Conditions of Use
Thank you for checking that page. If you have any questions after reading the whole document, contact us by email (only).
These conditions apply for all audio released by Michael Ghelfi and Filip Melvan (Michael Ghelfi Studios).
These conditions were made to give the maximum freedom to everyone, while keeping the use of MGS audio as fair as possible and protecting our work against the many internet goblins that steal our intellectual property.
Table of Contents
Personal use
If you listen to our creations for your personal entertainment, to boost your creativity, to relax, or to play any game with your friends, you do not need any license or permission. It’s the objectives of our work. I know it sounds obvious but I received many questions about that. Just have fun! However, if you could share the name around, it’d be much appreciated.
Naturally, purchasing our sounds doesn’t allow you to distribute the sound files, even to your friends. This is illegal. We humbly ask you to avoid doing that, as we count on the sales to purchase new sound libraries or simply paying the rent.
Public use
About projects in general
- You cannot use our work for any discriminatory or pornographic content. You cannot use our work if you make ambiences or music, and you cannot reupload our audio.*
- For videos(NOT AMBIENCES OR MUSIC), podcasts, streams, audiobooks, projects, you may layer several of my ambiences, or layer them with music. However, you may need a license depending on the project, so keep reading.
- Purchasing our work on online stores does not give you any licensing rights. These are not licenses, it’s audio files in higher quality. If you want a license, you should look here.
- You are not allowed to distribute any sound file without written permission, doing so is considered a crime. If you need to distribute a file, such as for a Kickstarter, FoundryVTT module, Minecraft Resource pack, etc., send us an email. Distributing means giving other people a possibility to download the sound file.
- In case you are allowed to use our work by this license, you can make simple changes such as the volume, fade-in, fade-out and cropping. You are not allowed to rework our tracks. In case of doubt, contact us.
*Parasitic YouTube channels deleted so far : 8
You cannot put our audio in the background of your music or ambiences. We can’t repeat it enough : you can never use our audio to create new sound effects, music or ambiences out of it as if they were building blocks. Every week we have to fill copyright complaints on YouTube and it’s exhausting. This condition exists to protect you, because the SFX (sound effects) Michael uses to create the ambiences are licensed, we paid to use them, but we do not own them. If you make such hybrid sounds, you take the risk to be prosecuted by the companies that provide the SFX.
YouTubers / Streamers / Podcasters
- You can use our work for free, just credit us with links to YouTube and Patreon. If it’s impossible, just recommend our work out loud.
- You can monetize your videos/streams/podcasts, but keep reading.
- Audio companies usually ask for 100$ to 5’000$/year for the right to use such gigantic and qualitative audio libraries. We don’t. Instead, we are asking you to consider supporting us on Patreon or making a donation. It’s not mandatory, but ambiences composition is extremely expensive, it cost Michael 15’000$ in investments in 2020, as he’s only using the best sounds. He’s also the only one doing that for the TTRPG scene and in general on YouTube. You enjoy using the best sounds available, we enjoy having something to eat everyday 🙂
- A “shout out” is a great bonus. I mean like writing a post about our work to your fans, recommending our pages (YT, Spotify, Bandcamp, Patreon…), or explaining how much it impacted the quality of your projects. Basically promoting our work to a bigger extent than simply crediting us. Just remember that you have a decisive impact on our activity.
General rule
You cannot reupload our audio as ambiences/music/relaxation or any video of the same kind. In other words, our channel has the monopoly of uploading our own work as ambiences or music videos. Bear in mind that our community is watching / listening closely. Several channels have claimed our work as their own… and have been taken down.
Non commercial projects
- Examples : Educational work, local charities or holidays video for your family : We are asking for credits, with the full name and a link to our YouTube channel and Patreon, if the media used allows it.
- Video games are a special case, please send us an email as it was a commercial project, don’t forget to state clearly that you don’t plan to earn money out of it. We treat them case-by-case.
Commercial projects
Please visit our licenses store. If your project is of a different kind than the ones listed, send us an email.
In that email, provide these informations about the project:
- Project description (Objectives, product description, country, etc.)
- A list of sounds you need
- How you plan to use or to distribute them
- An estimation of how many people you will reach with the project (if known, or an estimation)
- Also tell us if you have experience in licensing so we know what information we have to provide
Professional Dungeon Masters
Comics by The Oatmeal
Logos & Media Kit
You can get my logos and presentation informations here.
Mistake
If you realize you made a mistake, by example by using my sounds for a commercial project without any license, contact me and we will discuss. I’m accommodating. However, if you are an ambiences channel that stole my work, delete your videos immediately and pray that I never find you.
On another hand, if you find out someone used my creations without my permission or without giving credits, please contact me. I will reward you.
Conditions updated on 14/06/21