Guides
CC0 vs CC BY: What's the Difference for Music and Sound?
- Written by
- Sonilo Team
- Published
CC0 and CC BY both let you use music and sound effects commercially. The practical difference is the credit line: CC0 needs none, and CC BY needs one every time. Here is what each one means, how to write a proper credit, and the license variants that quietly rule out commercial work.
Short answer
- CC0 is a waiver. The creator gives up their copyright and related rights "to the fullest extent permitted by law." You can use the work for anything, including commercial projects, with no attribution required.
- CC BY is a license. The creator keeps copyright but lets you "copy and redistribute" and "remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially," as long as you give credit.
Both allow commercial use. The practical difference is the credit line.
CC0 in more detail
Creative Commons describes CC0 as "a universal legal tool that allows creators and rightsholders to waive all copyright and related rights in their works to the fullest extent permitted by law." Its summary includes "No attribution required (unless the user chooses to give it)." In practice you can copy, edit, remix and redistribute a CC0 work, commercially too, without asking.
Two caveats are worth knowing:
- Some rights can't be waived everywhere. Creative Commons notes that "in some legal systems, certain rights (such as moral rights) cannot be waived at all." CC0 still places a work "as fully as possible into the public domain," in Creative Commons' own words.
- CC0 only covers what the uploader could waive. If someone uploads a recording that contains somebody else's music, a CC0 label doesn't fix that. This matters on open upload sites.
CC BY in more detail
CC BY 4.0 lets you share and adapt the work for any purpose. The condition is attribution: you must "give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made." You can do this "in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use."
The legal code adds details people miss:
- You can meet the attribution conditions "in any reasonable manner based on the medium, means, and context" in which you share the work. For a video, that usually means the description or the end credits.
- You "may not offer or impose any additional or different terms," and "patent and trademark rights are not licensed."
How to credit a CC BY track: TASL
Creative Commons recommends that every attribution include Title, Author, Source, License (TASL):
- Title: the name of the track.
- Author: the creator's name or handle, as they want to be credited. Not the site you found it on.
- Source: a link to where the track lives.
- License: the license name, linked to the deed (for example CC BY 4.0).
Here is an example with a made-up track:
"Morning Walk" by Jane Doe (https://example.com/morning-walk) is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
For music in videos and podcasts, Creative Commons says: "When reasonable to do so, we recommend that you include attribution both in the description box and in the podcast recording or the video recording itself." The same page points out that using a track as background music in a video counts as an adaptation, which ND (NoDerivatives) licenses don't allow.
Don't confuse CC BY with CC BY-NC
The Creative Commons family has six licenses. The ones with NC (NonCommercial) forbid commercial use. Creative Commons defines noncommercial as "not primarily intended for or directed towards commercial advantage or monetary compensation." In our reading, a monetized YouTube channel, a sponsored post or client work will usually fall outside that. ND (NoDerivatives) versions forbid sharing edited versions, and SA (ShareAlike) versions require you to release adaptations under the same license.
Freesound is a good example of a mixed site. Each sound has its own license: CC0, CC BY, CC BY-NC, or the retired Sampling+. Check each file before you use it in commercial work.
Quick comparison
| CC0 | CC BY 4.0 | CC BY-NC 4.0 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial use | Yes | Yes | No |
| Credit required | No | Yes (TASL) | Yes |
| Edit and remix | Yes | Yes (note your changes) | Yes, non-commercially |
| Creator keeps copyright | Waived as far as the law allows | Yes | Yes |
Library licenses are a third category
Many "free music" and "free sound effects" sites use neither. Pixabay, for example, has its own Content License: free to use, no attribution required, but you can't sell or distribute the content on a standalone basis. These custom licenses can be as generous as CC0 for everyday use, but they are not CC0. Read the site's own terms page.
Where Sonilo fits
Sonilo's free libraries are not CC0 and not Creative Commons. They use Sonilo's own library license, and the sound effects and music libraries have different rules:
- Sound effects (3,463 sounds, for example whoosh sound effects): free to download and use in personal and commercial projects, including monetized videos, paid ads, client work, podcasts, apps and games. No account, no credit and no royalties, so you don't need a TASL line (you're welcome to mention Sonilo). You can use the files inside your own projects, including games, apps and templates you sell, with no revenue cap. You can't sell or share the files on their own or in a sound pack.
- Music (1,201 tracks): free to download and use for personal projects, with no account and no credit. Commercial use, such as monetized videos, ads or client work, needs a Pro plan or above.
- Sonilo doesn't register library sounds or tracks with YouTube Content ID.
- Free downloads don't include a license certificate. Pro and Premium members can download one for any library sound effect or music track.
The full library terms are in Sonilo's help center: Can I use the free sound effects library commercially?, which also covers the music library. For how "royalty-free" differs from both CC0 and CC BY, see What is royalty-free music?
FAQ
Is CC0 the same as public domain?
Close. CC0 waives rights as far as the law allows, but some rights, such as moral rights, can't be waived in every country.
Can I use CC BY music in a monetized YouTube video?
Yes. CC BY allows commercial use. Credit the track (TASL) in the description.
Can I use CC BY-NC music on a monetized channel?
Usually not. NC licenses exclude use that is primarily intended for commercial advantage or monetary compensation. If you're unsure, ask the artist for permission.
Is Sonilo's library CC0?
No. It's Sonilo's own license. The sound effects are free for commercial use with no credit. The music is free for personal use, and commercial use needs Pro or above. Neither may be resold or shared as files on their own.
Related reading
- The best free sound effects sites in 2026
- The best royalty-free music sites in 2026
- What is royalty-free music?
- Is AI music copyrighted? Copyright, licenses and Content ID
