Monstercat Gold & Content Creator Licenses
· Announcements
Let’s have a chat about the use of music in creative content!
What It Means to Empower Content Creators
Hey Monstercat fam! You may have heard that a number of content creators have suddenly been hit with takedowns under DMCA law. There’s a lot of confusion and strife surrounding the ongoing situation, and we would like to provide some insight into the topic. As always, we seek to be a boundless resource for the creative community. If content creators want to include Monstercat’s music in their Twitch, and/or YouTube content, subscribing to Monstercat Gold allows them to do just that, with no risk of a copyright strike!
Learn more about Monstercat Gold
What is DMCA?
The DMCA, or Digital Millennium Copyright Act, is a United States copyright law that has been in effect since October 28, 1998. The purpose of this is to protect copyright and give copyright owners credit for their works. It also protects service providers from being liable for copyright infringing content that may be uploaded by their users. DMCA gives the copyright owners a method to claim and protect the ownership of the original copyright.
What is a DMCA takedown?
Basically, this means that the copyright holder of a piece of material believes you are using a piece of content infringing on their copyright. This will happen if you use a song in your content that you do not own, or are not authorized to use via a license.
A DMCA takedown means the original copyright holder has had your content removed from the platform it was uploaded to.
Who issues these takedowns?
The owner of the original copyright has the right to take down your content if the audio used is not cleared or properly licensed.
You may have seen recent enforcement from music industry rights holders on streaming content through DMCA takedowns. In response to these takedowns, most streaming platforms have clauses in place where content creators may have features removed from their account, or have their account accrue “strikes”, which can in turn lead to the eventual deletion or removal of accounts.
This can be a scary time for creators, as it directly affects not only your income, but the thousands of hours of content you’ve produced to grow your community.
Monstercat Gold
When Monstercat was founded, we anticipated long-term music industry enforcement on copyright, and launched a music licensing solution for all creators. Monstercat Gold protects channels and monetized content from takedowns on streaming and video platforms, while providing a huge catalog of high-quality music to enrich the creator's content.
Monstercat Gold helps thousands of creators to fully monetize their content with music from top EDM artists from around the world. This provides direct monetary support to artists, and develops an open economy for both the creator and the artist to grow together.
In addition to helping creators, Monstercat Gold is also an incredible platform for fans and music enthusiasts alike. Gold subscribers get access to tons of perks, like early streaming access to new music, early shopping access and discounts to Monstercat apparel, and exclusive community features on Discord and reddit.
WHAT’S INCLUDED?
For $7.49 / month or $75 / year, Gold subscribers receive:
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Permission to use our music library claim-free in their creative content;
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The option to download Monstercat tracks in their preferred format;
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Access to exclusive discounts on Monstercat apparel;
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Pre-release access to the Monstercat Shop for apparel collections;
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Pre-release unlocks to hear the newest Monstercat songs first;
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Community features on Discord and reddit, including an exclusive chat channel and subreddit flair;
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...all this, while directly supporting music artists!
Start creating with Monstercat Gold
GOOD THINGS TO KNOW
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If you use our music without subscribing to Gold, you will receive a claim; however, these are not copyright strikes and will not jeopardize your channel. Advertising revenue from the video will be rerouted back to our organization and the artists involved with the song.
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If you plan on monetizing your content and want to keep 100% of the revenue claim-free, subscribe to Monstercat Gold. We currently support music usage on YouTube and Twitch only. You are able to connect up to 6 channels to your Gold account.
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If you are not subscribed to Gold, then we ask that you do not appeal our claims.
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Through Monstercat Gold, we provide you with a large volume of high-quality audio in a vast array of genres, including new tracks weekly.
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A Monstercat Gold License will not protect you from claims from other copyright owners. If you use music from another label, that is not covered by Monstercat Gold.
FAQ:
What does Monstercat Gold cost?
Gold is just $7.49/month! That means you have unlimited access to thousands of our tracks. With this subscription, you can claim 100% of your revenue from streaming and videos… it more than pays for itself in a single month!
I want to use Monstercat’s music in my videos/streams. What do I need to know?
Amazing! We would love to welcome you into the Gold family! It’s as easy as a single step… visit the Monstercat Gold website to register your channels and get access to our library, which has thousands of songs across dozens of genres.
What if I want to edit or remix the songs available through Monstercat Gold?
Gold allows use of material in its existing form. There are a few limitations with Gold, including:
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No nightcore edits of our tracks
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No Bass Boosted or otherwise altered versions of our tracks
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No looping of our tracks (1 hour, 10 hour, etc.)
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No uploads of tracks that have not yet been officially uploaded on one of our channels: Monstercat: Uncaged or Monstercat: Instinct or Monstercat Silk
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No file sharing links or free downloads of any kind may be provided
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Users are not permitted to use our registered Monstercat word or design trademarks as their channel name or icon
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Creators may not monetize tracks excluded from the licensing offering
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Users must abide by and follow all relevant Terms of Service and Community Guidelines
Can I purchase a license for my music promotion channel?
Sorry, music promotion channels of any sort are not eligible to purchase our license. If you’re a promotion channel interested in working with us, contact us!
How do I actually get the music to use it in my streams?
For content creators seeking background music you can listen to our music directly from Monstercat.com. For those wanting to download our music you can get full download access to our licensable catalog on Monstercat.com as well.
I’ve just purchased a license, will copyright claims on my previous videos be automatically removed?
Buying a license does not remove any existing claims. If you receive a claim from Monstercat on a video uploaded while Gold is/was active, you can manually remove the claims using our Claim Release page.
Why choose Monstercat Gold over other services?
There are no other service providers out there who can match our level of quality of audio offered. Monstercat Gold also offers access to AAA artist releases and our most popular music.
How does Monstercat Gold benefit the artists?
Monstercat Gold provides direct monetary support to artists and develops an open economy for both the creator and the artist to grow together.
What happens if I don’t subscribe to Monstercat Gold, but use your music anyway?
If you use Monstercat music in your content without a Gold subscription, Monstercat will claim your content. This means we will take the revenue generated from the content. We will never strike or takedown your content. If you are not paying for a Gold subscription, you must credit in the following format:
Music provided by Monstercat
[ARTIST NAME] - [SONG NAME]
[LINK TO SONG ON MONSTERCAT.COM]
What are non-licensable tracks?
Non-Licensable tracks are tracks that cannot be used with our licenses. You can see the list of tracks here. We also offer Streamer Mode on monstercat.com which will automatically hide tracks that are not available for streaming. You can find the toggle for Streamer Mode on monstercat.com/account.