Creator Safe Guidelines
Whether it’s Akali dropping bars with K/DA, Milio’s whimsical Champion Theme, or Diana’s two-hour lo-fi journey, we use music in a ton of ways here at Riot. And we want content creators and players to be able to use that music, too.
Unfortunately, that isn’t always possible as music licensing is more complex than a Yasuo drum loop. This page is designed to be a one-stop shop with as much information as possible to show what music creators can use, how that music can be used, and to answer frequently asked questions about the ever-evolving world of music licensing.
Creator-Safe Music
First off, we’ve worked to create expansive creator-safe playlists that are consistently updated as new music becomes available. It can be tricky finding music that goes with your gameplay or creative content that won’t trigger monetization claims and strikes from publishers, labels, or other music owners. This creator-safe playlist is meant to give you freedom and peace of mind to use the music in your content on streaming and social platforms, as long as you follow the guidelines in this post. Before using this music please read the entire post or you may risk content strikes or takedowns.
Music Credit
When using our music, please apply the following credit where applicable:
Song title: [ ]
Artists: [ ]
Song Link: [ ]
Direction and Guidelines
We’ve gone to great lengths to create a library of “creator-safe” music for our players and music fans, but when the music is used in a way that violates these guidelines, it can lead to automated takedowns (including the content of the good folks following these guidelines). So be sure to read the guidelines below to make sure your content doesn’t get smashed by Corporate Mundo’s fist.
First, any use of our music must comply with Riot’s Legal Jibber Jabber in all respects.
The songs on the Creator-Safe Playlist are for use in player-created content and streams on almost any online content platform like Twitch, YouTube, TikTok, etc. Without a license, Riot does not offer these songs for use to businesses or other organizations without our permission for any purpose.
Monetization:
For player-created content, the primary question is monetization. What we mean by “monetization” here, with respect to player-created content, is running ads and collecting ad revenue on your content (such as YouTube ads). In general, content that uses music from the Creator-Safe playlist only can be monetized if it adheres to said Legal Jibber Jabber, the guidelines above, and as long as your content isn’t “commercially exploiting” the music itself. “Commercial exploitation” is further explained below.
No Audio “Claiming”/Content ID:
You are not permitted to “claim” the audio in your content, including, for example, through YouTube’s “ContentID” system, or any other similar copyright or audio claiming system. By claiming the audio or using ContentID where Riot’s creator-safe music is used in your content, you would be falsely claiming ownership over the music and could cause automated strikes against other players who are using the music properly.
Therefore, please ensure you are not using ContentID or any claiming of audio in your content when using any of Riot’s creator-safe music.
FAQ, Definitions, and Examples
Why isn’t all of Riot’s music “creator-safe”? There are anthems or other singles from Riot that I want to use in my content, but they are not on your “creator-safe” playlists.
Riot creates music in a variety of ways. We have a team of world-class composers in-house at Riot who compose a variety of themes, in-game music, and other key music pieces. However, Riot also collaborates with hundreds of outside artists, producers, songwriters, musicians, music publishers, and record labels to create unique music for players around the world.
Generally speaking, the music created entirely in-house has the most flexibility for Riot to offer as “creator-safe” for players.
On the other hand, the music created in collaboration with our many outside music partners can come with a variety of restrictions, due to the nature of complex music agreements and multiple ownership structures. We can’t always clear the use of our music to streamers or content creators, and sometimes we can allow players to use the music in content without receiving strikes, but such content can only be monetized by the music owners.
We only designate a song as “creator-safe” when it is enabled for players to use in their player-created content and for players to monetize that content, all in accordance with these guidelines.
What does it mean to commercially exploit music?
To sell, monetize, or otherwise distribute (or re-distribute) the music itself. For example, delivering the music to any digital service providers (e.g. Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, Tidal, etc.) either directly or through a distributor or aggregator, would qualify as “commercial exploitation” of the music, which is not permitted.
Use in content that has the sole purpose of advertising or selling a product or service.
“Claiming” audio in online content (e.g. through YouTube’s ContentID system), as explained above.
Commercialization is further defined in Riot’s Legal Jibber Jabber.
What does it mean to redistribute?
There needs to be a certain amount of value added when using a song in content. Posting new content (e.g. live gameplay, a dance video, a music performance video, a skit, etc.) using the “creator-safe” music in the background is what we encourage. However, merely re-posting the song onto YouTube or Twitch adds no value and is only exploiting the music itself.
Remixes or covers are generally fine, but posting a song that is already live on an official channel for the sake of posting it will probably end up with that music being removed. Commercial exploitation of remixes or covers is also prohibited without the proper licenses to do so.
I am streaming on <Streaming Platform>. Can I use Riot’s music in the intro/background/outro for my stream?
Yes, with some caveats. You can use any music from the Creator-Safe Playlist without any danger of demonetization or DMCA claims (per guidelines above). When using music from outside that playlist, Riot cannot make any guarantee that your streams or VODs will be unaffected.
I am making a non-live video series that will be uploaded to <Content Platform>. Can I use Riot’s music in the intro/background/outro of my series?
Yes, with the same caveats as before. But also it is important the music you use is not commercially exploited in your videos.
I don’t see my favorite song on the list, does that mean I can’t use it?
In general, yes. If a song is not on the Creator-Safe playlist, it generally means you will need a license from the copyright owner(s) to use it (which may or may not include Riot and other studios, publishers, and labels).
As we mentioned earlier in the article, music that is made in collaboration with external parties sometimes has more complexities in their contracts and deal structures.
Can I expect to see those songs on this list in the future?
We’re always at work to see how we can unlock more of Riot’s catalog for everyone to use. But, for now, we have the list of Creator-Safe Songs which can be used as per the guidelines above.
What is the process for using these songs?
Search our Spotify and Soundcloud Creator-Safe playlists for songs.
If using our music for your video or similar content, please include music credits per Crediting guidelines above.
I used a Creator Safe song in my video and it was struck or taken down for a music violation. What happened and what can I do?
- There are a lot of different systems that manage music rights across different platforms and sometimes those systems make mistakes.
- Alternatively someone may upload our music and issue claims which we will have to address ourselves
- In the event that you use something in one of these playlists and you run into this issue please reach out to @riotgamesmusic on our socials. You can also submit a player support ticket.
Why is the music being removed or muted on my TikToks?
TikTok automatically mutes any music over 60 seconds. This is not a claim or strike but rather a limitation of the platform itself.