Licensing Music for a Meditation App: What the Contract Must Say

A music licence for a meditation app must say, in plain words, that app use is allowed. It should cover streaming and offline downloads, with no hidden caps on users or plays. It should be worldwide and perpetual. It must say whether the music is registered with a PRO, whether it can play on its own, and what happens if you sell the app. If any of that is missing, ask before you build.

Apps raise questions that a simple class or YouTube licence never has to answer. Your audio might be streamed a million times, cached on phones, sold by subscription and played in countries you've never visited. The licence needs to keep up with all of that.

This is general guidance, not legal advice. For a large app or investment deal, have a solicitor read the licence.

First: whose app is it?

Start by working out which kind of app project you have. The rights you need are quite different.

Publishing on someone else's app. You upload guided meditations to a platform like Insight Timer. You need a music licence that covers that platform, and you need to follow the platform's own rules. Our Insight Timer licensing breakdown covers this.

Building your own app. You control the app, the content and how it's sold. The music licence has to cover everything the app does with the audio. That's what the rest of this post is about.

What the licence must cover

Work through these points with any music seller. Get the answers in writing.

1. App use, named clearly

The licence should mention apps by name. "Online use" or "digital products" might cover an app, or might not.

Check it covers your own app as well as third-party platforms. Some licences only cover uploading to existing apps.

2. Streaming and offline downloads

Most meditation apps stream audio and let users download sessions to play offline. The licence should allow both.

Offline downloads mean copies of your audio sit on users' phones. That's normal for apps, but some music licences forbid distributing files. Make sure the wording separates your finished meditations from the raw music files.

3. Users, plays and income

Look for limits on users, downloads, streams or revenue. Some licences are cheap until you pass a threshold, then they need an upgrade.

Also check the licence allows the way you'll charge. Subscriptions, one-off purchases, in-app payments and free tiers with ads should all be covered.

4. Territory

App stores sell worldwide, so the licence should be worldwide too. A licence limited to one country won't fit an app that anyone can download.

5. Term, and what happens if it ends

The licence should be perpetual. Check what happens to content already in your app if the licence ever ends.

This matters most with subscription music libraries. If you stop paying, you may have to remove every session that uses their music. In an app with hundreds of sessions, that's a huge job.

6. Music alone, or only under your voice

Many practitioner licences, ours included, only cover music with your voice or other substantial audio on top. They don't cover the music played on its own.

That matters for apps. A sleep sounds section, a music-only timer or a background mixer would all play music without a voice. Those features usually need a different kind of licence. Ask about them specifically.

7. PRO registration

Ask whether the music is registered with a performing rights organisation such as PRS, ASCAP or BMI. If it is, streaming it in your app could bring performance royalty questions, depending on the country.

Music that has never been registered with a PRO avoids that question entirely. Melobleep music has never been registered.

8. Content ID and promotional videos

You'll probably make trailers, app store previews and social clips. Check the licence covers using the music there.

Also ask whether the music is registered with YouTube Content ID. If it is, your promo videos may get claims. Our post on YouTube without copyright headaches explains why.

9. Who's covered

Apps are rarely built by one person. Developers, editors and voice artists may all handle the audio.

Check the licence covers your business and the people working for it, including contractors. Otherwise, a freelancer editing your sessions could technically be outside it.

10. Selling the app or the company

If you might sell your app one day, check whether the licence can move with it. Many licences can't be transferred.

A buyer will ask how every piece of music is licensed. If the licences can't transfer, it can slow or reduce a sale. Raise this with the seller before you buy, and get any agreement in writing.

11. The smaller print

A few more clauses are worth a look:

• AI training. Many licences now ban using the music to train AI. Check this fits any plans you have for personalised or generated content.
• Exclusivity. Stock music is non-exclusive, so other apps may use the same track. If that matters, look at custom composition.
• Credit. Does the licence require a credit? If so, where does it go in an app?
• Ownership promise. The seller should confirm they own the music and have the right to license it.

Keep a music register

Keep a simple spreadsheet of every piece of music in your app. List the track, the seller, the licence, the date and where your proof is kept.

It takes ten minutes to set up and saves days later. When an app store, a partner or a buyer asks about rights, you'll have the answer straight away.

How the Melobleep licence fits an app

Here's an honest summary of where our licence fits, and where it doesn't.

• Covered: guided meditations, hypnosis and other recordings with your voice on top, published in your own app or on meditation apps such as Insight Timer.
• Covered: selling those recordings, by subscription or otherwise, with no cap on users, downloads or sales.
• Covered: you and everyone working for your business, including contractors.
• Perpetual, never PRO-registered and not registered with Content ID.
• Not covered: playing the music on its own, without your voice or other substantial audio on top.
• Not covered: sharing or reselling the raw files, or using the music to train AI.
• Not transferable: the licence can't be sold or passed to another business.

If your app needs music-only features or exclusive tracks, custom composition is agreed separately, with its own written licence. Get in touch to talk it through.

For voice-led sessions, the toolkits are a good fit, because each one has several session lengths of the same piece. Neutral Bed and Delta Drift are good starting points for meditation and sleep content. Read the full licence on the licence page, see our royalty-free meditation music overview, or check any other seller with our 10-point licence checklist.

FAQs

Can I use royalty-free music in my meditation app?

Often, yes, but only if the licence names app use. Check it covers streaming, offline downloads and your way of charging, with no caps you'll outgrow.

Does a YouTube music licence cover my app?

Not necessarily. A licence written for online video may not mention apps at all. Ask the seller to confirm app use in writing.

Can I play music on its own in my app?

Only if the licence allows it. Many practitioner licences, including ours, only cover music under your voice or other substantial audio. Music-only features usually need a separate agreement.

What happens to my app if a music licence ends?

That depends on the wording. With some subscription libraries, you'd have to remove the music from your app. A perpetual licence avoids that.

Do I need a lawyer to license music for an app?

For a small app using a clear, standard licence, many people don't. For investment, a sale or a large catalogue, it's worth having a solicitor check the terms.