Answers · AI music
Can I use Suno or Udio music in YouTube videos (and monetize them)?
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TL;DR: Suno: yes, if the song was made and downloaded while you were on a paid plan (Pro or Premier). Suno's help center says those songs carry commercial use rights, including use in content you post to YouTube and TikTok, with no attribution required. Songs made on the free plan are personal, non-commercial only and can't be monetized, and subscribing later doesn't fix that. Udio: no, not for now. Udio's Terms of Service (last revised November 12, 2025) say you may not download Udio output and may not reproduce or distribute it on streaming or user-generated content platforms, naming YouTube, and may not exploit it commercially; downloads have been disabled since Udio's October 2025 settlement with Universal Music Group, and sharing is limited to udio.com links. Either way, YouTube has its own rules: AI music that is the main focus of a realistic video must be disclosed with the AI use setting, and mass-produced, template-style AI uploads are not monetizable.
What should I check, step by step?
1. Find out which service and which plan made the track. Suno Pro or Premier at creation time is the only route here to commercial YouTube use; a Suno free-plan song stays non-commercial even if you upgrade afterwards.
- Suno: use the file you downloaded through Suno's own download button while subscribed. The terms tie commercial use to a permitted Download, and recording or stream-ripping a song is prohibited and gives no rights.
- Udio: don't put Udio output in a YouTube video at all under the current terms. Downloading is disabled and the terms forbid reproducing or distributing output on YouTube and other platforms, commercially or not; sharing a udio.com link to the song is what's allowed.
- Don't screen-record or rip a Udio or Suno song to get around missing downloads: both services' terms forbid it.
- Disclose in YouTube Studio when it applies: YouTube's AI disclosure policy names AI-generated music, including creating music that's the main focus of the video, as something to disclose with the AI use setting under Attributes. Disclosing alone doesn't limit reach or monetization.
- Avoid mass production: YouTube's monetization policy treats AI content made with generic templates that gives the impression of mass production as inauthentic and not monetizable, and a compilation of songs only pitch- or speed-shifted doesn't qualify either.
- Don't register Suno tracks in Content ID through a distributor unless you're sure you qualify: YouTube requires exclusive rights to the material, and Suno makes no promise that any copyright vests in an output.
- Keep records: the plan and date the song was made, the download date, its Suno link and a hash of the file, in case of a claim or a monetization review.
Why Udio is different right now
Udio's Terms of Service, last revised November 12, 2025, say users may not download output and covenant not to reproduce, publish or distribute it on any personal device, streaming platform or user-generated content platform, naming YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Spotify and SoundCloud; hyperlinks to approved third-party sites are permitted.
- The same terms bar exploiting output for any commercial purpose and say Udio and its licensors own all right, title and interest in output, with any rights that vest in you assigned to them.
- Udio's help center says audio, video and stem downloads were disabled after its October 29, 2025 partnership with Universal Music Group. UMG's announcement describes the interim product as a walled garden with fingerprinting and filtering, ahead of a new licensed platform planned for 2026. Check Udio's terms again when that launches.
What YouTube adds on top
Rights from Suno decide whether you may use the song; YouTube's policies decide how the video is labelled and whether it earns. YouTube renamed its repetitious content policy to inauthentic content on July 15, 2025, and it covers mass-produced and template-style AI uploads.
- YouTube may add an AI label itself when content carries C2PA metadata or its systems detect AI, and creators who consistently fail to disclose can face content removal or suspension from the YouTube Partner Program.
- Earnings on a video can be held while a Content ID claim is disputed, so keep the evidence that shows where the track came from.
How do I ask Rightshold about this (free, no key)?
Add the MCP server https://www.rightshold.com/mcp to Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT, Grok or VS Code, then ask: “I made a song on Suno's Pro plan and another on Udio. Can I use both as background music in a monetized YouTube video?”
{
"tool": "ask_rightshold",
"arguments": {
"question": "Can I use Suno or Udio music in a monetized YouTube video?"
}
}- Free. Rightshold reads the terms you point it at and explains what they allow; it doesn't see your Suno or Udio account, your plan history or your downloads.
- issue_rights_receipt (with an API key) binds the downloaded file's SHA-256 to the license basis and intended use you record, signs it and commits it to the ledger, so you can show what you relied on if a claim or monetization review comes up.
- check_rights_batch checks every track, image and font in a video project at once before you upload.
Rightshold does not grant Suno or Udio rights, decide YouTube monetization or file Content ID disputes. Only the services' terms, your account records and YouTube's policies decide those. Not legal advice.
What are the sources?
- Suno help: Can I distribute my songs to Spotify, etc? (YouTube and TikTok use)
- Suno help: What rights do I have with a paid subscription?
- Suno Terms of Service (effective September 3, 2026)
- Udio Terms of Service (last revised November 12, 2025)
- Universal Music Group and Udio settlement and partnership announcement (October 29, 2025)
- YouTube Help: YouTube channel monetization policies (inauthentic content)
- YouTube Help: Disclosing use of GenAI content
- YouTube Help: Qualify for Content ID
- US Copyright Office: Copyright and Artificial Intelligence, Part 2: Copyrightability (January 2025)
Related
- When Suno commercial rights lock in (and what upgrading later does)
- How to dispute a YouTube Content ID claim on royalty-free music
- Can I use AI-generated images commercially?
Not legal advice. JSON · Markdown · All answers
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curl -s -X POST https://www.rightshold.com/v1/accounts/signup -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"accept_terms":true}'
export RIGHTSHOLD_API_KEY=rs_... # the api_key from the reply (shown once)
curl -s https://www.rightshold.com/v1/licenses/check -H "Authorization: Bearer $RIGHTSHOLD_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"license":"MIT","intended_use":{"commercial_use":true}}'