Royalty-free music for YouTube Shorts: what YouTube allows

The royalty-free music YouTube itself vouches for in Shorts is its own: the Shorts Audio Library when you add music with YouTube's tools, and the YouTube Audio Library in YouTube Studio, whose royalty-free tracks YouTube says won't receive a Content ID claim. Music from any other library can still be used, but YouTube says only Audio Library tracks are known to it to be copyright-safe, so checking that license is your job.

YouTube's rules below are quoted from its Help pages on music eligibility for Shorts (a page YouTube notes is written for music partners with a Shorts agreement) and the Audio Library; the part about making your own bed comes from Sume's Music Router and Timeline 1.0 docs. All were read on 2026-09-28. None of this is legal advice.

What happens if a Short uses copyrighted music?

Since 15 October 2024, new vertical videos of 1–3 minutes count as Shorts, and YouTube says a Short longer than one minute with an active copyright claim will be blocked, regardless of the policy. You get a notification when a claim is found at upload. You can remove the claimed content or file a dispute if you think the claim is wrong, and the Short becomes viewable once the claim is resolved.

Can I monetize Shorts with YouTube Audio Library music?

Yes. YouTube says that members of the YouTube Partner Program can monetize videos with music and sound effects from the Audio Library. Two details matter:

• Filter by license. The Attribution not required filter shows tracks under the standard YouTube Audio Library license; tracks under a Creative Commons license need the artist credited in your description, and YouTube Studio's Copy button gives you the attribution text.
• The library lives in YouTube Studio only (also at youtube.com/audiolibrary). Click Download on a track to get an MP3 for a Short you edit elsewhere.

Is royalty-free music from other sites safe for Shorts?

It can be, but YouTube won't vouch for it. Its Audio Library page says YouTube is not responsible for issues that arise from "royalty-free" music from YouTube channels or other music libraries, and that it can't give legal guidance. Before you use a track from elsewhere, read its license for three things: whether it covers commercial or monetized use, whether it needs attribution, and whether it is registered with a content-matching system. If you still have questions, YouTube suggests a qualified lawyer.

How do I add a music bed before uploading automated Shorts?

If your Shorts are rendered by code, the music goes in before upload, so it has to come from a source whose license you've checked. On Sume, pick or generate the bed, then mix it:

• Pick a catalog track. GET /v1/bgm/catalog is one of the public routes that need no API key (API reference), and every track carries a license: Sume's own loops or CC BY 4.0 tracks that need their attribution. Background music API covers the fields and which tracks work in a Timeline render.
• Generate an original instrumental. POST /v1/music-router/generate takes a prompt of 1–5000 characters; you steer length in the prompt, because duration and duration_seconds are rejected (Music Router). Say "Instrumental, no vocals" if the bed sits under a voice.
• Mix it under the voice. Every Timeline 1.0 URL must already be this workspace's media.sume.com file, such as the voice and music outputs of earlier Sume jobs; CC BY tracks stay at their authors' URLs, so they can't be the soundtrack. A render defaults to 1080×1920 MP4, and its optional soundtrack takes gain_db, loop, fade_out_seconds up to 10 and duck_db 0–20, which needs a real voice spine rather than silence (Timeline 1.0).

Do I have to disclose AI-generated music, and who owns it?

Sume's Terms say that, subject to your compliance with the Terms and applicable law, Sume does not claim ownership of generated outputs created for your account. The same clause makes you responsible for reviewing outputs before publication, distribution, or commercial use. Neither YouTube's pages nor Sume's docs say whether a generated track will match someone's Content ID reference, so this post doesn't promise that it won't.

YouTube's GenAI disclosure page lists AI generated music among its examples of content creators need to disclose, so answer Yes under "AI use" when you upload a Short with a generated bed. YouTube AI content policy covers the rest of those rules.