Does roblox have any specific rules regarding Non-Copyrighted Sounds being used as part of the game that you’re hoping to make money from? Can you use Creative Commons licensed sounds or music and still DevEx the robux you make from those?
NCS as far as I know, Are allowed in Roblox games. So I think that’s a yes.
As long as its properly licensed, and it doesn’t violate the TOS; Any sound is applicable. Do take care that you follow the licensing terms, such as attribution, and don’t use those marked non-commercial use only, and you’ll be fine.
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Would that cover creative commons licenses though?
It’s not immediately clear whether you’re asking about NoCopyrightSounds (NCS), the music recording company or just non-copyrighted audio in general, mostly due to the capitalisation and unrelated terms proceeding afterward. I’ll do my best to answer both sides anyway.
Something I see in your thread is that you’re asking about Roblox’s policies about use of NCS in games but you haven’t asked about NCS policies about use of tracks in games. Roblox’s policies and NCS are different. You need to consider both sides of the equation before going forward.
The title of the company, NoCopyrightSounds, may be misleading to some developers in terms of acceptable use so it’s always important that you confer with licensing or usage policies on their websites before using them. If you aren’t able to find this information immediately, try to find a point of contact and touch down with them.
Roblox’s policy on audio use is that you are permitted to use 250 APM tracks or any track of your own choosing provided you have a license or permission to use the song. If it is removed from the site, you may dispute with evidence via appeals. More information can be found through the various announcement threads discussing audio.
As for NCS, you actually require a commercial license in order to be able to use their music for your games. Commercial licenses typically are used for anything where purchases are involved (e.g. products and services), however game use falls under commercial use according to their licensing, whether it is free to download or not.
NCS Usage Policy:
https://ncsmusic.com/usage/
Excerpt:
Can I use NCS music in my independent video game?
Regardless of whether your game is free to download, use of our releases in video games is considered to be a commercial use. A Commercial License Agreement will need to be signed between NCS and Game Developer / Publisher.
As for just non-copyrighted sounds in general, same thing, Roblox’s policies are more of a paraphrase than anything. It’s up to you to look for any licenses or ensure that what you’re using doesn’t have any specific restrictions placed upon it. If the audio isn’t public domain then realistically you should be obtaining a license or permission for its use.
Your ability to DevEx is not related to your use of audio tracks in games unless you start earning strikes, as the audio itself will just be deleted and you’ll have to find a new one to use. That being said; yes, you are allowed to use any track with respect to its licensing situation.
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Thank you for the reply, as for the lack of clarification on the topic I am referring to the licensing of creative commons and non-copyrighted sounds (not in specific to the ncs company). As I have seen alot of audio taken down it placed me into a wander on what is considered to be a sound or soundtrack that is acceptable to be used on roblox, I have not found a direct or any statement that explains this indepth and I know this can cause serious issues both for roblox and the developers on the platform.
This is more of to inform on any liabilities that can exist on the platform with using sounds that have creative common or similar labels attributed to them.
Roblox has both automatic and manual flagging of copyrighted audio so for sure a lot of tracks would be taken down. Often this may be mistaken so appeals are always the best bet for you if you encounter this kind of situation, especially if you bear a license or written permission for something’s use.
The short of it is that you can use virtually anything so long as you respect licensing and you should dispute if your audio is wrongfully taken down or you’re given a strike incorrectly. That’s all there is to it really. The rest of it is all legalese and stuff that you can crunch down to a few words, though should heed nonetheless.
If you need some information sources, here are all the relevant announcement threads around audio and copyright policies in general that I could find.
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Colbert helped clarify everything wonderfully, but to answer your question to my response; No matter the sound or licensing, as long as you correctly follow the license, roblox will allow you to use any sound (Within the bounds of the TOS as it refers to roblox friendly) as long as it is properly licensed and you are adhering to its licences via purchase, attribution and so on
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I would buy it from AudioJungle or Pond5 and use those as they give you a royalty-free licence when you purchase from them.
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