Brand music policy template for social media
Short answer
A good brand music policy fits on one page and answers four questions: where approved music comes from, who checks it, what changes when a post is boosted, and what to do if a problem turns up. The template below covers brand accounts, creators, affiliates, agencies and paid media. Fill in the highlighted parts and have your legal team review it before rollout.
Why you need one
When a label or publisher writes to a brand about music, one of the first things the brand's lawyers ask is: did you have a policy, and did people follow it? A written policy won't make an unlicensed post legal. It does show that the company took the issue seriously, gives your team a clear answer at the moment of choosing a track, and makes contracts with creators and agencies easier to enforce.
Most brands don't have one because the topic sits between teams: social owns the posts, partnerships owns creators, performance marketing owns boosting, and legal sees none of it until a letter arrives. The policy below is written for all of them.
The template
[Brand name] Social Media Music Policy
Version: [1.0] · Owner: [name, role] · Applies from: [date]
1. Purpose
This policy makes sure every piece of social content that promotes [Brand name] uses music we have the right to use. It applies to our own accounts, founder and employee posts that promote our products, creators and affiliates we work with, agencies, and all paid media.
2. Approved music sources
Content promoting our brand may only use:
a) TikTok's Commercial Music Library, for videos made and posted on TikTok;
b) Meta's Sound Collection or other platform libraries cleared for business use, on that platform only;
c) our company music library subscription: [library name, plan], which covers [organic / paid ads / platforms];
d) music we commissioned with written rights for [scope];
e) songs licensed directly from the publisher and label for a specific campaign, with the license on file;
f) original audio: voiceover, dialogue, natural sound.
Not allowed without written approval from [owner]: trending or chart songs from the general library, sped-up, slowed, remixed or covered versions of known songs, “original sound” clips that contain someone else's music, background music from venues, and AI-generated tracks from tools whose terms don't cover commercial use.
3. Brand accounts
All brand accounts stay as business accounts. Nobody switches an account type to access other music. Each post is checked against our pre-posting checklist before it goes live.
4. Founders and employees
Posts by founders or employees that promote our products follow the same music rules as brand accounts, whatever account they're posted from.
5. Creators and affiliates
Every creator brief and contract includes our music rules. Creators confirm in writing where the music in each delivered video came from. Affiliate creators receive the same rules in their program brief. We may stop working with creators who repeatedly ignore them.
6. Agencies
Agencies clear all music in content they produce for us, keep license records, and confirm that their licenses cover our use, including paid media. Agency contracts include a music warranty and indemnity reviewed by [legal contact].
7. Paid media and boosting
Before any post is boosted, run as a Spark Ad or partnership ad, or used in paid media, [role] re-checks that the music license covers paid use and that creator usage rights are current for the full flight.
8. Records
We keep a log of track, source, license or plan, and date for every published post, in [location]. Creator usage rights and end dates are tracked in [tracker].
9. Reviews
We review our accounts, creator and affiliate content and running ads for music and rights issues every [month / quarter].
10. If something goes wrong
If a post is muted, claimed or taken down, or we receive a letter: stop boosting the post, save a copy and screenshots, tell [legal contact] the same day, and don't reply to the rights owner without legal approval.
How to roll it out
- Pick one owner. Usually the head of social or brand, with legal as reviewer. A policy with no owner is a document, not a rule.
- Fill in the music sources first. If you don't yet have a company library plan, sort that before launch so the team has an easy yes.
- Update contracts. Add the music sections to creator, affiliate and agency agreements. Our influencer contract music clause has wording.
- Train in 20 minutes. Walk the team through the approved sources, the boost re-check and the “if something goes wrong” steps.
- Clean up the past. A new policy doesn't fix posts already live. Review existing content once, then keep to the regular schedule.
A quick example
A DTC apparel brand adopts this policy after a peer company is sued. Three weeks in, a performance marketer is about to boost a creator's top video. Section 7 kicks in: the music check shows a sped-up chart song, and the creator's paid-usage rights end in nine days. The boost waits for a re-cut and a rights extension. Nothing dramatic happens, which is the point.
Where OKtoRun helps
A policy covers what you post next. Section 9 is the part most brands struggle to do themselves. An OKtoRun check reviews your brand posts, creator and affiliate content and running ads, and marks each one green, yellow or red with a fix; a reviewer confirms every flag. The first check is from $500 for up to 100 posts, free if there's nothing to fix. The free creator license tracker covers section 8 for usage rights.
General information, not legal advice. Have your legal team adapt this template to your contracts, markets and platforms.
Common questions
Does a music policy protect us legally?
It doesn't make unlicensed use legal, but it shows the company took reasonable steps, gives teams clear rules and supports your contracts with creators and agencies.
Who should own the music policy?
Usually the head of social or brand, with legal reviewing it. Pick one named person.
Should the policy cover employees' personal accounts?
Only posts that promote your products. Personal posts unrelated to the brand aren't covered.
How often should we review the policy?
Once a year, or when you add a new platform, start boosting creator content heavily, or change music libraries.
Can we use this template as-is?
Use it as a starting point. Fill in your sources and contacts, and have your lawyer check it against your contracts and markets.
Part of: Music licensing for brands
Related guides
General information, not legal advice. Platform rules and licenses change; check the current terms or ask your lawyer about your situation. Lawsuit figures are as reported and represent claims, not findings, unless noted.