Envato AI MusicGen: Complete guide to this AI music generator for royalty-free music

A thorough guide to using an AI music generator with Envato AI MusicGen to create royalty-free music for videos, ads, podcasts, and more.

Jonathan Lam 12min read
AI music generator blog article

Envato AI MusicGen is an AI music generator that creates original royalty-free music from text prompts. It helps creators generate background music for videos, podcasts, ads, and social media content without searching through a stock library or producing tracks manually.

In this guide, you’ll learn how Envato AI MusicGen works, what you can use it for, how to write better prompts, and what its royalty-free commercial usage allows.

TL;DR

Need the quick version? Here’s Envato AI MusicGen at a glance, including what this AI music generator does, who it’s for, and how you can use it.

  • Type: AI music generator
  • What it does: Creates original music tracks from text prompts
  • Best for: Video background music, podcast intros, ads, social clips, presentations
  • Input: Prompt + optional settings like mood, genre, tempo, energy, lyrics
  • Output: Royalty-free music for use inside larger creative projects
  • Not for: Selling or distributing the generated music as a standalone song

What is Envato AI MusicGen?

Envato AI MusicGen is an AI music generator that creates original, royalty free music tracks from simple text prompts. In practice, it’s a tool designed to help you generate music quickly, without needing to search through a traditional stock library or build a track from scratch in music software.

Instead of searching a pre-made catalog, users describe the kind of track they need, and different AI music models generate new music based on that request.

You start by typing a short prompt describing the track you want. It can be broad (like a mood and genre) or more specific, for example:

lo-fi background music for a talking-head YouTube video

You can listen to what it gives you, make a few changes, and try again if needed. Once something clicks, you export it and drop it into your edit like any other music file.

You can use Envato MusicGen for everyday creative work. If you regularly need music for videos, podcasts, social content, or client work, it gives you another option besides digging through stock libraries or even trying to build something yourself from scratch (which is useful if your project requires a quick turnaround).

A screenshot of Envato's AI music generator interface. It features a dark background with the title 'Create with MusicGen (Beta)', a text input field showing an example prompt for a 'High-energy hip-hop beat', a 'Lyrics' toggle, a 'Generate' button, and dropdown menus for 'Mood', 'Genre', 'Theme', 'Tempo', and 'Energy'.
Dive into AI music creation with MusicGen! Simply type a prompt or use presets to generate your own tracks, with options to customize mood, genre, tempo, and more. #MusicGen #AIMusic #MusicCreation #Beta

What can you use it for?

Envato AI MusicGen can be used in many everyday creative situations where you need music to support your project, without turning the whole thing into a music production job.

Generate background music for videos

This is the most obvious use. It works well for YouTube videos, tutorials, travel edits, reels, and anything where the music is there to fill space and set the tone.

Create podcast intros and outros

A short intro and outro can make a podcast feel more consistent from episode to episode. It’s also a simple way to make a show sound more “finished”, even if the rest of the production is minimal.

Develop soundtracks for ads

Ads usually need music that matches the energy of the message. Sometimes you want something upbeat and clean, sometimes something dramatic, and sometimes something calm and warm — it depends on the product and the audience.

Produce mood-based music tracks

Some projects just need music that creates a certain mood. You can include keywords like cinematic, tense, dreamy, or futuristic to help create a certain type of atmosphere.

Social media clips and short-form content

Short videos often include background music. Using MusicGen is perfect if you want music for TikTok posts, Instagram reels, and YouTube Shorts.

Presentations and corporate media

Music can also appear in presentation videos, product demos, or internal company updates. A simple background track can help fill quieter moments, especially between slides or voiceover.

How to write a prompt for MusicGen (plus examples)

The quality of the music you generate can often depends on how clearly you describe what you want. Try using a short, specific prompt as this usually works better than something vague.

A good prompt normally includes a few simple elements:

  • Mood: The overall feeling of the music
  • Genre or style: The type of music
  • Purpose: Where the track will be used
  • Energy or tempo: Slow, relaxed, upbeat, etc.
Screenshot of Envato's AI music generator showing 'Cosmic Slumber' track details. It includes a waveform, play button, 'Peaceful' tag, and 'Generate more' option, with 'History' selected in the navigation.
Create tracks like ‘Cosmic Slumber,’ a cinematic ambient music for sci-fi using Envato AI MusicGen #AudioGeneration #CinematicMusic #Ambient #SciFi

A simple prompt formula

A basic prompt structure can help when describing the music you want to generate.

[Mood] + [Genre] + [Purpose]

This approach works because it gives Envato AI MusicGen three clear pieces of information. The mood describes the feeling of the music, the genre suggests the style or sound, and the purpose explains where the track will be used.

