Music licensing
Where the music comes from
AFROFLOW DJ runs on free and open-licence music. This page explains how those tracks are sourced, exactly what rights the licences grant, and what is required before any commercial use.
Every playable track in the catalogue comes from a source whose licence is recorded with the track. Nothing is inferred from an API responding — an API returning a track is not a licence.
Sourcing
How free-licence tracks are sourced
Each source below is integrated directly, and the licence text recorded with every track it contributes.
Source
ccMixter
A community remix site where musicians publish their own recordings and stems under Creative Commons licences. Each track's licence is recorded with the track, and attribution is carried wherever the music is heard.
Source
Jamendo
An independent-music catalogue delivering complete recordings, with the licence recorded per track. Commercial use of Jamendo music requires a separate Jamendo Licensing agreement, which AFROFLOW does not hold.
Source
Openverse
An aggregator of openly licensed audio from many providers. The licence varies per item and is stored with each track in the catalogue.
Source
Wikimedia Commons
Public domain and Creative Commons files. The licence is recorded per file, and attribution is carried wherever the recording is heard.
Source
Internet Archive
Item-level rights vary. Only items carrying a verified open licence (public domain, CC0, CC BY) are released for playback, practice and performance. NonCommercial, NoDerivatives and unlabelled items stay discovery-only.
Source
AFROFLOW Artist Program
Artists upload their own original music and sign a direct agreement covering performance, recording, distribution and sale. This is the only source whose tracks can be sold in the Track Store.
Rights granted
What the licences allow
Open licences are read literally, per track. AFROFLOW checks each use separately and blocks anything it cannot evidence.
Allowed with the free licences
- ✓Discover and search the full catalogue, including BPM, key, energy and the rights status of every track.
- ✓Listen to complete recordings — full tracks, never short previews standing in for music.
- ✓Build and practice sets using the full audio, in Set Builder, Set Editor and Practice Mode.
- ✓Perform live with tracks whose licence permits it, guided by the performance tools.
- ✓Rely on attribution: CC BY and public domain markings are carried with the track wherever it is heard.
Not allowed today
- ✕Selling or distributing a mix containing these recordings. Track Store sales are limited to your own uploads and tracks under a signed Artist Program agreement.
- ✕Recording a set from sources whose licences forbid it — for example Internet Archive recordings.
- ✕Using NonCommercial or NoDerivatives tracks in performance, recording or streaming workflows. The rights check blocks them automatically.
- ✕Treating Spotify, YouTube, MusicBrainz or GetSongBPM as music sources. Those integrations supply information only — never audio.
Licence layers
Every use is a separate permission
No single licence covers everything a DJ platform does. AFROFLOW treats each of these as a separate permission, checked per track and per use.
Master recording licence
the specific recording AFROFLOW plays
Publishing / composition licence
the underlying song, separate from the recording
Public performance (PRO) licence
playing the music to an audience or in a venue
Streaming licence
transmitting the music to listeners over AFROFLOW
Mechanical / distribution licence
fixing and distributing a recorded mix
Resale / download licence
selling a downloadable file through the Track Store
Commercial use
What commercial use requires
AFROFLOW is in free-licence mode. No commercial catalogue agreement is on record, so all of the following must exist before any commercial use.
Commercial agreements on record
A written agreement with each rights holder — for example a Jamendo Licensing agreement — recorded in the platform before a single commercial track goes on sale.
Per-track rights review
Every track's licence is re-checked for commercial use before it can be sold, distributed or included in a paid mix. Share-alike and NonCommercial variants stay out.
A signed Artist Program agreement
Selling a track or mix starts with the uploading artist's signed agreement covering performance, recording, distribution and resale, together with a payout split.
If a commercial provider is added later
A paid catalogue can only widen these permissions once a written agreement is on record. The provider would have to offer, at minimum:
- —Full-length recording delivery (stream or download), not short previews.
- —Written DJ and public performance rights for the master recording.
- —A written right to record a DJ performance containing the recording.
- —A distribution right for the recorded performance.
- —Download and resale rights, with a reporting or royalty mechanism.
- —Territory and term stated in writing, so anything unstated stays blocked.
Attribution & reporting
Licence information and reporting a track
Licence information is stored with every track and visible in the catalogue and in the set tools. Artist name, source and licence basis travel with the music wherever it is played.
If you are a rights holder and believe a recording is listed without a valid licence, contact us and we will review and remove it while we check.
Copyright and legal enquiries: legal@afroflowdj.ai