Licensing Examples

We want you to be able to use our sound effects in all your amazing, creative projects. There are only a few restrictions to how you can use these sounds, and in most cases they won't get in the way of your projects.

In the first section we'll explain how the license works in plain English. In the next we'll give some specific examples.

If you do not see your type of project here, or have any questions at all, please email us. We're happy to help.

Licensing policy in plain English

When you buy a sound from Airborne Sound you're also buying a license. The license gives you permission to use the sound effect in certain (most) ways.

Put simply, you are free to use the sound effects from Airborne Sound however you want. There are just two rules:

1. You just cannot share the sound effects on their own, even for free. 'On its own' means the file exactly as you downloaded it. For example you cannot:
   • resell the sound you downloaded
   • share the sound on a website for others to use
   • give the sound to your friends
2. The sound effects also must be mixed with something else. The industry term for this is 'synchronization.' For example, these are good uses of a sound used in synchronization:
   
   • using the sound in a home movie (it is combined with the video)
   • using the sound in a song (it is combined with the music)
   • using the sound in an app or video game (it is combined with the graphics)

You may also read the official license boilerplate.

What is royalty-free?

The sound effects you purchase from Airborne Sound are royalty-free. This means you pay one price and you can use it as many times as you like without paying another cent.

This is contrast to music, such as on the radio, where royalties are paid to the band every time a song is played.

We don't do this. You pay one price and you can use it over and over without paying again.

Saving the sound effect in your library

You may also:

• use the sound effect over and over in as many projects as you want
• keep the sound in your library forever
• keep the sound effects on your computer's hard drive
• make one back up copy to another hard drive

Specific Examples

Software or iPhone or iPad apps

If your app plays a sound while we see something change in software, you're fine.

You are safe if:

• the sound is embedded in the code
• the sound cannot be removed from the code
• the sound is not shared from from the software
• the sound effect won't be downloaded from the software

In some cases software stores sound effects in a folder that will install on a computer hard drive.

If a user can open this folder and access the sounds on their own, they are no longer in synchronization (see rule 2 above).

In this case you will need extra licensing. Please email us and we'll help you.