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Exclusive or non-exclusive music libraries

Some places want your track to be theirs alone. Others let it be everywhere. Here is what each deal means, what to ask before you sign, and how to keep the two apart.

By , a composer with 300+ tracks on audio stock and 12 years in production. Updated 8 October 2026. 3 min read.

In short. A non-exclusive deal lets you offer the same track anywhere. An exclusive deal means one company alone may license it, often for years. Neither is better in general. What matters is that you know which tracks are tied, until when, and that a tied track never goes anywhere else by accident.

Two kinds of deal

Non-exclusive. You give a site the right to sell licenses for your track. You can give the same right to other sites at the same time. Stock marketplaces work this way.

Exclusive. One company alone may license the track. You can't sell it anywhere else while the deal lasts. Music libraries that pitch to TV and film often work this way. Some deals cover the recording only. Some cover the composition too.

What changed on Envato in July 2026

Envato Market used to have exclusive and non-exclusive authors. Exclusive authors could sell their items only on Envato and paid a lower fee. From 1 July 2026, Envato removed the exclusivity rules for Market. Every author now pays the same 50% fee and may sell the same items elsewhere.

If you were an exclusive Envato author, your tracks are now free to go to other sites too. That is a good moment to look at what you have where.

How they compare

Non-exclusive Exclusive
Where the track can be Anywhere Only with that company
Who finds buyers You, through many sites The company pitches it
Usual kind of place Stock marketplaces Music libraries, some publishers
Performance royalties You register the track yourself, if the site allows it The library often registers it and takes the publisher's share
YouTube Content ID You decide, if the site allows it The company decides. Often you can't register the track yourself
Your control Full Limited while the deal lasts

Questions to ask before you sign

  • Is it exclusive? For the recording, the composition, or both?
  • For how long? Is there an end date, or is it forever?
  • Can you get the track back? Under what conditions, and how do you ask?
  • Will they give the track a new title? See Retitling.
  • Will they register it with performing rights societies, and who keeps the publisher's share?
  • Will they put it in Content ID?

Write the answers down next to the track. A year later, the agreement is in an email you can't find.

Keep the two apart

The most expensive mistake is an exclusive track uploaded to a stock site by accident. The library finds it, and the deal is broken.

  • Keep exclusive tracks in their own list, apart from the tracks you send everywhere.
  • Write the end date of each exclusive deal in a note on the track.
  • Check the list before every upload session. It takes a minute.

Sources