Is NCS music free to use on YouTube?

Who can use it for free

NCS is a record label. Its usage policy says "NCS music is free to use for independent creators and their UGC". The terms define an independent creator as someone not receiving "direct and identifiable commercial gain" from the music, apart from ad revenue from the platform. A new Shorts channel fits that. A brand or a company promoting itself does not, and needs a commercial licence from NCS.

The platforms named in the terms are YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok.

The credit

NCS asks you to "copy and paste the credit section from the description of our video". If the NCS upload has no credit section, link to that upload in your description. The download window on ncs.io also gives you the credit text.

The catch

"No copyright" in the name does not mean the music has no owner. It is a label's catalogue with a free licence attached, and the licence has conditions.

Three of those conditions catch people out. NCS can change or withdraw the policy. Uploads that are mainly the music itself, such as visualisers, music players and lyric videos, are not allowed. And channels that re-upload commercial songs under a "no copyright" banner have nothing to do with NCS, so a track is only covered if it comes from NCS itself.

If you get a claim

NCS has a form on its claims page and says it will "investigate and resolve it". Two limits are stated on that page. It can only resolve claims "where you've ONLY used NCS music", so a video mixing NCS with other music is on its own. And it tells you not to submit the form for claims from Featherstone Music or AEI Group.