Scora FAQ: background music for videos, copyright and how it works

Copyright and licensing

How do I add background music to a YouTube video without copyright strikes?

Use music you are licensed to publish: tracks released under a license that allows commercial use, or music composed for you. Scora covers both. Its library is curated from public-domain and CC0 recordings, with the license shown on every track, and its AI modes compose instrumental music that did not exist before your video. Either way the soundtrack is cleared for YouTube, including monetized channels. The longer answer, including how to handle a wrong claim, is in How to Add Music to a Video.

Is the music from Scora royalty-free? Can I monetize videos that use it?

Yes. Every soundtrack Scora composes or matches is royalty-free and cleared for commercial use, monetization included, on any platform, with no attribution required. You pay nothing per view and nothing when the video is reused. The only limit is that you cannot resell or redistribute the music as standalone audio: it is licensed for use inside your videos.

What if YouTube's Content ID claims my video anyway?

Claims on public-domain and CC0 recordings happen when a third party registers a recording they do not own. Scora shows the license of every library track it used and gives you a ready-to-paste dispute text for the claim, which is normally released within days. AI-composed music is original to your project and is not in Content ID's catalog, so a match there is far less likely. Scora cannot promise no one will ever file a bad-faith claim, but it gives you the evidence to clear it.

Do I own the music? Can I use it in client work or ads?

You receive a license to use the soundtrack in your own videos, including videos made for clients, ads, courses and social media, with no expiry. AI-composed music is non-exclusive: after human curation, Scora may reuse an instrumental segment as a candidate in another user's project. Your video, voice, transcript and uploaded audio are never reused. If you need exclusive music, contact us before purchasing.

How Scora works

What does Scora actually do? Is it an AI music generator?

Not quite. An AI music generator gives you a track and leaves the hard part to you: trimming it, finding where it should change, keeping it under the voice. Scora starts from the video instead. It transcribes the audio, reads the mood and the key moments stretch by stretch, then either matches royalty-free tracks to each stretch or composes an original score that follows the turns. The output is the scored video, not a loose audio file.

How does it find royalty-free music that matches the mood of my video?

Scora segments the video by emotional tone and energy (hook, build, tension, calm, close) and describes what each segment needs: tempo, intensity, character. In library mode it matches that description against a curated catalog tagged by BPM, key, mood and energy. In the AI modes it composes to that description directly. You can also steer it with one line, such as "contemplative lo-fi with piano", and the whole score follows.

Does it lower the music when someone is talking?

Yes. The transcript tells Scora exactly where speech is, so the music is ducked under voice and comes back up in the gaps and transitions. You do not need to draw volume keyframes. If you want a different balance, regenerate with another mode or theme; the original video is kept for one day so you can redo it without re-uploading.

Do I need subtitles? Does it work for videos that are not in English?

No subtitles needed: Scora transcribes the audio automatically, and the transcription is multilingual, so videos in Portuguese, Spanish, Hindi or most other languages work the same way. If you already have an .srt file, attach it; it skips the transcription step, and on the Free plan a video with its own .srt does not count against the monthly limit.

How long does it take?

Usually a few minutes after the upload finishes. Library mode is the fastest; the AI modes take longer because the music is composed segment by segment. Progress is shown live, and you can leave the page: the result waits in your projects and you can turn on a push notification.

What do I get at the end?

Three things: the video with the soundtrack mixed in, the soundtrack alone as an MP3 you can drop into your editor, and a visual report of the analysis showing the mood timeline and where the music changes. The MP3 and the report are kept indefinitely; the finished video is kept for 30 days.

Can I choose the style of music or give directions?

Yes. Choose a mode (Maestro for one continuous original score, Suite for one composition per stretch, Express for a quick score, The Vault for the curated library, or My library for your own tracks on paid plans), then optionally describe the mood in one line. Paid plans can also block specific library tracks; everyone can rate tracks, which feeds the curation.

Can I use my own music?

On paid plans, yes. My library mode scores the video with tracks you upload, as long as you hold the rights to them. Scora still does the mood analysis, placement and ducking; it just draws from your collection instead of its own.

Plans, limits and files

Is Scora free?

There is a Free plan with no card required: 5 videos a month, up to 10 minutes each, scored from the curated royalty-free library. Your first short video (up to 3 minutes) also gets a free trial of the AI-composed score, so you can hear the difference before paying. Free soundtracks carry the same commercial license as paid ones.

How much does Scora cost?

Creator is US$ 19 per month with 15 AI-scored videos, unlimited library videos and videos up to 20 minutes. Pro is US$ 49 per month with 60 AI videos, videos up to 60 minutes and 4K. Business is US$ 149 per month with 200 AI videos, five seats and white-label. Extra AI videos cost US$ 1.29 each, or packs of 25 for US$ 24 and 100 for US$ 79; credits never expire, and a failed generation refunds its credit automatically. Cancel any time from the billing portal.

What are the limits on video length and file size?

Uploads up to 1 GB in any common video format. Maximum duration is 10 minutes on Free, 20 on Creator, 60 on Pro and 180 on Business. On a slow or mobile connection the upload resumes from where it stopped if the connection drops.

What happens to my video and audio? Is it private?

Your files are processed to make the soundtrack and nothing else. The uploaded video is deleted after one day (long enough to redo the score), the finished video after 30 days, and the MP3 and report stay in your account until you delete them. Your video, voice and transcript are never reused in other projects and never shown publicly unless you submit the result to the showcase yourself. The full policy is in the Privacy Policy.

Does it work on a phone?

Yes. Scora is a web app, so there is nothing to install: open scora.fm on your phone, upload the video and come back for the result. Uploads on mobile networks are resumable, and you can turn on a notification for when the score is ready.

Which languages is the interface in?

English and Portuguese. Videos can be in most languages regardless of the interface language, because the transcription is multilingual.

Comparisons

Scora vs. a stock music subscription: what is the difference?

A stock library gives you a search box and leaves the choosing, trimming and mixing to you. Scora does the choosing from the video itself, places the music where the mood changes and ducks it under speech, and can also compose original music when the catalog does not fit. If you enjoy digging through catalogs, a library is fine; if the music step is what eats your editing time, Scora removes it. See Background Music for Videos.

Scora vs. an AI music generator: which should I use?

Use a music generator when you want a song or a track as the product. Use Scora when you want a finished, scored video. The generator produces audio you still have to fit; Scora reads the video first and produces the fitted result, with the soundtrack as a separate file if you want to edit further. Many creators use a generator for intros or jingles and Scora for the body of the video.

Why not just use the YouTube Audio Library?

It is free and safe, and for a single loop under a short clip it can be enough. What it does not do is match the music to your video's structure or lower it under your voice; you still trim, fade and keyframe by hand, and the same tracks are on thousands of channels. Scora's library is curated and the placement is automatic, which is the part that makes a soundtrack feel edited rather than looped. More in Best Background Music for YouTube Videos.