yours and which are his. Trimming a track to 30 seconds, fading it out or lowering it under a voice is a light edit; re-arranging it or layering your own instruments over it is a bigger one. Write the credit so a reader can tell the difference, for example by naming the original piece and saying what you changed.
A fade or a duck done in a Sume render is a mix decision, not a new composition. Timeline 1.0 exposes soundtrack.duck_db (0 to 20) and fade_out_seconds (up to 10) for a Sume-hosted bed, but that applies to audio you generated or mirrored through Sume, not to an Incompetech file.
A short routine for each Incompetech track
Keep the routine boring so it survives deadlines:
- Copy the credit line with the real title the day you download the track.
- Paste it into the video description before you publish, not after.
- Note the date you read the FAQ, because the page is the license text you relied on.
- If the project is a TV or radio spot, stop and look at the Standard License instead.
Sources
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