You can now use Pokemon music and sounds from Pokemon Diamond and Pearl in your videos and creative content thanks to the launch of the Pokemon DP Sound Library -- as long as it's non-commercial.
Companies such as Capcom, Atlus, and Square Enix have made music from their games available on streaming platforms such as Spotify over the last few years -- a move that surely contributed to the explosion of video game music on the platform in 2020.
Nintendo, however, has always been a little behind the times. While you can find a fair amount of Pokemon music on Spotify, other franchises (such as its flagship game series Super Mario) don't have much in the way of music available on the platform. Nintendo is notoriously protective of its IP, too, most recently shutting down a YouTube channel that had thousands of high-quality Nintendo songs on it. Now, Nintendo is taking things a bit further with the launch of the Pokemon DP Sound Library.
How the Pokemon DP Sound Library Lets You Use Pokemon Music and Sounds
The Pokemon DP Sound Library was revealed earlier today on the franchise's official Twitter (via Reddit). It features a bunch of music from Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, and it looks like these offerings are set to expand in the future (and include some sound effects, too).
Interestingly, the Pokemon DP Sound Library says that you can also use this music in your own works:
On this website, you can download music and sound effects for Pokémon Diamond Version and Pokémon Pearl Version games (the “Audio”) after agreeing to the Terms of Use. You can use downloaded Audio in your own works within the scope of the rules set forth in the Terms of Use. These Guidelines set forth additional details to supplement the Terms of Use and help to explain the extent to which the Audio can be used and cannot be used within the license granted in the Terms of Use.
Sounds pretty sweet, right? Well, those Terms of Use are fairly restrictive. Pretty much all non-commercial uses are approved with the exception of "anything that makes a specific ideological, religious, or political claim," using the music in games or software, or pretty much anything that would imply an official relationship with The Pokemon Company.
What's somewhat unclear is what this means for YouTubers and Twitch streamers -- do these Terms of Use consider putting this Pokemon music in the background of your stream or video "commercial use" if you get paid with ads or subscriptions? The Terms of Use allow you to use this Pokemon music as background music on "video Distribution Sites or SNS," but it doesn't appear to clarify how that might apply when it comes to monetization.
Terms of Use aside, this project seems like a step in the right direction -- especially for Pokemon fans. You can check out the Pokemon DP Sound Library right now and listen to some of your favorite tunes from the game.
What do you think of the Pokemon DP Sound Library? Do you think Nintendo is overly protective of its music and copyrighted content? Let us know in the comments below!
