AI Music and Copyright: What to Know Before You Share

Before you share an AI-generated song, it helps to know two things: what the service's licence lets you do with it, and how copyright law in general is treating AI-made music. For SongAI the short answer is that songs are for personal, non-commercial use, and commercial licensing is not offered yet. The rest of this guide explains what that means in practice and why some prompts are blocked.

This is general information, not legal advice. Laws differ between countries and are still changing. If you have a specific question about your situation, talk to a qualified lawyer, and read our Terms, which are the binding source for how you may use your songs.

What you can do with your songs

Every song you make with SongAI is licensed to you for personal, non-commercial use. In everyday terms, that covers:

• Listening to your songs as often as you like.
• Keeping them in your Library, adding them to favourites and playlists.
• Sharing a song with friends and family, for example through a public share link or a gift page.
• Posting a song on your personal social media, as long as the post is not monetized.
• Downloading songs if your plan includes downloads (Pro and Studio; Studio also offers WAV).

You can also unshare a song at any time, which turns its public link off.

What is not offered yet

Commercial licensing is not available yet. That means the current licence does not cover:

• Monetized videos, for example on channels that earn ad revenue.
• Advertising, sponsored posts or product promotion.
• Client work, such as soundtracks for a business or agency project.
• Releasing songs on streaming platforms or selling them.

Please don't describe SongAI songs as "royalty-free" or "cleared for commercial use"; that would not be accurate under the current terms. If commercial licensing is introduced later, the pricing page and the Terms will say so clearly.

Who owns an AI-generated song?

This is the question most people ask, and the honest answer is that it depends on where you are and how the song was made.

In many legal systems, copyright protects works created by humans. In the United States, the Copyright Office has stated that copyright requires human authorship, and that material generated by AI from a text prompt alone is generally not registrable. It has also indicated that human contributions, such as lyrics you wrote yourself or a creative arrangement of material, may be protectable on their own. Its guidance and reports are collected on the U.S. Copyright Office AI page.

Other countries may approach this differently, and courts and lawmakers are still working through these questions. A few practical takeaways:

• Your own lyrics are your own writing. If you write lyrics in Custom mode, those words started with you. Keep a copy of your drafts.
• AI output on its own may have limited protection. Don't assume an AI-generated melody or arrangement is exclusively yours in the way a hand-written composition might be.
• Licence and copyright are different things. Even where ownership is unclear, the service's licence still sets what you may do with the songs it generates.

Why artist names and famous lyrics are blocked

You may notice that some prompts are rejected. SongAI blocks:

• Real artist names, such as "in the style of" a specific singer or band.
• Well-known copyrighted lyrics, for example pasting the words of a famous song.
• Voice cloning or imitation of real people.

There are a few reasons. Using someone's name or voice can suggest an endorsement or connection that doesn't exist. Pasting existing lyrics reproduces another writer's protected work. And imitating a real person's voice raises consent and publicity concerns. When a request is rejected for these reasons, the credit is refunded.

The good news is that you rarely need a name to get the sound you want. Describe it instead: the era, instruments, vocal texture and mood. Our guide on how to write music prompts shows how.

Sharing responsibly

A few habits keep sharing simple and fair:

1. Say it's AI-made when it matters, for example in a caption or description. Many platforms ask for this.
2. Check platform rules. Some sites have their own policies for AI-generated audio.
3. Keep personal songs personal. Gift songs often include names and memories; share the gift page only with the people it is meant for.
4. Don't monetize. Until commercial licensing exists, keep shared posts free of ads and sponsorships.

If something is unclear, the FAQ answers common questions and the Terms are the final word.

Try it

Write your own lyrics, describe a sound without naming anyone, and make a song for yourself or someone you care about. Start with lyrics to song.