By the end of this guide you will have a background music track, generated to your chosen mood and length, with a licence that matches where you plan to publish it. An AI music generator does the composing: you pick a genre, mood and duration (or type a description), it returns an original instrumental, and you download it.
If you want royalty-free background music from AI, the licence matters as much as the sound. "Royalty-free" does not mean "do anything you like", and each tool sets its own rules. This guide covers the steps and compares six tools from our Audio and voice category that fit video, podcast and stream work.
Key takeaways
- Decide where the music will be used, generate a track to your mood and length, adjust it, download it, then save the licence terms with the file.
- The main decision is the licence: free tiers such as Mubert's and AIVA's are non-commercial, and several tools forbid releasing tracks on streaming services or registering them with Content ID.
- Some licences are tied to your subscription. SOUNDRAW says tracks as downloaded stay published only while your subscription is active, except on Enterprise.
- Keep a record of each track's licence. Platforms and clients may ask for it later.
What you need before you start
- A clear use. A YouTube video, a podcast, a stream, an ad, a game. The use decides the plan.
- A rough length. The scene or video duration, so you can set the track length.
- A mood in a few words. For example calm, tense, upbeat or cinematic.
- An account with your chosen tool. Mubert, AIVA and Soundful list free tiers.
- Time. Under an hour, including a few attempts.
- Difficulty. Easy. No music knowledge is needed.
Which kind of AI tool fits this job
Pick by how you want to steer the music and what the licence has to cover.
Genre, mood and length pickers. SOUNDRAW lets you choose genres, mood and length, blend styles, then adjust the track in a mixer that mutes instruments and changes intensity. It says its models are trained only on music recorded by its in-house producers. Soundful uses genre and mood templates with key and BPM options, and also generates loops, stems and MIDI.
Text, image or chat prompts. Mubert describes tracks from text, an image, or mood, genre and BPM settings, with an AI music assistant and tracks up to 25 minutes on paid plans. Beatoven.ai turns a text description into original background music, and lets you change instruments, genre or emotion after generating.
Style libraries with editing. AIVA composes in more than 250 styles, lets you build your own style models or upload an audio or MIDI influence, and offers MIDI downloads for editing in your own software.
Music plus extra tools. Loudly returns three tracks per generation, with WAV or MP3 downloads, stems and a worldwide royalty-free licence. It also offers a remixer, a sample generator and a stem splitter.
Step 1: Define where the music will play
You end this step with a one-line brief that fixes the use, the length and the mood.
- Note the platform: video site, podcast host, stream, ad or game.
- Note the length, and any moment where the music should rise or fall.
- Pick two or three mood words and a rough tempo.
- Decide if the project is commercial. That determines which plan, and which licence, you need.
Check it worked by being able to read the brief aloud in one sentence.
Step 2: Check the licence before you generate
Licence terms differ a lot, so read them first.
- Look for what the free tier allows. Mubert's Free Ambassador plan is non-commercial, AIVA's free plan is non-commercial and requires credit to AIVA, and Soundful's Free plan requires credit to Soundful.
- Look for restrictions on distribution. Mubert says tracks cannot be sold or released on streaming platforms such as Spotify, and Beatoven.ai does not allow direct upload to Spotify or Apple Music.
- Look at who owns the track. Beatoven.ai says it remains the owner of generated tracks and gives a non-exclusive licence. On AIVA's free plan, the copyright is owned by AIVA.
- Check what happens when you cancel. Mubert says previously generated tracks cannot be used in new projects after a subscription ends.
Check it worked by writing down, for your chosen plan, whether you may monetise a video that uses the track.
Step 3: Generate a track
The goal is a first track that is close to the brief.
- Choose genre, mood and length, or type a description. SOUNDRAW and Soundful use pickers, and Mubert and Beatoven.ai accept text.
- Generate. Soundful says tracks are made in seconds, and AIVA says the same of its styles.
- Listen to the track under your video or voice, not on its own, because background music has to leave room for speech.
- Generate more options until one fits. Loudly returns three tracks at a time.
Check it worked by playing the track under a short clip of your project.
Step 4: Adjust the mix and length
Small edits make generic music fit the scene.
- Set the track length to match your video. SOUNDRAW lets you set custom length and energy, and Mubert supports tracks up to 25 minutes on paid plans.
- Lower the intensity or mute instruments that compete with speech. SOUNDRAW's mixer mutes instruments and changes intensity.
- Change instrument, genre or emotion if the tool allows it, as Beatoven.ai does.
- For deeper control, download stems or MIDI where offered. Soundful lists stem packs with MIDI, and AIVA lists MIDI downloads.
Check it worked by hearing the speech clearly over the music at normal volume.
