====== Royalty-free music ======

This is not meant to be an exhaustive list; rather, it's a personal list of artists and websites which caught my eye and which I might find myself going back to in the future.

Entries in **bold** are personal favourites.

Remember, if you want music fine-tuned for your project, you're going to have to pay for it. =)

===== Collections =====

  * [[https://dova-s.jp/bgm/|DOVA SYNDROME]] - popular royalty-free music repository in Japan, with many contributing artists; make sure to check the license for each file you download; if you're in Europe, using [[https://www.youtube.com/@DOVASYNDROMEYouTubeOfficial|the YouTube channel]] may be an easier way to browse through their work.
  * [[https://opengameart.org/|OpenGameArt]] - mixed bag quality-wise, some real hidden gems exist though; has a strong focus on using CC-style licenses.

===== Creators =====

==== CC0 ====

[[https://opengameart.org/content/asies-picks-license-cc0-and-similar|OpenGameArt - My picks (CC0 licensed)]]

==== CC-BY / OGA-BY ====

[[https://opengameart.org/content/asies-picks-license-cc-by-and-similar|OpenGameArt - My picks (CC-BY licensed)]]

  * **[[https://soundcloud.com/Alcaknight|Alcaknight]]** - 100+ songs, piano-centric, with a visual novel vibe; must be downloaded from SoundCloud; CC-BY 3.0
  * [[https://opengameart.org/users/isao|ISAo/AIRYLUVS]] - OGA-BY 3.0; more songs by the same artist available under other licenses
  * [[https://otologic.jp/|OtoLogic]] - CC-BY 4.0
  * [[https://soundcloud.com/stevenobrien/sets/creative-commons-favorites|Steven O'Brien]] - CC-BY 3.0; note that not all of the artist's music is Creative Commons

==== Informal licenses ====

**The licensing descriptions do not constitute legal advice. I am not your lawyer. Please verify with the website, as the license descriptions may be inaccurate, or the licensing terms may have changed.**

  * [[http://asobeat.com/|ASOBEAT]] - the Google Sheets contain free download links; credit required unless you purchase the lossless Bandcamp versions
  * [[https://ontama-m.com/|Ontama]] - 500+ songs; OGG/MP3 versions are available; credit not required.
  * [[https://peritune.com/freematerial_list/|Peritune]] - 300+ songs; OGG/M4A versions are available for free for royalty-free use, lossless WAV versions must be purchased; credit appreciated but optional; premium BGMs available. (While the "about" page lists CC-BY 4.0 as the license, the other terms are contradictory.) Offers convenient (and free!) bulk downloads.
    * **Warning:** The rules seem a little contrived. Most notably, there is an expectation of not distributing the verbatim music files for commercial works, //potentially including as asset files// - this may rule out usage in f.e. video games unless some kind of DRM scheme is implemented.
  * [[http://slos.biz/|SLOS]] - [[http://slos.biz/rule-en.htm|English licensing terms]] (credit required, notification required, providing a copy of a finished commercial work required); premium licensing exists but not outside of Japan
  * [[https://www.tam-music.com/info|TAM Music Factory]] - around since 1998! MP3/OGG/MIDI versions are avaialble. Credit not required for non-commercial use, required for commercial use; no need to notify TAM since June 2021; some songs can have the credit requirement waived for a fee. Some types of content (18+, sensitive, etc.) are not allowed - check with the website.
  * [[https://wingless-seraph.net/en/|Wingless Seraph]] - mostly game-centric songs; credit required.

  * [[https://incompetech.com/|Kevin MacLeod]] - if you've ever been to the Western Internet, you've heard his work. Has music for just about every occasion. Nobody got fired for using Kevin MacLeod BGMs.
  * [[https://musmus.main.jp/|MusMus]] - credit required for royalty-free use, license can be acquired
  * [[https://www.youtube.com/@RossBugden/videos|Ross Budgen]] - more experimental; credit required.

===== Unique sources =====

  * [[https://shiru.untergrund.net/music.shtml|shiru8bit]] - CC-BY 3.0; has a lot of chiptune music in atypical formats.
  * [[https://github.com/SimonLarsen/tobutobugirl-dx/tree/master/data/songs|Tobu Tobu Girl DX soundtrack]] - CC-BY 4.0; MML-like format for GB homebrew

===== More restrictive licenses than that =====

  * [[https://battleofthebits.org|Battle of the Bits]] - chiptune community with CC BY-NC-SA licensing. This is quite more restrictive than the typical expectation for "royalty-free music", but if you're working on a jam game or a homebrew game, you might find this restriction irrelevant.

===== Defunct =====

  * BlueSky! (Ryuji)
  * Rengoku-Teien
  * SAM Free
  * Shiho+ (Liberty Music Room)


===== Lists I've used to make this list =====

These contain more artists than my own, so...!

  * [[https://lemmasoft.renai.us/forums/viewtopic.php?t=4127|LemmaSoft forums' royalty-free music list]] - made with Ren'Py users in mind