MusicBrainz by MetaBrainz Foundation

agent.md for AI agents

Open music encyclopedia with a public database and web API of music metadata, released mostly into the public domain.

Music libraries Library

Is MusicBrainz free for commercial use? Yes with conditions →

Website License API docs

Price

Free

Core data is free to download and use

Commercial use

With conditions

CC0 (core data); CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 (supplementary data, Live Data Feed, documentation); GPLv2 (server code)

Credit the author

Per item

Credit depends on the item

Agent access

Public API

no key needed

Rules for your agent

- MusicBrainz (Music libraries). Open music encyclopedia with a public database and web API of music metadata, released mostly into the public domain. Price: free; commercial use with conditions; credit depends on the item; ship inside your app with conditions.
  Connect: API docs https://musicbrainz.org/doc/MusicBrainz_API.
  Rule: Core data (CC0) may be used freely, including commercially, with no credit required.
  Rule: Supplementary data and Live Data Feed packets are CC BY-NC-SA 3.0: non-commercial only, credit MusicBrainz, share derivatives under the same license.
  Rule: Check the MusicBrainz Database page to see which data is core and which is supplementary before shipping it.
  Rule: Cover art is not in the dataset; it comes from the Cover Art Archive and has its own terms.
  License: https://musicbrainz.org/doc/About/Data_License (checked 2026-10-22; details: https://agentgid.com/assets/musicbrainz/)

Paste it into your prompt or AGENTS.md. It is built from the license and API terms below.

License

License	CC0 (core data); CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 (supplementary data, Live Data Feed, documentation); GPLv2 (server code)
Commercial use	Commercial use with conditions “This means that anyone can download and use the core data in any way they see fit. No restrictions, no worries!” musicbrainz.org/doc/About/Data_License
Credit	Credit depends on the item “allows for non-commercial use of the data as long as MusicBrainz is given credit” musicbrainz.org/doc/About/Data_License
Inside your app or game	Ship inside your app with conditions “This means that anyone can download and use the core data in any way they see fit.” musicbrainz.org/doc/About/Data_License
AI training	Not stated
Bots and bulk downloads	Not stated
Rules	Core data (CC0) may be used freely, including commercially, with no credit required. Supplementary data and Live Data Feed packets are CC BY-NC-SA 3.0: non-commercial only, credit MusicBrainz, share derivatives under the same license. Check the MusicBrainz Database page to see which data is core and which is supplementary before shipping it. Cover art is not in the dataset; it comes from the Cover Art Archive and has its own terms.

Connect it to an agent

MCP server	None found
API	API docs
GitHub	metabrainz/musicbrainz-server

Pricing

Free	Core data is free to download and use
Paid from	—
Usage price	—
Good to know	Added automatically: 1,105 GitHub stars. License read from the official pages.

Sources

Read on Oct 22, 2026: musicbrainz.org, musicbrainz.org/doc/About/Data_License, musicbrainz.org/doc/Developer_Resources, github.com/metabrainz/musicbrainz-server.

Not legal advice. Check the license page before you ship.

Alternatives to MusicBrainz

All music libraries

Source	Price	License	Monetized YouTube	Agent access
Shutterstock Stock images, video, music and sound effects with an API, plus a beta generative image API. agent.md	Free tier	Commercial: unclear	Unclear	API `shutterstock-api`
Epidemic Sound Music and SFX library with a Partner API, safelisting endpoints and an official MCP server. agent.md	Free tier	Commercial: conditions	With conditions	MCP API
Icons8 Icons, illustrations, photos and music with a REST API and an official MCP server (as reported). agent.md	Free tier · from $15/mo	Commercial: conditions Credit required No AI training No bots	Unclear	MCP API
Coverr Free stock videos, plus paid plans with a production API and AI generation credits. agent.md	Free tier · from $5/mo	Commercial OK Credit (API) No AI training	Yes	API
Jamendo Independent music catalog with a free non-commercial API and paid commercial track licenses. agent.md	Free tier	Commercial: conditions Credit required	With conditions	API
Pixabay Free photos, illustrations, vectors, videos, music and sound effects; the API covers images and videos only. agent.md	Free	Commercial OK Credit (API) No AI training No bots	With conditions	API
Storyblocks Subscription stock video, audio and images, with an API for platforms under Standard and Enhanced API licenses. agent.md	Free tier	Commercial: conditions No credit No AI training No bots	With conditions	API
Bensound Royalty-free music: free license with attribution, pay-per-track and All Access subscription. agent.md	Free tier	Commercial: conditions Credit required No AI training	With conditions	Download