MoodGenrePurpose
CalmLo-fiYouTube tutorial
EnergeticElectronicTech product ad
DreamyAmbientTravel video
DramaticOrchestralCinematic trailer
WarmAcousticCooking video
UpbeatPopSocial media promo

Here are some examples:

Calm lo-fi music for a YouTube tutorial.

Energetic electronic music for a tech promo.

Soft ambient music for a travel video.

Instrument hints

Instrument names can also appear in the prompt. Common examples include piano, acoustic guitar, synth pads, strings, or soft drums. Prompts sometimes include short phrases like:

Calm ambient music with soft piano.

Upbeat electronic track with synth leads.

Warm acoustic music with guitar and light percussion.

For more advanced tips on how to create prompts using Envato AI MusicGen, check out this AI music prompting guide.

A music player interface with a dark background showing three acoustic music tracks. Each track has an album art featuring an acoustic guitar, a play button, a waveform, a duration, and icons for shuffle, regenerate, like, and download. The title is 'Golden Hour Strum' and a 'Generate more' button is at the bottom.
Envato AI MusicGen is capable of generating multiple variations of a track from a single prompt.

How to use Envato AI MusicGen

Using Envato MusicGen couldn’t be easier! It follows a simple flow:

Input > Adjust settings > Generate > Review > Export

Step 1: Write a prompt

Start with a short text prompt that describes the track you need. Include the basics (e.g. mood and style), and if it helps, mention where it will be used (e.g. video background, podcast intro). Here’s another example you can use:

Cinematic ambient music, slow and atmospheric, for a sci-fi video.

A dark user interface for an AI music generator. A text box contains the prompt 'Cinematic ambient music, slow and atmospheric, for a sci-fi video.' Below it, a toggle for 'Lyrics' is off, and a bright green 'Generate' button with sparkle icons is visible.
Crafting the perfect soundscape! This AI music generator is ready to create cinematic ambient music for a sci-fi video, with the ‘Lyrics’ option turned off. What would you generate?

Step 2: Add some keywords (optional)

You can also pick some keywords (from the menu below the prompt box) that can give that extra guidance for your track. Choose keywords from the following options:

  • Mood
  • Genre
  • Theme
  • Tempo
  • Energy
Screenshot of a music generation AI interface in dark mode. It shows a text prompt 'Cinematic ambient music, slow and atmospheric, for a sci-fi video,' with 'Peaceful' selected as a mood tag, and a 'Generate' button.
Crafting the perfect soundtrack with AI! This music generation interface allows users to input text prompts and select specific moods like ‘Peaceful’ to create custom audio for projects like sci-fi videos. #AIMusic #MusicGeneration #SoundDesign #Tech

Step 3: Add lyrics

If you want to add vocals to your track, make sure to switch the “lyrics button” on. MusicGen will then create lyrics for you or if you want more control you can edit the lyrics at the next stage.

A music generation interface with a prompt for 'cinematic ambient music' and 'Peaceful' mood selected. The 'Lyrics' toggle is off, and a 'Generate' button is visible.
Crafting the perfect soundtrack with AI! This music generation interface shows a prompt for ‘cinematic ambient music, slow and atmospheric, for a sci-fi video,’ with a ‘Peaceful’ mood selected and lyrics turned off. Ready to generate some vibes! 🎶 #AIMusic #MusicGeneration #SciFiSoundtrack #CreativeTech

Step 4: Generate and Review

When you’re ready, hit the “Generate” button to produce the track! Once it’s done, listen through and decide what’s working and what isn’t. If you’re happy then just click the “Download” button to save it to your computer. If it’s not quite right, the fastest fix is usually:

  • Adjusting the wording of the prompt
  • Change some of the keywords

Step 5: Change the lyrics (optional)

You can also change the lyrics here if you want to! MusicGen provides a space to add your own words, which can be useful if you’ve got something more specific in mind or want more control over the output. For more on how to use lyrics using Envato AI MusicGen, check out this article here called Guess what? MusicGen has lyrics now!

Screenshot of a music generation interface showing sci-fi themed ambient music tracks with album art, waveforms, playback controls, and corresponding lyrics for a song titled 'Cosmic Drift'.
Edit your own lyrics in MusicGen! Generate your next atmospheric soundscape!

How Envato’s AI music generator works

Envato AI MusicGen is designed to keep the creative direction in your hands, while the tool handles the heavy lifting in the background.

What you control

You decide the overall direction of the track. That includes your text prompt, plus any settings you choose such as mood, genre, theme, tempo, and energy.

  • Prompt wording: The text description that explains the type of music you want.
  • Style direction: The general sound or vibe you’re aiming for.
  • Keywords: Options like mood, genre, theme, tempo, and energy that help guide the result.
  • Lyrics: Optional text if you want the track to include vocals.

