FreeMix License Framework

The FreeMix License Framework is a purpose-built licensing system for music. Six tiers, five modifiers — all machine-readable and built into the protocol. When you upload to FreeMix, you choose a license that tells the world exactly what others can do with your music. When you download or remix, you agree to the license terms attached to that content. Licenses are irrevocable and follow the work — they do not expire when content leaves FreeMix.

Detailed License Tiers

FM:Open

• Full stems available (if provided by the artist)
• Remix, sample, redistribute — anything goes
• Commercial use allowed
• No attribution required
• No modifiers allowed — this is the most permissive tier
• The public domain equivalent for music
• Best for: Artists who want maximum reach and zero restrictions

FM:Remix

• Remix, sample, and create derivative works from the track
• Full track may be redistributed
• Stems available if provided by the artist
• Commercial use of derivatives is allowed (unless restricted by modifiers)
• The most common tier for electronic music producers
• Best for: Producers who want their music used and built upon, with optional controls via modifiers

FM:Stems

• Individual stems are available for creative use
• The full original track may not be redistributed
• Stems can be used in new compositions, remixes, or productions
• The resulting derivative work is a new composition (not a redistribution of the original)
• Also applies to standalone stems (stem packs, construction kits, individual bounces shared without a parent track)
• Best for: Artists who want to share building blocks while keeping their finished mix exclusive

FM:DJ

• DJ-specific edits are permitted: extended intros/outros, instrumentals, acapellas, re-edits, transitions
• Public performance is allowed (club play, radio, streams, live sets)
• Source files may not be redistributed — the DJ edit itself can be performed but not shared as a downloadable file
• The distinction: A DJ edit primarily preserves the original composition's structure and intent. A remix creates a substantially new arrangement or composition. Adding new musical elements (new bassline, new melody) crosses from edit into remix territory.
• Best for: Producers releasing club-ready tracks who want DJs to play them out

FM:Samples

• Creative building blocks — one-shots, loops, snippets, and any reusable audio
• Free to use in new compositions without restriction
• 0% royalty — no exceptions. Samples are building blocks; the creative value is in what the user builds with them.
• Three sample categories:
  • One-shot: Single hit, no rhythmic/melodic content over time (typically <2 seconds)
  • Loop: Repeating musical phrase (typically 2–30 seconds)
  • Snippet: Longer musical excerpt (typically 10–60 seconds)
• Credit and ShareAlike modifiers are available. Royalty is not available for one-shots; loops and snippets have a 15% max cap.
• Best for: Sound designers, sample pack creators, and anyone sharing reusable audio

FM:NonCommercial (FM:NC)

• Remix, sample, and create derivative works
• Commercial use is not permitted — this includes selling derivatives, using in monetized content (YouTube, Twitch, Spotify), or sync licensing
• Non-commercial uses allowed: DJ sets (non-ticketed), mixtapes (free), personal projects, educational use
• Commercial use requires separate negotiation directly with the rights holder (outside the FreeMix license)
• Incompatible with the Royalty modifier (no sales = no royalties)
• Best for: Artists who want to share freely but retain commercial control

Modifiers

Modifiers add requirements or restrictions on top of the base tier. When multiple modifiers are present, they appear in canonical order: Credit → Mix → Royalty → ShareAlike → NoAI.

Credit

• The original creator(s) must be attributed in any use or derivative work
• Attribution must include at minimum: artist name and original track title
• Attribution should be "reasonable to the medium" — liner notes for a release, description for a stream, tracklist for a DJ set
• If multiple sources are used (mashup), all credited sources must be attributed
• Credit cascades through the full remix chain. If the original license includes Credit, every downstream derivative must attribute the original creator — regardless of how many generations deep the chain goes.
• Credit flows downstream from the point it was introduced, not retroactively upstream.

Mix

• Permits mixing and blending of the licensed work with other material
• Relevant for DJ-style use cases where tracks are combined in live or recorded mixes
• Available on FM:Remix and FM:DJ tiers

Royalty (Coming Later This Year)

• The original creator receives a specified percentage (1%–50%) of gross revenue from any downstream sales of derivative works
• The percentage is set by the creator at the time of licensing and is immutable for that grant
• Royalties are calculated on the gross sale price before any other deductions
• Royalties only apply when money changes hands — free distribution of derivatives incurs no royalty obligation
• The royalty cascade uses a halving rule: each generation in the remix chain receives 50% of their direct parent's actual set rate, ensuring fair compensation across deep remix trees while preventing runaway accumulation
• Incompatible with the NonCommercial tier
• Not available for FM:Samples one-shots. Loops and snippets have a 15% max cap.
• Current status: Creators can set a Royalty percentage when licensing their tracks. This is recorded in the license grant and displayed on the track, signaling intent. No payments are processed until the commerce layer launches.

ShareAlike

• Any derivative work must also be released under a FreeMix license
• The derivative must carry the same tier or more restrictive, and must preserve the ShareAlike modifier
• Additional modifiers (Credit, Royalty, NoAI) can be added but not removed from the source license
• This keeps derivatives within the FreeMix ecosystem while allowing creators to add their own terms on top

NoAI

• The licensed material may not be used for machine learning model training, AI-generated content, or any automated content synthesis
• This applies to the audio content, stems, and metadata
• Does not restrict AI-assisted tools used by humans in the creative process — a producer using AI-powered mastering on their remix is fine; a company feeding stems into a training dataset is not
• AI-powered search/recommendation of NoAI-licensed tracks (metadata use, not audio training) is permitted