Are you a creator uploading content to YouTube? Does your content contain music from video games? You might have questions about your rights and Materia Music Publishing’s policies, either because you’re being proactive about an upcoming video or because you’ve already gotten a claim from us on one of your existing videos.
We aim to find a balance between supporting the original game music creators and being fair to content creators like you, which is why we try to be clear and transparent about our policies.
Please be advised that this page does not contain legal advice or opinions. This page does not offer permissions, licenses, memorandums, or offerings. Any information contained herein is exemplary by nature, and cannot be construed as permission, license, grant, option, title, or any other right. Materia Music Inc. retains all rights, titles, and interests; including all intellectual property rights. Materia Music Inc. makes no representations or warranties to the truth, completeness, accuracy, concurrency of any information provided on this page. This page may change without notice.
We suggest obtaining independent legal counsel regarding your specific circumstances by competent legal counsel specializing in intellectual property, should you be interested in using Materia’s intellectual property in any project; particularly if your project is commercial in nature, or if you receive revenue from the exploitation of copyrighted content managed by Materia Music Publishing.
Can I upload soundtrack rips to youtube?
No.
What if I really love the soundtrack?
No.
Why?
UGC (user-generated content) platforms are continually evolving, and many increasingly allow for AI models to be trained on user-uploaded content. Platforms generally take no interest in whether fans who upload content own all rights. Materia needs to have visibility into what is uploaded, where, and ensure that the rights of our composers are protected. We stand firmly with creators against AI modeling that deprive human creators of consent, credit, and compensation. (See our AI policy here.)
Many platforms also allow other users to freely use and remix uploaded content (eg., YouTube shorts that use uploaded soundtrack rips as background music). In many cases, this is fine, but it results in a very messy rights situation. Using only officially-provided music helps prevent chaos.
Last, uploading tracks or full soundtracks owned by other composers is theft. Piracy offers nothing of value to creators. We don’t think that’s fair or appropriate, and we may enforce our rights as needed. Materia Music Publishing and our partners strive to ensure that our content is officially available everywhere. If it appears missing on a platform — please reach out. Please do not take personal initiative and re-upload soundtracks.
Can I use music from games such as UNDERTALE or DELTARUNE in my YouTube videos?
You are welcome to include most melodies administered by Materia Music Publishing (including the original recordings from the UNDERTALE® and DELTARUNE® soundtracks) in your videos as long as you’re doing so non-commercially. This means your video is not intended to make you money, it is not sponsored or promoting a product that will make you money, you do not receive ad/subscription/affiliate/marketing/sponsorship revenue for the video, etc. This is determined in Materia’s sole discretion; please reach out should there be concerns about clarity.
If you use this music non-commercially, YouTube may still receive a claim to let us know that the music is being used. This is not a strike against your channel. There is no penalty or punishment for receiving a claim.
If you do use music published by Materia Music Publishing, we ask you to please credit the appropriate composer/copyright holder in your video’s description. In the case of UNDERTALE or DELTARUNE, that means crediting Toby Fox as the composer and Materia Music Publishing as the copyright administrator. Giving credit where it’s due is the right thing to do!
Why do you claim music on YouTube?
Materia Music Publishing manages the music rights for Toby Fox’s UNDERTALE and DELTARUNE, and many other video game soundtracks. Our job is to help protect the rights of the original composers and copyright holders. We track the music on YouTube for analytical and credit purposes, to ensure that incorrect claims are fixed, and to prevent unlawful usage of the music.
Many claims are matched and created automatically within YouTube’s system, so there may occasionally be mistaken claims. We have to address any corrections or disputes ourselves, and we are a small team, so it can take time for us to resolve issues. We ask for your patience if you need our assistance.
If you received a claim for a “Let’s Play”, speedrun, commentary, or other video that uses the original music alongside game footage, please feel free to dispute the claim, and we will investigate further.
Please note that in the case of fangames which use music from the original game, including cover song versions or interpolations, our claims will remain in place.
Why does my claim list a cover song/artist when only the original music is being used?
YouTube often uses multiple recordings of a song as a reference to determine whether a copyrighted melody is present in a video. Cover recordings are used by YouTube as references. Our claims are on behalf of the original songs, and any cover artists listed are generally not involved in the claims. If you receive a claim on YouTube, please take a look at the type of claim listed.
If the claim is a melody match, it is on behalf of the original song, even if it mentions a cover song. Audio match claims imply that the creator is using a specified recording of the song — in other words, that your video uses a particular version, such as a cover.
Why are you claiming my cover song/remix/alternate version as the original music?
Any recording of a song is still a usage of that song, whether it’s close to the original or a remix. Our role in music management means we have to track all usages of a song. Our claims are always on behalf of the underlying songs, and the original composer still deserves credit even if you have made your own, different recording; or are using a cover song in your video.
This is not meant to discourage anyone from creating cover songs or remixes! We have a longstanding relationship with the game music remix community, and we encourage the creation of properly licensed covers that support the original composers.
My claim lists other copyright holders/song titles/artists that are incorrect. Why?
There are several reasons why this might happen. There are other music royalty organizations that will claim and collect revenue for music on YouTube, and they have the right to do so. Or the music metadata may be incorrect and YouTube’s system has matched the wrong songs together. If you think there has been a mistake with your claim(s), please contact us here.
Why can’t I monetize my video that uses your music?
YouTube’s current policy stipulates that creators cannot monetize videos that contain third party content unless it is allowed by the content owners and meets certain requirements (which are set by the content owners). In our case, we generally ask that our copyrighted content not be monetized if it is used. If you are interested in creating licensed covers of our music, please see our licensing page for more information.
If you are partnered with YouTube (YPP), an MCN, or another provider; revenue sharing options are available. Please contact your creator support team directly to coordinate with us if any issues occur.
Can I make content using your music and share revenue with Materia Music Publishing?
At the moment, we are not set up to share revenue for monetized YouTube videos. This may change in the future, but for now we cannot offer sync licensing for UGC usages, which is the particular kind of licensing required for revenue sharing. Please see the licensing page for other licensing options for using Materia’s music.
If you have other questions, please reach out via our Contact Form and we’ll do our best to get back to you. However, due to the volume of requests we receive, we may not be able to respond to all requests in a personalized manner.
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