What the AI automates

Once you’ve set the direction, the AI takes care of building the actual music. That includes the structure of the track, how the parts fit together, and the overall generation process. It also handles the formatting side so the result is ready to preview and export without extra setup.

  • Composition: Generating the music based on the prompt and settings.
  • Arrangement & structure: Organising the different sections of the track.
  • Instrumentation: Choosing the types of sounds or instruments used.
  • Mixing and formatting: Preparing the audio so it plays correctly as a complete track.
  • File preparation: Generating the final output so it can be previewed and exported.

Strengths and limitations

Like most AI tools, Envato AI MusicGen has situations where it works very well, and others where traditional music production tools may still offer more control.

Strengths

  • Speed: Music can be generated quickly from a short prompt which can be very useful when working on tight deadlines.
  • Accessibility: The tool is designed to be simple to use. You can generate music through prompts and a few settings without needing specialist software.
  • No music production knowledge required: You don’t need to understand music theory, composition, or audio production to create a track. The system generates the arrangement and structure automatically.
  • Commercial-safe output: MusicGen tracks are licensed for use in projects under the Envato AI terms. This allows the music to be incorporated into commercial content such as videos, advertisements, and client work.

Limitations

  • Output depends on prompt clarity: The result is influenced by the wording of the prompt. More specific prompts often produce more predictable results.
  • Results can vary: Different generations from the same prompt may produce slightly different outputs.
  • Advanced mixing requires other tools: If you want detailed audio editing, mixing, or mastering, that typically requires separate audio software.
  • Not full DAW-level control: Envato AI MusicGen generates a full track automatically and does not include the detailed editing controls found in DAW software.

AI music generator vs traditional stock libraries

FeatureAI music generatorStock music library
How music is createdGenerated from promptsPre-composed tracks in a catalogue
Level of customizationHigherLimited to existing tracks
Speed for ideationVery fastFast if the right track already exists
Output uniquenessNew variations per generationSame track can be used by many creators
Best forCustom-fit background musicBrowsing proven ready-made tracks
Main limitationResults depend on prompt qualityLess flexible creatively

AI music generators and traditional stock music libraries solve the same problem: finding music for a project. The difference is mainly in how the music is created and selected.

AI-generated music

AI music tools generate tracks directly from a prompt. Instead of searching through an existing catalogue, the system produces a new piece of music based on the description and settings provided.

Prompts and keyword selections guide the direction of the track. Elements such as mood, genre, theme, tempo, and energy influence how the music is generated.

A single prompt can generate several different versions of a track. Small adjustments to the wording or keyword settings can change the result. This is perfect if you want to experiment with different ideas.

Stock music libraries

Stock music libraries operate through a catalog of tracks that have already been composed and uploaded by artists or production studios. The music is created in advance and organized using tags, genres, and other categories.

Each track has a fixed arrangement and length. The structure of the music is already defined, so the composition itself does not change.

Tracks in stock libraries are available to anyone with access to the catalogue. Stock libraries are accessed by many creators. The same track can appear in multiple videos, advertisements, or other media projects.

Choosing between the two

Both approaches appear in many modern content workflows. Some projects rely on AI tools to generate music from prompts, while others use tracks selected from an existing catalogue.

AI generation produces new tracks based on a description and selected settings. Stock libraries follow a catalog model. Music is created in advance by composers and stored in the library, where it can be searched and previewed before downloading.

AI tools and stock libraries both appear in current production workflows. One approach generates music from prompts, while the other relies on tracks that already exist in the catalogue.

Licensing & Commercial Use

Envato AI MusicGen generates music that can be used in projects under a license provided by Envato.

Royalty free usage

MusicGen outputs are licensed on a royalty free basis. This means the music can be used in a project without paying additional royalties each time the content is played or distributed.

Commercial use

The license allows MusicGen tracks to be used in commercial work. This applies as long as the music is part of a larger project or end product, such as a video, advertisement, or other creative work including:

  • Product advertisements
  • Client projects
  • Marketing or promotional videos
  • Online videos with advertising revenue

Restrictions

MusicGen tracks cannot be distributed or sold as standalone music.

For example, the terms do not allow:

  • Selling the generated track by itself
  • Uploading the music as a standalone song on streaming platforms
  • Using the music as the primary purpose of a video or podcast

Ownership

The generated music is licensed to you, but ownership of the output is not transferred. The license allows the music to be used in projects that comply with the Envato AI terms.

From prompt to playback

Envato AI MusicGen makes it easier to create royalty-free music fast. With the right prompt, this AI music generator can help you find tracks that fit your content, workflow, and creative goals.

AI music generator FAQs


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