Step 5: Download and keep the licence
Finish by exporting the audio and saving the proof of your rights.
- Download as MP3 or WAV. SOUNDRAW, Beatoven.ai, Soundful and Loudly list MP3 and WAV, and Mubert lists WAV lossless and MP3 on paid plans.
- Save the licence or certificate with the file. Mubert lists license certificates, and Beatoven.ai emails a monetisation licence with each download.
- Name the file with the tool, date and plan so you can trace it later.
- Do not register the track with Content ID systems. Both SOUNDRAW and Mubert list this as not allowed.
Check it worked by opening a folder that holds the audio and its licence side by side.
Step 6: Add it to your project and credit if required
The track is only useful once it sits correctly in the edit.
- Place the music under the voice and fade it in and out.
- Add any credit your plan requires. AIVA and Soundful free plans require credit.
- Keep the licence record with the project in case a platform claims the music.
- Re-check the licence if you later move to a different use, such as a paid ad.
Check it worked by exporting the project and confirming no copyright claim appears on upload.
Tools for this job compared
| Tool | Good fit for | Pricing | Stated limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| SOUNDRAW | Video creators needing genre-mixed tracks (web, iOS, macOS, API) | Freemium, paid from $11.04/mo (checked 24 Oct 2026) | Creator and Artist plans are for individuals and companies under 10 employees; no Content ID registration or resale on stock sites |
| Mubert | Text, image or mood prompts and streams (web, API, MCP server) | Freemium, paid from $14/mo (checked 24 Oct 2026) | Free Ambassador plan: 25 generations and 5 downloads per month, MP3 only; no sale or streaming release |
| Beatoven.ai | Text-to-music for videos and podcasts (web) | Paid | Non-exclusive licence; Beatoven.ai remains owner; plan details not confirmed, so check its pricing page |
| AIVA | Style-based composing with MIDI export (web) | Freemium | Free plan: non-commercial, credit required, 3 downloads per month, tracks up to 3 minutes |
| Soundful | Template-based tracks, loops and stems (web) | Freemium | Free plan: 1 MP3 download per month with credit; fair-use policy limits daily generation |
| Loudly | Three-track generations with stems and an API (web, API) | Pricing unknown | Consumer subscription prices are not listed; distribution only through Loudly's own service |
Prices and plan limits change, so confirm the current terms on each vendor's site before you subscribe.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Assuming royalty-free means unrestricted. Licences often forbid selling the track or releasing it on streaming platforms. Fix it by reading the terms for your plan before you generate.
- Using a free-tier track in a commercial project. Free plans on Mubert and AIVA are non-commercial. Fix it by upgrading before you publish anything that earns money.
- Letting a subscription lapse. Some licences tie published tracks to an active subscription. Fix it by checking the cancellation terms, and keep the licence record.
- Registering the track with Content ID. It can cause claims against other people who use the same music. Fix it by leaving AI-generated background tracks out of such systems.
- Choosing music that fights the voice. Busy tracks compete with speech. Fix it by lowering intensity or muting instruments until the voice is clear.
How we put this together
This is an evidence-based guide built from each tool's listing in our directory, which is compiled from the vendor's own site and pricing page. It is not a review based on using the tools. We don't rank tools, and nobody paid to be included. Some outbound links may be affiliate links; see our disclosure.
Frequently asked questions
Is there free AI background music I can use?
There are free tiers, but they are limited. Mubert's Free Ambassador plan allows 25 generations and 5 downloads per month for non-commercial use, AIVA's free plan allows 3 downloads per month, and Soundful's Free plan allows one MP3 download a month with credit. Check the licence before using any free track in a monetised project.
Can I monetise a video that uses AI music?
It depends on the plan. Beatoven.ai says each download comes with a non-exclusive, perpetual licence that lets you monetise your content, and SOUNDRAW's paid plans include a commercial-use licence. Mubert and AIVA free tiers do not. Read the terms for your exact plan.
Can I upload the track to Spotify?
Usually not as-is. Mubert says tracks cannot be released on streaming platforms, Beatoven.ai does not allow direct upload to Spotify or Apple Music, and SOUNDRAW requires beats to be modified before distribution on Artist plans. Loudly offers its own distribution service instead.
How long does it take to make a track?
Generation takes seconds according to Soundful and AIVA, but choosing a mood, trying options and checking the licence take longer. Vendors do not publish exact times, so run a test.
Which tool is good for a quick YouTube video?
Tools with genre and mood pickers, such as SOUNDRAW and Soundful, are quick to start. SOUNDRAW's Creator plan covers background music for videos and streams. Check the plan's licence for your channel before you publish.
Compare more options in our Audio and voice category, or see how to make a song with AI if you want vocals.
