NoCopyrightSounds
NoCopyrightSounds (stylised as NCS), is a British record label and YouTube channel that releases royalty-free electronic dance music. Originally starting as a music promotion YouTube channel, it has since reached 1 million paid downloads in 2017.
Also recorded as NCS · No Copyright Sounds
NoCopyrightSounds

NoCopyrightSounds · Public domain
- Name
- NoCopyrightSounds
- Founded
- 2011
- Headquarters
- London
- Activity
- music industry
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
NoCopyrightSounds (stylised as NCS), is a British record label and YouTube channel that releases royalty-free electronic dance music. Originally starting as a music promotion YouTube channel, it has since reached 1 million paid downloads in 2017.
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q21006848 · wikipedia · NoCopyrightSounds
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — NoCopyrightSounds • Genre — * EDM • house • dubstep • trap • drum and bass • electropop • Founder — Billy Woodford • Country — United Kingdom • Location — London • Bgcolor — White
History
History
NoCopyrightSounds was first founded in 2011 by "avid gamer" Billy Woodford. Woodford was having problems with his YouTube video game review channel and created the label to solve it. The label was described by Forbes as "a YouTube-first label that allows indie creators to use and even monetize its music freely as long as they give due credit back to the content owners." In 2017, NoCopyrightSounds achieved a milestone of over a million sales of digital downloads, despite releasing music for free. The label manager Daniel J. Lee said "similar to services with a freemium model, NCS provides both the option to enjoy music for free but at the same time also enables fans to support the music across paid services", asserting that the label releases music for free and also sells them. Woodford, about the milestone, stated, "I'm immensely proud to have reached 1 million paid downloads, and believe this shows the growth and strength NCS has built over the years." He also commented that "the demand for fresh original music from creators is enormous and growing daily." By this point, the label had surpassed 13 million subscribers on YouTube. In 2024, NoCopyrightSounds partnered with Geometry Dash, making over 1200 songs on the channel usable in the game, along with twelve additional songs that were added with event levels. On 20 November 2025, NoCopyrightSounds filed a case against former distributor AEI Music Limited and a second company, later revealed to be Featherstone Music Limited, after the companies failed to pay £4 million in licensing fees and other royalties.
Notable artists
Notable artists
• 32Stitches • Aero Chord • Brooks • Cartoon • Syn Cole • Don Diablo • Eden(formerly The Eden Project) • K-391 • Koven • Maduk • Mason Musso • Neffex • Olwik • Pyti • Vikkstar • Alan Walker • Tyla Yaweh

Logo of NoCopyrightSounds. Black background, white logo
NoCopyrightSounds
Institutional history
Dated record
Institutional history
The full dated record · 1 entries
2011
NoCopyrightSounds established.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
- United Kingdom
Primary material
Documents and archives
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q21006848: NoCopyrightSounds
General reference · Wikidata
reference work
- “NoCopyrightSounds”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Young Entrepreneurs: Billy Woodford, NoCopyrightSounds. Startups.co.uk: Starting a business advice and business ideas. 18 March 2015.
- 2.Exclusive Interview: Billy Woodford Founder of NoCopyrightSounds (NCS) - RouteNote Blog. RouteNote Blog. 27 March 2015.
- 3.Forde, Eamonn. Is YouTube wrecking the music industry - or putting news artists in the spotlight?. The Guardian. 2016-07-18. 0261-3077.
- 4.Hu, Cherie. How YouTube Entrepreneurs In Their 20s Are Disrupting Traditional Record Labels. Forbes.
- 5.NoCopyrightSounds has 13.8m subscribers. and 1m paid iTunes downloads. influencerupdate.biz. 15 December 2017.
- 6.Alan Walker's success is owed to this label and it just reached a major milestone. We Rave You. 18 December 2017.
- 7.This EDM Label Just Hit 1 Million Sales Despite Giving Away Its Music Free. Your EDM. 31 December 2017.
- 8.NCS Celebrates 1 Million Paid Downloads, Despite Giving Music Away for Free: Exclusive. Billboard.
- 9.YouTube record label NCS hits $1 million in sales. Dancing Astronaut. 17 December 2017.
- 10.Stevo. Popular YouTube Label Reaches One Million Sales Despite Offering Free Downloads. EDM Sauce. 15 December 2017.
- 11.Stevo. Copyright Free Music: These Labels Are Changing Up Royalty Free Music. EDM Sauce. 9 November 2017.
- 12.NCS joins the Music Library! 1200+ songs available now!. X (formerly Twitter).
- 13.Paine, Andre. Electronic label NoCopyrightSounds teams with music rhythm game Geometry Dash. Music Week. 2024-06-26.
- 14.Hanna, Vioque. Record Label Sues Partner Over £4M Royalty Dispute. Law360. 1 December 2025.
- 15.Kupfer, Rachel. 32Stitches Givs Us The Video Game - Inspired Track We've Been Waiting for. EDM.com. 24 July 2019.
- 16.BWW News Desk. 'NCS: The Best of 2016' Out Now on NCS.
- 17.Kassam, Alshaan. Don Diablo delivers energetic remix of Egzod & Maestro Chives 'Royalty': Listen. We Rave You. 23 October 2023.
- 18.Sid. The Eden Project Puts Tons Of Feeling Into New Original Track [Free Download]. ThisSongSlaps. 28 May 2014.
- 19.Simko, Darren. Koven - Never Have I Felt This [NCS]. Your EDM. 4 December 2018.
- 20.Dexter, Robyn. Dexter's Beat Laboratory Vol. 88. Dancing Astronaut. 26 April 2019.
- 21.Mac, Petey. NEFFEX Drops Electrifying Single "Desperate" via NCS. Your EDM. 4 May 2023.
- 22.Rishty, David. EDMTunes Presents: #RisingTalent Series Vol. 10. EDM Tunes. 21 April 2014.
- 23.PYTI Drops Energetic New Single 'I Wanna Dance' and Earns Collaboration With NCS & Geometry Dash. Spin. 25 July 2024.
- 24.Vikkstar joins Record Label NCS for EDM Anthem 'Another Way'. 21 February 2025.
- 25.Astronaut, Dancing. Alan Walker Returns with Nostalgic Single 'Dreamer'. Dancing Astronaut. 2023-04-21.
- 26.Bot, Radar. Tyla Yaweh, Mason Musso, Rarin - Beautiful Disaster - Alternative Pop - Weird NCS Choice. RouteNote. 2 February 2025.
References
Citations
References
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authority record
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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