Upcoming Music Changes and Copyright Related Action

Updates Announcements
#107

How is the standard Roblox boombox going to deal with this 250 song limit?
It seems like you just have to completely block players from manually inputting the ID of any APM music track.

9 Likes
#108

The uploader of the asset would be at fault there. Note that the asset would be removed/replaced if the copyright holder of that asset complains, so when in doubt it is better to find content yourself that is properly licensed and upload this yourself.

1 Like
#109

So the game that is using the fraudulently labeled free audio would not face moderation action?

1 Like
#110

This seems loosely ruled, at what point is it counted as new vs old audios? If I allow players to play music using a radio [important to note that this is a Roblox gear] or similar item in my game, and I keep my collective players in all servers from playing >250 audios within what period of time? it’s not a violation?

In a case where the user is playing the audios themselves, there could be no audios in the ‘published version’, however, once published the audios are played in individual servers (of course part of one game); therefore there are no audios in the ‘published version’, only in the game while it’s running. Could we have some kind of explicit ruling on this?

If the 250 songs are variable through me updating my game, at what point is the line drawn? If I have old servers that remain open throughout updates, allowing players to play audios from the old selection, this is a violation of the rules, right? So every time I update my game I have to shutdown all the servers or it will be a violation of this rule.

5 Likes
#111

I bought my music legitimately, and have proof of purchase. But how is Roblox going to know that? I am worried about your moderation system falsely flagging my legitimate music.

4 Likes
#112

So let’s say the boombox had restrictions:

  • Cannot play audios uploaded by the Roblox account
    • This way users can’t possibly play APM music
    • Comes with the side effect of no Roblox audios, though the developer accepts that when setting this restriction
  • Cannot play audios which aren’t up for free
    • This way, any developers can take their audio off sale if they don’t want everyone using it, and the boombox won’t invade on their choice to keep it private

All audios which are up for free are safe to be played by ID, besides APM music, right?

2 Likes
#113

You can give a static list of 250 songs that players can choose from. You could vary this list of songs per version (whenever you update, it creates a new version) of your game.

You shouldn’t be moderated, but for completeness I’ll note that this is a slippery slope and exceptions will always apply that need to be dealt with on a case-by-case scenario. For example, for malicious behaviour such as uploading sounds on an alternate account and then claiming you couldn’t have known.

4 Likes
#114

Thanks for the response,
Can you answer this too, please.

2 Likes
#115

Wait so…What do I do with all the Viking songs I uploaded. How can I use those. Are they going to get deleted? I only use like 10 songs in my game so the 250 rule doesn’t apply to me. But will I still be able to use my Viking songs or is there a way to get them licensed if they are not already.

1 Like
#116

If the viking songs you use aren’t APM Music songs uploaded by Roblox, normal copyright laws apply, therefore it is possible Roblox will remove these audios if they are not licensed to you / royalty free.

The 250 limit is for APM Music songs uploaded by the Roblox account.

2 Likes
#117

Servers are not part of the terminology used here, so this only applies to the single published version of your game (this is always 1, the newest version). You’re fine as long as your published version uses <= 250 items on this list.

2 Likes
#118

Wait so we can only use songs that Roblox decides to upload…?

This means pretty much every audio will go. Including weapon sounds?

How do we get them licensed to us.

3 Likes
#119

This is actually really great. I know a lot of people would claim “its a free model but I didn’t actually want you to use it for x and y”. It’s awesome to know that theres a lot more official clarification now.

4 Likes
#120

I think if your audio is flagged for copyright they don’t allow it. Similar to how many other platforms check for copyrighted material.

2 Likes
#121

The songs I use aren’t from any game or anything. They are just some Viking/Nordic related songs that I found on youtube. Can they still get copyrighted?

2 Likes
#122

You can think of it like stealing something in real life. If you’re caught it’ll get taken off you, there’s also the possibility of getting sued by whoever owns the rights to the audio (although getting sued is very unlikely).

At the end of the day don’t use audio that isn’t yours and isn’t licensed , some composers will allow for people to use their music for personal or commercial use, you have to find out from the ‘youtube pages’ you got the audios from whether or not they are allowed to be used for your own projects, more than likely in this case you will still need to leave something in the description of your place / a credits GUI.

Make sure to realise that audios belong to people, and that the composing of those songs has taken people time to do. They expect to be paid for it in some way, therefore, either you have no way of getting a license without contacting them, and likely paying them money (it’s possible they’ll outright say no), or if they give the audio away, usually for credit. If someone took your game and started using it for profit without even asking you, you wouldn’t be very happy, so think of it like that, too.

3 Likes
#123

As long as I credit them I will be fine?

Phew.

I was afraid some serious consequences could be brought up against me just for using a song in my game. Yet I see people upload popular songs on the radio which I know will probably get taken down.

2 Likes
#124

That’s not what I said, it’s entirely dependent on what the person who made the audio says. Re-read my post entirely, as you clearly didn’t.

This does not mean that all music is free, most isn’t, you must look at the place you got the audio from and make sure you have the rights to it.

Notice ‘some composers’

3 Likes
#125

What if the people who made the song have no idea I am using it on roblox. And if I bought the song on iTunes would I still be able to use it.

Sorry for the questions but I just need to make sure I understand completely so no action is taken against me.

2 Likes
#126

Hi MapelMarvel,

All audio will go through the new automated moderation process once it is in place. If you have specifically acquired licensing for music that may be affected by this process, please email devrelations@roblox.com with the subject “Licensed Music.” Please include information about which songs were affected and any other relevant details.

This new process affects existing files on the Roblox platform and prevents the use of certain copyrighted music on the platform. If you have only licensed it for your game, please flag your audio assets as private to prevent them from showing up in the toolbox for other developers to use.

3 Likes