Commercial use and copyright are different
A commercial-use license is permission from a provider to use a track in a monetized project. Copyright ownership is a separate question. A provider may keep the copyright and still give you a broad commercial license, as Boomy does. Another provider may assign its interest in an output while warning that copyright may not exist in the first place, as Suno does.
That distinction matters if you plan to release music on Spotify, use it in a paid video, or upload it to a room where listeners can play it later. Check the permitted use, the plan you need, and whether the rights continue after the subscription ends.
Quick picks
Commercial rights at a glance
| Tool | Best for | Plan for standalone streaming | Rights position | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ElevenLabs | Prompted songs, vocals, editing, and API workflows | Creator or above | You retain rights in your output as between you and ElevenLabs | Five-minute maximum; MP3 export at the time of review |
| Suno | Songwriting, vocals, instrumentals, and stems | Pro or Premier, for songs made while subscribed | Suno assigns the rights it owns, but copyright is not guaranteed | Free-plan songs do not gain commercial rights after an upgrade |
| AIVA | Instrumental composition and MIDI editing | Pro | Full copyright is assigned on Pro | No generated vocals; five-minute-thirty-second maximum |
| Boomy | Quick style-based lo-fi, beats, and ambient tracks | Creator or Pro, for songs downloaded while subscribed | Boomy keeps copyright and grants full commercial rights | Less precise prompting and editing than the other main picks |
ElevenLabs
Best for detailed controlEleven Music makes finished tracks from a text prompt, with or without vocals. You can describe the genre, instruments, mood, lyrics, and song structure, then revise individual sections in the editor. Audio Reference can guide a generation from a short clip, and paid subscribers can use the Music API.
The licensing needs a closer read than the phrase "paid commercial use" suggests. ElevenLabs allows paid users to use outputs commercially, but its music-specific plan table does not grant streaming rights on Starter. Creator and higher self-serve plans do. Self-serve plans also exclude film, television, radio, and studio games from their standard media rights.
As between you and ElevenLabs, you retain rights in your output. The company does not promise that the result is unique or non-infringing. Its music rules also prohibit prompts built around artist names, song titles, labels, publishers, or recognizable portions of existing lyrics. Tracks can be up to five minutes, and the documented export format was MP3 when this guide was checked.
humroom may earn a commission if you sign up through our ElevenLabs link. It does not change the price you pay.
Suno
Best for complete songsSuno is the easiest of these tools to use when the goal is a full song rather than a background bed. It handles instrumentals and vocal tracks, accepts your own lyrics, and includes tools for extending songs, replacing sections, extracting stems, and working from audio you have the right to upload.
Pro and Premier include commercial rights for new songs made while the subscription is active. Suno assigns to the subscriber any right, title, and interest it owns in those outputs. That assignment stays with the song after cancellation. It is not retroactive, so a song made on the free plan does not become commercially usable when you subscribe later.
Suno is unusually direct about the copyright gap: it does not promise that copyright will vest in a generated song. Paid songs can still be distributed and monetized under Suno's contract. The supported v4.5 and v5 models generate up to eight minutes before extending, and paid web subscribers can download MP3 and WAV files. Remixes of another user's song are not eligible for commercial use.
AIVA
Best for editable instrumentalsAIVA is built for instrumental work. It generates compositions from a style, chord progression, or audio and MIDI influence. Its editor lets you change individual notes, instruments, sections, tempo, and key. It suits lo-fi and ambient creators who want a starting point they can shape rather than a finished vocal song.
The Pro plan assigns full copyright in downloaded compositions and allows unrestricted monetization under AIVA's license. It also includes high-quality WAV and MIDI exports. The current limit is five minutes and thirty seconds per track, not unlimited length.
Standard is narrower. AIVA keeps the copyright and permits monetization only on YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, and Instagram. The free plan is non-commercial, requires attribution, and allows three downloads a month. If the final track is headed to a streaming service or a humroom, Pro is the only AIVA plan here that permits that use. Only upload audio or MIDI that you have permission to use.
Boomy
Best for quick first draftsBoomy starts with styles rather than a long written prompt. Its lo-fi, rap beat, meditation, and custom modes produce a track you can rearrange and edit. You can also add your own vocal recording. It is quick to start with, though you get less control over structure and wording than you do with ElevenLabs or Suno.
Creator and Pro members receive full commercial rights when they download a song or release. Those rights remain after the membership ends, and Boomy says creators may use a distributor of their choice. That makes the paid download itself important: save the file and the record showing which plan covered it.
Boomy retains and manages the copyright by default. Your paid plan gives you a commercial license rather than ownership of that copyright. Boomy accepts separate requests for a copyright buyout, but most creators who simply want to publish or monetize a track will be working under the commercial rights attached to the download.
Also considered
The tools below have narrower release rules. For most creators, that makes them a poor fit for a finished track headed to a room or music distributor.
Udio
Udio's current transition note says audio, video, and stem downloads are disabled. You can still create and share Udio links, but you cannot download a track for use elsewhere.
Beatoven.ai
Beatoven's terms license generated music when it is synchronized with a video, podcast, game, or similar project. They prohibit standalone distribution through services such as Spotify or Apple Music.
Mubert
Mubert's plan restrictions allow music in content and commercial projects. They do not permit Content ID registration, stock-library resale, or standalone releases on music streaming services.
Loudly
Loudly gives subscribers a commercial license for creative projects. Its licensing FAQsays music releases must go through Loudly's own distribution service.
SOUNDRAW
SOUNDRAW's license guide allows music releases only after you clearly modify the downloaded beat, such as by adding your own vocal or instrumental work. Unmodified lo-fi and relaxation content has separate subscription conditions.
Soundful
Soundful's license overview permits commercial work on paid plans. Music releases and continuing ownership depend on its Music Creator license or a separate copyright purchase.
A practical licensing check before you publish
- Confirm that your plan covers the way you will share the track.
- Find out whether your rights begin at generation, download, or both.
- Save the subscription receipt, download date, prompt, and project file.
- Use only lyrics, samples, vocals, and reference audio you have permission to use.
- Avoid prompts that ask for a specific artist, song, or recognizable lyric.
- Read your distributor's current policy on AI-generated music.
A contract can tell you what a provider permits. It cannot make every generated track copyrightable. The U.S. Copyright Office says purely AI-generated material is not protected when there is too little human control over the expressive result. Prompts alone generally do not meet that threshold. Human-written lyrics, performance, arrangement, or substantial editing may change the analysis, and other countries may take a different approach.