Can you use ccMixter music on YouTube?
Yes, if the track is CC BY and you credit it. ccMixter counts any project with ads as commercial, so its NonCommercial tracks are out for a monetised channel.
Not completely safe. Music from ccMixter can still get a copyright claim. For music with full protection, use the safest options.
- Type
- Free library
- Cost
- Free with credit, or a paid royalty-free licence on some tracks
- Credit
- Required in the description
- Copyright claims
- Claims happen
- How a claim clears
- Contact the artist or provider
- Monetised videos
- Only on CC BY tracks, or with a royalty-free licence
- Platforms named
- YouTube Shorts
- Site
- dig.ccmixter.org
Three kinds of track
ccMixter is a community of musicians sharing remixes and original tracks under Creative Commons. Its search site, dig.ccMixter, shows the licence on each track's Download button. There are three kinds:
| Licence badge | Free to use? | In a monetised Short? |
|---|---|---|
| CC BY | Yes, with credit | Yes, with credit |
| CC BY-NC (NonCommercial) | Yes, with credit, non-commercial | No |
| Royalty-free (ccPlus) | Paid, one-time sliding-scale fee | Yes, and no credit needed |
The catch
ccMixter's FAQ sets a strict line for "non-commercial". Your project must be given away free, must not carry advertising, and must not be an ad.
A monetised YouTube channel runs ads, so a NonCommercial track is off limits there, credit or not. Check the badge in the Download window before you edit, and use the site's "free for commercial use" filter to see only CC BY tracks.
The credit
ccMixter's attribution guide asks for three things:
- Give credit in the video itself, for example in an end card.
- Link back in the description, with the track title, the artist, the track's ccMixter link and the licence.
- Name the licence and link to it.
Its own example is "Music 'cafe connection' by morgantj featuring Morusque", then "Available at ccMixter.org" with the track link, then "Under CC BY license" with the licence link. The FAQ is blunt about skipping it: "If you fail to give credit then you are in violation of copyright."
Claims
ccMixter's pages do not mention Content ID, claims or disputes, and its terms disclaim responsibility for claims about content on the site. If a claim lands on a properly credited CC BY track, your proof is the credit and the track page. The site has a contact page, and each track names its artist.
Common questions
Can you use ccMixter NonCommercial music in a monetised YouTube Short?
No. ccMixter's FAQ says a project is non-commercial only if it is given away free, "does not have advertising" and is not an advertisement. A monetised Short has ads, so it needs a CC BY track or a paid licence.
Where does the ccMixter credit go?
Both places. ccMixter asks for credit "in the video or app or game itself", plus a link back in the YouTube description with the track, the artist, its ccMixter link and the licence.
Sources
- dig.ccMixter FAQdig.ccmixter.org
- dig.ccMixter licencesdig.ccmixter.org
- How to attribute ccMixter tracksccmixter.org
- ccMixter terms of useccmixter.org
Facts checked against the sources below on . Licences and prices change, so read the provider's own page before you rely on one.