HDSQ MIDI License

Version 1.0, July 28th 2025.

Preface

The Black MIDI Community is generally quite open with sharing their projects, with project files and downloads often made available for others to use in their own videos showcasing other people’s projects. In keeping with this tradition, I wish to make my work available to others in a way that gives them freedom to use, enjoy and learn from my work. However, I also wish to preserve my rights over my original work, and prevent my work from being misused or stolen. As such, if you intend to use any of my work from this repository, you must obey these terms.

When uploading a “play-through” of my work

It is common for the Black MIDI Community to feature the work of other blackers on their own channels. If you want to feature my work in a video you create yourself (eg by playing the MIDI file using a tool such as Piano from Above), that’s awesome! Please ensure that you do all of the following:

• Make the original author(s) of the work clear. It should be clear to anyone who watches the video who the original MIDI file was made by. You can do this by doing one of the following:
  • Including the name(s) of the author(s) in the video title.
  • Include the name(s) of the author(s) in a “banner” early in the video.
• Help viewers discover the original video(s) by linking back to it, either:
  • Within your video description, or
  • On your video’s “End Screen”,
  • Or preferably, both.
• Ensure that for works created as a collaboration, you feature all authors. For many of my projects, others have tended to drown out blackers I’ve collaborated with, with their videos just saying “By [author]”. I want my collaborative works to be a celebration of the enormous amount of talent in our community, and so having artists I collaborate with be poorly-credited is a detriment to that goal.
• Ensure your video is your own work. To qualify for this category, the video must be primarily made by you, meaning you must generate the audio and video yourself. Don’t just download one of my own videos and apply some filters.
• Do not publish your play-through onto music streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music. This can cause copyright issues where I and other creators lose income for our original work.

If you desire, you may enable monetisation on your video provided you have met the above conditions. There’s no need to compensate me financially if you showcase my Black MIDI projects in this way.

When creating a remix of my work

It’s incredibly flattering that you want to remix my work! However, I want to ensure that my work is not outshone by an imitation when proper credit is not given. Additionally, I don’t think it is “cool” to repurpose parts of someone else’s work without permission. With this in mind, if you wish to create your own version of one of my works, please obey the following conditions:

• If the work you are remixing is an arrangement of another song, please do not make a remix of my remix. Instead, you should create your own unique arrangement of the song, which is not derived from my work.
• If the work you are remixing is a collaboration with other creators, please also seek their permission, as well as obeying these terms. Please be respectful, and understand that they have no obligation to permit you to remix the work – it is as much theirs as it is mine.
• Ensure that your remix is distinct from the original. It’s no fun to make an imitation or reinvent the wheel. I want you to do something different. Perhaps you could change the style, or use it as a part of a mash-up. There’s no specific criteria for this, aside from a general “vibe”, but I reserve the right to take down any project which is not sufficiently distinct from the original. If you’re unsure, please reach out and I’ll happily share my thoughts on your plans.
• Do not use any components from my work in your remix. For example, copying “note art” or melodies directly is not cool. Your remix will be far more unique and fun if you create it from scratch.
• Ensure that you credit me (and any collaborators) as the original composers of the work, using the same criteria as when uploading a “play-through” of the work.
• You are free to share your remix in any way you desire, as long as:
  • The original composer remains clear in all locations it is distributed, and there is a link to view the original work in these locations too.
  • Your sharing of your remix does not negatively impact my original work, or “play-throughs” uploaded by others, for example through a copyright claim.
  • You require that anyone who uploads a play-through or remix of your remix also obeys these terms.

When reacting to my work

Reaction content has a bad reputation. If you intend to react to my work, please ensure you are adding your own meaningful commentary. In particular:

• You should provide some form of analysis or critique. If you’re not pausing the video to discuss it in detail, you are not reacting, you’re just watching and talking at the same time.
• Preferably, your analysis should be composed of thoughts and ideas you gathered before you hit record. That way it’s far more likely that you are adding a meaningful contributions.
• Ensure that you credit me (and any collaborators) as the original composers of the work, using the same criteria as when uploading a “play-through” of the work.

When using my work for any other purposes

• Please contact me to ask for permission first.
• Depending on the way in which you intend to use my work, I may request financial compensation for your usage.
• Do not use my work to train AI systems.
• Do not use my work as a part of a commercial or in a commercial work without my permission (aside from in the scenarios explicitly permitted above).

Clarifications of terms

• I reserve the right to update these terms at any time, either to add new clarifications or restrictions.
• If you are unsure about any of the terms of this license, please contact me, and I will do my best to clarify.

Copyright

• For copyright purposes, I retain the copyright for my work in all circumstances where I am legally the copyright holder.
• In particular, for my original compositions, I retain the rights to the composition, its arrangement, and the musical “performance” and video accompaniment.
• For my arrangements of other people’s work, I retain the rights to my arrangement of the work, and the musical “performance” and video accompaniment.
• You shall not take any action which would infringe on my rights over my work, aside from actions explicitly permitted above.

Copyright of this license

I dedicate this license to the public domain, under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.