Non-Exclusive Vocals: What You Need to Know

What Does Non-Exclusive Mean?

A non-exclusive vocal is a vocal recording that can be licensed to more than one artist or producer. You are not buying ownership of the underlying vocal master outright; instead, you receive a license giving you permission to use that recording in your own music, subject to the terms of the license. Our license guide sets out exactly what those terms cover.

This means the same vocal performance may legitimately appear in more than one released track. Each of those uses is separately licensed.

Non-exclusive vocal samples and toplines are particularly common in dance music, where producers may license the same vocal recording for different productions. It is how a large part of the electronic music world has always worked, and it is why a strong topline can be affordable to a producer who could never fund an exclusive buy-out.

Using Non-Exclusive Vocal Masters…

Can I Release a Track Using a Non-Exclusive Vocal?

YES! A properly licensed non-exclusive vocal can be used in a commercial release, provided you follow the terms of the license.

The words that get confused are non-exclusive and uncleared. A non-exclusive vocal has been licensed for your use. An uncleared vocal or sample has not. The two get confused constantly. A non-exclusive vocal is a normal commercial arrangement; an uncleared one is a copyright infringement waiting to be found.

You should always keep a copy of your license, as you may need it if a distribution platform, label or rights-management system asks you to demonstrate that you have permission to use the recording.

Can More Than One Track Use the Same Vocal?

Yes. That is the fundamental difference between an exclusive and a non-exclusive vocal license. With a non-exclusive license, the same vocal master may be licensed to multiple producers, meaning similar or even identical vocal performances can legitimately appear in different releases.

This is common practice with vocal samples, toplines and other licensed sounds used in electronic and dance music. If the thought of sharing a vocal recording does not sit right with your project, that is exactly what the exclusive and custom routes further down this page are for.

YouTube Copyright Claims on Non-Exclusive Vocals

YouTube’s automated copyright detection system can occasionally identify a non-exclusive vocal recording and incorrectly associate it with another claimant. The system is basic and flawed, and may attribute ownership of sound recordings inaccurately, resulting in mistaken claims.

We have no control over that, but a mistaken claim can be disputed by presenting the license we provide as evidence. It is a straightforward process through YouTube’s own dispute system: you tell them you hold a license and show it. Steps can be viewed in this walkthrough.

Keep your license somewhere you can find it. A claim is inconvenient; a claim you cannot answer is a lost video.

Releasing Non-Exclusive Vocals on Spotify

Spotify generally accepts tracks containing properly licensed non-exclusive vocals. Because the same vocal recording can legitimately appear in multiple releases, occasional identification or artist-profile issues can occur, but these can usually be resolved through Spotify’s artist support tools.

If a mix-up does happen, Spotify’s artist tools are how you correct it, ideally before release. Details can be found in Spotify’s support article.

Unique Identification will help

To minimise misidentification risks in general, we recommend making your version as sonically distinct as possible, using the vocal in a creative way where possible. We also suggest using a unique name to differentiate it from similar tracks.

This is good production advice regardless of licensing. A vocal that has been genuinely reworked into your record is both harder for an automated system to confuse and more likely to sound like yours.

A handful of things genuinely help, and they all come down to making your record identifiably yours:

• Change the pitch or key. Transposing the vocal to sit in your own key changes its sonic signature as well as its musical one. It is usually the difference between a vocal that sounds borrowed and one that sounds written for the record.
• Move the tempo. Even a few BPM either side of the original session shifts the timing and phrasing enough to make your version measurably its own.
• Rework the arrangement. Chop it, re-order the sections, build a hook out of one phrase, drop a verse entirely. Using the vocal creatively rather than end-to-end is good production advice and good differentiation at the same time.
• Make the production yours. Your own processing, effects, harmonies, doubles and layers all sit on top of the source recording. The more of your record is around the vocal, the less your track resembles anybody else’s.
• Get the metadata right first time. Register accurate credits, splits and an ISRC before release rather than after. Most identification disputes are really metadata disputes, and correct metadata is what resolves them quickly.
• Release through one distributor. Uploading the same track through two services is a common cause of a duplicate or mis-attributed release. Pick one route to market and let it deliver everywhere.
• And that unique name. It is the one step that costs nothing, so do not name your record after the vocal hook if that is what everyone else is naming theirs after.

Using Non-Exclusive Vocals With a Record Label

Most record labels have no issue with accepting tracks that contain non-exclusive sounds, provided proper disclosure is made during licensing. Producers share source material all the time, and our recordings come with the rights that make it legal. Tell the label the vocal is non-exclusive before you enter the deal rather than after it.

If you are signing your track to a record label, it is sensible to disclose the non-exclusive vocal during the licensing process. You can ask the label to acknowledge this in the agreement. For example:

This is example wording rather than legal advice, and agreements should be reviewed according to your particular circumstances.

Registering a Track With a Non-Exclusive Vocal

Using a non-exclusive vocal does not mean the vocal creator’s contribution should be ignored when registering your track. The underlying songwriting, performance and master rights need to be considered separately.

Make sure your track is correctly registered for publishing and neighbouring rights, including the relevant contributors and splits. Three different rights are in play, and they are collected by different people:

• Master rights. Earnings from the finished recording - sales, streams and downloads - which reach you through your label or distributor.
• Publishing rights. Earnings from the composition itself - the lyrics and melody - collected by publishers and performing rights organisations on behalf of the writers.
• Neighbouring rights. Paid to the performers on the master when the recording is broadcast or played publicly, and collected through an agency such as PPL. The vocalist collects their share directly.

We can handle that administration for you if you want us to. Our royalties guide explains all three in full, and our publishing and sync service covers the administration if you do not have a publisher of your own.

When Should You Choose an Exclusive Vocal?

Non-exclusive vocals work well for many productions, but there are situations where an exclusive or custom vocal makes more sense. If a record is going to a major label, if it is the centrepiece of a campaign, or if you want the certainty that nobody else can build on the same performance, exclusivity is worth the higher cost.

• Exclusive vocals. The recording is licensed to you alone, so nobody else can release a track built on the same performance.
• Custom vocals. Written and recorded to your track, so the performance has never existed anywhere before.

Our pricing guide explains why the two sit so far apart on cost, and why our artists set those prices themselves.