Content Usage and Permissions#

1. Why this matters#

Maps exist because artists make music. The Workshop has no ads, no paid features, and QwU World does not sell uploads, but a map with hosted audio still hands the song to everyone who downloads it, and the mod can pass it on to Minecraft servers and other players. So the music, the cover and the charts need a real basis. This page explains which ones you can use. It is part of the Workshop Terms and works together with the Upload Rules.

2. Your options#

From safest to the ones that need the most care:

Library tracks. Songs QwU World has licensed for Workshop maps. Choose one in the upload steps; credits are added for you.
Your own music. Fine when you own both the song and the recording. If it is also released elsewhere, mention your Workshop username on your artist page or in the release notes; it helps staff confirm it quickly.
Open licences that allow sharing the file (section 3).
Written permission from the rights holders of the song and of the recording (section 5).
No audio. Publish the charts and cover; each player uses their own copy of the song. Use this whenever you are unsure.

3. Licences#

The licence must come from the real rights holder, for example the artist's own page or label. A re-upload on a video or file site that says "free download" is not a licence.

Licence or source	With hosted audio?	What you must do
CC0 or public domain dedication	Yes	Credit the artist anyway; it is good practice.
CC BY	Yes	Name the artist, the song, the licence and its link in Credits.
CC BY-SA	Yes	Credit as for CC BY. A chart made for the song may count as an adapted work; you agree that such a chart may be shared under CC BY-SA too.
CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-SA	Yes, while the Workshop stays non-commercial	Credit as for CC BY. The Workshop has no ads or paid features; if that ever changes, we will review these maps first.
Any licence with ND (NoDerivatives)	Only with the artist's extra permission	A map can count as an edited use. Ask the artist and name their permission in Credits.
"Free for videos or streams", "royalty-free" stock music, audio libraries of video platforms	Usually no	These usually let you use the music in your own videos, not share the audio file with others. Only allowed when the licence clearly permits sharing the file itself.
Soundtracks of games, anime, films and series	Only with permission from the publisher, or a published policy that allows it	Link the policy or name the permission in Credits.
Covers, remixes, mashups, nightcore and sped-up edits	Only with permission for both the original song and the new version	Credit both.

4. Artist permission list#

Staff keep a dated list of artists who told us how their music may be used:

Allowed: maps with their music are welcome. Credit them.
Allowed with exceptions: allowed, except for the tracks or conditions in the notes. The upload steps show the notes.
Not allowed: their music cannot be uploaded with audio. Uploads naming them are refused. You can still publish a map without audio.

Artists who are not on the list are neither allowed nor refused by default: the normal rules in sections 2 and 3 apply.

The list is empty. No artist has opted in or out yet.

For artists and labels#

To be added to the list or to change your entry, write to dragon4ik.QwU@gmail.com from an address or account we can link to you, or tell us how we can confirm who you are.
When an artist is marked not allowed, we review maps that host their music and remove the audio where there is no other basis. Uploaders do not get a strike for maps uploaded before that change. Copies already installed by players stay on their computers.
Would you like to license your music to the Workshop as a Library track? Write to the same address. We keep a record of every licensing request.
To have a specific map removed, you can also use the notice form.

5. Asking an artist#

Explain what will be shared: the full song inside the map file, a 30-second preview on the website, and sharing through the mod with Minecraft servers and other players.
Ask for a written answer (an e-mail or a message is enough) and keep it.
In Credits, name the permission without private contact details, for example "Used with permission of the artist, e-mail, March 2026". Staff may ask to see the proof.

You can copy and adapt this message:

Hi! I make maps for Blocky Music, a free rhythm-battle mod for Minecraft (no ads, nothing to buy). I would like to make a map for your song "SONG TITLE" and publish it on the Blocky Music Workshop (https://blocky-music.qwu.world).

The map would contain the full song, so players could download it, play it in their game and share it on Minecraft servers through the mod. The website would play a 30-second preview. You would be credited as "YOUR CREDIT" with a link to "YOUR PAGE".

Would that be OK with you? If you change your mind later, I will take the map down; copies players already installed would stay on their computers.

Thank you! YOUR NAME

6. Library tracks#

Library tracks are licensed to QwU World so that anyone can use them in Workshop maps, which players download, play and share through the mod.
The attribution is added to the map page and the map file automatically.
Do not upload Library audio anywhere else or use it outside Blocky Music.
Each track's page on /library shows its licence and attribution.
If a Library licence ends, the audio may be removed from maps that use it. Mappers get a statement, never a strike.

7. Covers and other images#

Use your own art, art you have permission for, or images under licences that allow sharing (for example CC0, or CC BY with credit). For stock photo sites, check that the licence allows use in a downloadable file, and credit the source.
Official album or single artwork only when your permission for the song also covers the artwork, or the rights holder allows it.
Fan art and screenshots: ask the artist and credit them.
Mark AI-generated covers, and do not use a real person's likeness without their permission.

8. Charts#

Your charts are your work. Charts made with others need their agreement and a credit.
Converting charts from other rhythm games or from other players' maps needs the chart author's permission.
You may put your own charts under an open licence by saying so in Credits.

9. Credits travel with the map#

What you write in Credits is shown on the map page and written into the map file, so the attribution stays with the map when players install or share it. Name the licence and its link or the permission, the cover artist, and everyone who made charts. Do not include private contact details.

10. If something goes wrong#

You uploaded something you should not have: update the map without audio or delete it.
Rights holders: see Copyright and Illegal Content.
Sanctions and appeals: see Moderation, Sanctions and Appeals.

11. Changes#

Version 2 (18 September 2026). Wording only: the Russian text was tidied up so it reads more plainly. No rule changed.
Version 1 (17 September 2026). First version.