Q&A

Licensing, buying, subscriptions, and custom music.

Choosing music

What is this site?

Tim Beek's royalty-free music library for games, film, and video. You can listen in the library, download some tracks for free with credit, buy a track or a pack, subscribe for ongoing library access, or buy the Complete Library as it stands today. If you need music written for one project, that is Custom Music.

What is the difference between a free download, buying a track, buying a pack, subscribing, and the Complete Library?

A free download is only on tracks offered under Creative Commons, and it requires credit. Buying a track or a pack is a permanent purchase of that track or that collection. The €5/month subscription lets you download published library tracks and packs while you stay subscribed. The Complete Library is a separate one-time purchase of the catalogue at the moment you buy it. Custom Music is none of these. It is music written for your project.

Can I listen before I download or buy?

Yes. Royalty-Free Music has a preview on each track that has one. You can play it from the list or from the track page before you sign in, download, or pay.

Free downloads and the Premium Licence

Which tracks are free, and what do I have to do to download them?

Only tracks marked Creative Commons. Sign in, then use the free download on that track's page. The free file is the MP3. Tracks that are Premium only are not free.

What credit do I have to give for a free download?

Credit is required. Use the line on the track page: "Song name" by Tim Beek (timbeek.com). The track is licensed under CC BY 4.0.

What does the Premium Licence change?

You do not have to credit the artist, the song, or the licence. It is a lifetime, non-exclusive, worldwide licence for commercial and non-commercial use. You receive the music as WAV or OGG, and a Premium Licence document. Tim Beek is not a member of a collecting society, and the music is not registered with one.

Do I get a licence document?

Yes, when you buy a Premium track, a pack, or the Complete Library. Keep it. If you use the music in work for a client, give that client a copy as proof.

Using the music

Can I use Premium music in a commercial game, film, or video, including for a client?

Yes. You can use it in your own commercial or non-commercial projects, and in media you make for a client, in physical and digital products. For a client project, give them a copy of the licence document.

Can I edit the music to fit my project?

Yes. You can cut it, fade it, change the volume, stretch it, make transitions, or combine it with other work for your end product. You may not sing over it or remix it and then sell or distribute that as your own music.

Can I upload the track to Spotify, sell it, or give the files away?

No. You may not sell or redistribute the music as a track, on its own or in a compilation, including on Spotify, Deezer, Amazon, or iTunes. That includes giving away an unaltered or only lightly edited copy. You also may not claim ownership of the music.

Can I claim the music on YouTube, Facebook, or Twitch?

No. You may not claim it through content identification on YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, or similar platforms, whether you use the original or an edited version.

Can I put the music in a template, asset pack, or app where other people choose it?

No. You may not redistribute it as stock, in a tool or template, or with source files. You also may not put it in an on-demand or build-it-yourself app where an end user customizes a product, unless each of those customers has their own Premium Licence.

Subscription and Patreon

What does the €5/month subscription include, and what does it leave out?

While it is active, you can download every published track in Royalty-Free Music and every published pack. It does not include the Complete Library, Complete Library bonus content, or Custom Music. Buying a track or pack outright is still a separate permanent purchase. Downloads stay in your account. Nothing is emailed as the delivery.

What happens if I cancel?

You can cancel at any time. Billing is monthly. After you cancel, you cannot download new music through the subscription. Music you already downloaded stays on your computer and stays usable under its licence. Cancelling does not remove a track, pack, or Complete Library you bought.

Does Patreon give me the same access?

A Patreon pledge of $5 or more per month gives the same library access as the €5/month site subscription, for as long as that pledge is active. A $1 pledge is support only and does not unlock downloads. Patreon is billed in US dollars on Patreon. The site subscription is billed in euros. The access matches. The price and currency do not have to.

How do I connect Patreon to my Tim Beek account?

Sign in, open your account dashboard, and choose Connect Patreon. You can also use Log in with Patreon. If that Patreon email already belongs to a Tim Beek account, log in to that account first, then connect. One Patreon account cannot be linked to two Tim Beek accounts.

Packs and the Complete Library

Are track and pack purchases permanent?

Yes. A track package and a music pack stay yours. They are not subscriptions, and cancelling a subscription or Patreon does not remove them. A pack is a themed set of tracks, priced lower than buying those tracks one by one. You review the price at checkout before you pay.

What is the Complete Library, and does it include tracks you release later?

It is one purchase of every eligible track in the catalogue at the time you buy, across the published versions and downloadable formats offered then. It is not a subscription. Tracks added after your purchase are not included. You download it from My Music.

Your account and downloads

Where do I download music I have bought or subscribed to?

Sign in and open My Music. Individual tracks, packs, the Complete Library, and Custom Music each have their own place there. Checkout itself requires an account. You sign in or register before you pay.

I bought music before I had an account. How do I attach it?

Sign in, or create an account, with the same email, then open the confirmation link from the email. That page attaches those past purchases to the account you are signed into. The link only works with its confirmation token.

Custom Music

Can you write music for my project, and do I need an account to ask?

Yes. Custom Music is written for your project rather than picked from the library. You can start the chat on the Custom Music page with no account. If you are already signed in, the conversation is in your account inbox. Replies are usually within a few hours. You will get an offer in the conversation before you pay.

What is the difference between a Premium, Exclusive, and copyright custom licence?

All three are for music written for you, and the offer states the price before you pay.

  • Premium is included in the offer price. You get a non-exclusive commercial licence. Tim Beek keeps the copyright and may license that music to other people.
  • Exclusive adds $20. You get exclusive use. Tim Beek keeps the copyright and will not license that music to someone else in conflict with your exclusive rights.
  • Copyright adds $40. The copyright in that composition is transferred to you.

Still stuck

I cannot find my answer. How do I reach you?

Use the contact form. It is the right place for a licensing question, a custom project, or anything the pages above do not cover.