Cleared Samples for Commercial Use
Every sample here is genuinely cleared — public domain & CC0 — sourced from named institutional contributors and shipped with a license certificate per download that names the source, the exact license, and any attribution required. Not “royalty-free per whoever uploaded it” — a documented, independently verifiable sourcing trail you can build a commercial release on.
How every sample here gets cleared
So far we've rejected and removed 6,359 tracks — and the number keeps climbing.
Behind that word is a chain every track has to survive:
- We source clean. Everything starts as public domain or CC0, from named institutional sources — not anonymous re-uploads.
- We vet the uploader. Before a file is even downloaded, the contributor is checked for trust signals, red flags, and AI-generated uploads.
- We run a final fingerprint check. Every surviving track is matched against ACRCloud's database of 150M+ commercial recordings — the same class of audio recognition behind Shazam.
Here's the step most libraries skip: sometimes that final check flags a track that's probably fine — a CC0 piece that happens to share a public-domain source with a commercial release, or a coincidental match. A flag isn't proof of a problem. We remove it anyway. We'd rather lose a good sample than hand you a question mark — and that's what separates a “royalty-free” label from a sample you can build a release on.
Want the receipts? Every download ships with a signed provenance certificate you can verify yourself, and you can read how the cryptographic trail works.
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What makes a sample “cleared”
Anyone can label a pack “royalty-free.” Cleared means there's evidence behind it: a named source, the exact license, a screening result where it applies, and a record you can check yourself. If you want the full picture before you release:
Clearance, answered
- How does Selekt clear a sample?
- Every sample starts as public domain or CC0 from a named source. The uploader is vetted before download, and the track is then fingerprinted against ACRCloud's database of 150M+ commercial recordings as a final backstop. Each download ships with a signed certificate naming the source and the exact license.
- What gets rejected?
- Anything the final fingerprint check matches to a known commercial recording, anything pulled in human review, and uploads we can't trace to a clean source. We've rejected and removed 6,359 tracks this way so far.
- Can a genuinely clean track still get flagged?
- Yes. A CC0 track can match a commercial release because the commercial artist used the same public-domain source, or by coincidence. A match isn't proof of a problem — but we remove it anyway, because we'd rather lose a good sample than leave you a question mark.
- Is a cleared sample guaranteed safe to release?
- No one can honestly promise that, so we don't. What we provide is evidence: a documented source, the exact license, a screening result where it applies, and a certificate you can verify yourself. You remain responsible for confirming rights before a commercial release.
- Do other sample libraries screen like this?
- Most stop at a "royalty-free" label tied to whoever uploaded the file. The fingerprint backstop — and rejecting even likely false-positives — is the extra curation step we take.
What is Selekt?
Selekt is a catalog of cleared samples and stems — every file is public domain or CC0, sourced from named archives and fingerprint-screened against commercial recordings before it's listed — paired with browser tools to chop, separate, and recombine them. Every download includes a license certificate naming the exact source and license, so you keep documentation, not just a promise. Free to start, no account needed to browse.
Who Selekt is for
Selekt is for producers, beatmakers, and composers who need source material they can legally release — on streaming, in client work, in sync and video — without chasing clearance or paying per-use royalties. It's for people who want the character of real recordings with the safety of documented provenance.
What you can do with Selekt
- Flip cleared public-domain and CC0 samples into beats you can actually release.
- Isolate stems — vocals, drums, bass, and more — from cleared recordings for remixes and edits.
- Source royalty-free audio for sync, video, podcasts, and client work, each with a license certificate.
- Combine catalog samples with your own uploads into one creation whose certificate covers the whole blend.
Looking for something specific? Filter by BPM, key, mood, and instrument across the full cleared library.
