Local vs Cloud AI Music: What Runs on Your Machine, and Which Licence Applies

A local model runs on hardware you own, and a hosted service runs on the vendor’s servers. Where a model runs and who may use its output are two separate questions. In this guide, “local” means the model is installed and run on your own machine, “licence” means the terms attached to the code or the model weights, and “free” means a vendor’s free plan. MusicGen, Meta’s open model, is the worked example for the local case.

Where the model runs is a separate question

Running a model on your own machine says where the computation happens. It does not say who may use the output. The AudioCraft README describes a local install: a pip package, PyTorch, and a model cache directory that you can set yourself. It does not state hardware requirements, so this guide does not claim any speed or hardware fit.

Our method scores where a model runs on its own dimension, D10 at 15 percent. A local model whose weights allow commercial use earns 100. A local model whose weights are non-commercial earns 60. A hosted service with no local option earns 0. Because a local install is not a subscription, we do not rank it against hosted tools. We describe it in its own section instead.

The MusicGen split, read from the source

Meta’s AudioCraft repository publishes MusicGen. On 2026-10-16 we read three files in it: the README, the LICENSE file and LICENSE_weights. The README states that the code is released under the MIT license and that the model weights are released under CC-BY-NC 4.0, as found in the LICENSE_weights file. The LICENSE file is the MIT License, with the copyright line “Copyright (c) Meta Platforms, Inc. and affiliates.”

The LICENSE_weights file is the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International Public License. It defines the restriction: NonCommercial means “not primarily intended for or directed towards commercial advantage or monetary compensation.” We read that wording as covering a track made for paid work. That is our reading of the text, not a legal opinion, and a lawyer should check it before you rely on it.

The split means you cannot treat the repository as one licence. The code is permissive. The model weights you run are not.

Cloud tools put the licence in the plan

A hosted service usually attaches its licence to the plan you buy, not to the software. That is why the same product can allow one use on a free plan and another on a paid tier. The pricing pages we read on 2026-10-16 show the pattern.

Two rows need a qualifier that is easy to miss. Suno’s commercial right applies to a download you have obtained under the monthly allocation, so a song you cannot download within the allocation is not covered in the way a reader might assume. Mubert’s Pro line sits next to a disclaimer that says tracks cannot be sold, and the page does not explain how the two fit together. Read the terms before you sell a track on either plan.

Why local does not fix distribution

Running a model locally does not change what a distributor or a rights system accepts. The distribution lines on the pricing pages are written about the tracks. Mubert’s disclaimer bars its tracks from music streaming platforms and from Content ID registration, and ElevenLabs’ Starter tier is labelled “Commercial, no streaming”. We read those lines as limits on the output, whichever machine made it. The MusicGen licence files we read do not mention streaming or Content ID, so this guide does not score a distribution rule for MusicGen.

For that reason the distribution column in our method is scored on the terms that govern the output, not on where the computation happens. A local tool with clear output rules would score well on D10 and could still lose points on D11 if its terms were silent on streaming and Content ID.

A short decision path

1. Decide whether the model must run on your own machine, for privacy, offline work or repeat use. If it must, read the weights licence before the code licence, and check its NonCommercial definition against your planned use.
2. If a hosted tool is enough, find the plan that matches your use, not the free plan’s line.
3. Find that plan’s distribution line for streaming and for Content ID.
4. Save a dated copy of each licence or pricing page you relied on, with the read date. Prices and terms change, and the dated copy shows what applied when you published.

Evidence and method

The MusicGen licence text was read from the AudioCraft repository on 2026-10-16. The cloud rows come from the vendor pricing pages, read on the same date: Suno, ElevenLabs, Mubert and AIVA. Suno’s terms come from the desk’s research record and were not re-read for this edition. Limits: pricing pages can change after the read date, a licence summary is not a legal opinion, and this guide does not judge the audio quality of any model. The method page sets out how each dimension is scored, and the home page carries the full ranking.