# MusicBrainz — card for AI agents

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

Category: Music libraries · maker MetaBrainz Foundation · checked 2026-10-22

## Price
- Price: Free
- Free tier: Core data is free to download and use

## License
CC0 (core data); CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 (supplementary data, Live Data Feed, documentation); GPLv2 (server code) — https://musicbrainz.org/doc/About/Data_License

- commercial: **conditions** (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!
  (https://musicbrainz.org/doc/About/Data_License)
- attribution: **varies** (Credit depends on the item)
  > allows for non-commercial use of the data as long as MusicBrainz is given credit
  (https://musicbrainz.org/doc/About/Data_License)
- in app: **conditions** (Ship inside your app with conditions)
  > This means that anyone can download and use the core data in any way they see fit.
  (https://musicbrainz.org/doc/About/Data_License)
- Why unclear: The license and terms pages we read do not say whether commercial use is allowed.

## Rules to follow
- 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.

## How to connect
- Public API
- API docs: https://musicbrainz.org/doc/MusicBrainz_API
- Repository: https://github.com/metabrainz/musicbrainz-server
- Website: https://musicbrainz.org

## Notes
Added automatically: 1,105 GitHub stars. License read from the official pages.

## Lines to paste into your prompt or AGENTS.md

```
- 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/)
```

## Links
- AgentGid page: https://agentgid.com/assets/musicbrainz/
- Is it free for commercial use? https://agentgid.com/assets/musicbrainz/commercial-use/
- Source: https://musicbrainz.org
- Source: https://musicbrainz.org/doc/About/Data_License
- Source: https://musicbrainz.org/doc/Developer_Resources
- Source: https://github.com/metabrainz/musicbrainz-server

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AgentGid's catalog is curated: every entry was checked against the maker's official pages (registry, repository, license and pricing pages) on the date shown; a license value shows the quote it stands on wherever AgentGid has one. Usage numbers come from AgentGid's own scan of public repositories set up for AI coding agents. Claims by makers are reported, not tested by AgentGid.