"It's royalty-free, so I don't have to worry about copyright." "Free material = free to do anything." These are common misconceptions among beatmakers, but neither is accurate. Royalty-free is neither "copyright-free" nor "free" — it is simply one form of license (permission to use).
If you keep producing while these distinctions stay fuzzy, you may worry that "if I cancel, do my past beats lose their rights too?" — or, conversely, commit a violation like "distributing the material as-is in a sample pack." In this article, the Beat Lab editorial team reviewed the official terms and help pages of Splice and Loopmasters (Loopcloud), then organized everything from terminology to post-cancellation use, credit requirements, and the pitfalls of free sample packs.
For the basics of why sampling commercial songs without permission is a no-go in the first place, see our Introduction to Sample Clearance; for how to legally sample existing songs, see our Tracklib review. This article focuses on "how to read the terms of sample services."
A royalty is a usage fee paid to the rights holder each time you use a copyrighted work. In other words, royalty-free refers to a contract form in which "once you legitimately obtain a license, you do not have to pay an additional fee for each subsequent use." It does not mean "no rights exist."
What matters here is the following structure that major services' terms share in common.
So "selling a beat made with royalty-free material on BeatStars" or "monetizing a distributed release" are squarely within the intended uses, while "distributing or selling the material itself" is almost certainly off-limits — that's the broad picture.
| Term | Meaning | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Royalty-free | A contract form in which, once you have a license, no additional per-use fee is needed | Copyright stays with the creator. The scope of use depends on the terms (redistributing on its own is usually a no-go) |
| Copyright-free (public domain) | A state where copyright has expired or been waived, so anyone may generally use it | For audio, the rights to the composition and to the recording (master) are separate, and judging the term of protection is complex. Deciding "it's old, so it's free" on your own is risky (details here) |
| Free (free download) | Simply means the price is zero | Even when free, copyright and license conditions exist. Whether commercial use or redistribution is allowed depends on the source's terms |
The confusion comes from the word "free" being used in three different senses (no fee / no rights / zero cost). When you see material, get into the habit of checking the "license," not the "price."
This is the most common worry with royalty-free subscriptions. The conclusion is: "both major providers officially state that material you have already downloaded can still be used after cancellation." The details differ, though.
Splice's official help, "If I cancel my subscription, do I lose my samples and credits?", explains the following.
In other words, there's no need to worry that "canceling causes your past beats to lose their rights." Songs you made with material downloaded in the past can continue to be sold and distributed after cancellation, within the terms. For the full picture on Splice pricing and usage, see our Splice guide.
Loopmasters itself is a one-time-purchase store to begin with, and the license for packs you buy has no monthly strings attached. The official help explains that as long as the buyer releases the material commercially as a track combined with other sounds, no additional royalty is required at all (some labels have exceptions; for series such as DJ Mixtools, you're advised to check the individual license).
For the subscription-based Loopcloud, the official pricing page clearly states that you can "upgrade, downgrade or cancel anytime, and keep your purchases forever." The official FAQ also notes that while the points themselves do not expire, you can only spend points while your subscription is active. For detailed usage of Loopmasters / Loopcloud, see our Loopmasters guide.
Even among "sample-type subscriptions," Tracklib, which is for sampling existing songs, has a different setup: unused credits become unusable after the subscription ends (restored by re-subscribing), and a release requires license registration. What remains after cancellation really varies from service to service, so we recommend searching the official help for "cancel" before signing up.
In what our editorial team could confirm, we found no wording in the standard licenses of Splice or Loopmasters that "requires a credit (e.g., Sample by ◯◯)." It is common for royalty-free material to be set up so that it can be used commercially without a credit.
That said, this is only "under the standard licenses of major paid services." Because of cases like the following, the rule of thumb is to check whether a credit is required in each piece of material's terms.
Free sample packs distributed on social media or Discord are appealing, but being free and being safe on licensing are two different things. Here are the common risks.
If you want to keep costs down safely, starting with official free material from a major provider is the solid choice. For example, Loopmasters states in its help that its official free sampler packs are "100% royalty-free and can be used commercially." We also introduce free sound sources and plugins in our free plugins roundup, so use those together.
Borderline cases (whether heavy processing makes it OK, how use in video works is treated, etc.) are handled differently by each service. When in doubt, don't interpret it yourself — contacting official support is the sure way.
A. Yes, within each service's terms. Royalty-free means "once you have a license, no additional usage fee is needed," and Splice and Loopmasters permit commercial use where the material is used as part of a track. However, redistributing the material on its own or repackaging it into a sample pack is generally prohibited.
A. You can still use them. The official help explains that the license for content you added to your library remains valid in perpetuity after cancellation, and that re-downloading is possible. However, unused credits expire 28 days after the end of your final billing period, and downloading new content requires re-subscribing.
A. In what our editorial team could confirm, we found no wording requiring a credit in the standard licenses of Splice or Loopmasters. However, whether it's required varies by service and material, and free material or CC-type licenses may make a credit a condition, so checking the individual terms is the rule.
A. It depends on the source and terms. Some, like Loopmasters, state that official free packs are "100% royalty-free and commercially usable," while others are non-commercial only or of unknown origin. Choose a trustworthy source and save the terms.
The misconceptions around royalty-free ultimately come down to the ambiguity of the word "free." Let's organize the key points at the end.
Terms change, so rather than "I read this article, so I'm fine," build the habit of checking the latest official terms at each contract and release milestone. In the end, that's the shortest path to focusing on production with peace of mind.