OpenTracks Clarifies Game Music Licensing, Weighs Rhythm Game Use

OpenTracks, the free background music site formerly known as DOVA-SYNDROME, said on 13 November that game sound sources can be used under its normal license even when the audio files are easily accessible, provided the game's terms of use prohibit extraction and reuse for other purposes, require users to follow those terms, and allow appropriate action against violations, according to gamespark.jp.

The site said encryption or similar measures are recommended but not mandatory. It also apologized for confusing and worrying users with unclear licensing guidance.

A day earlier, on 12 November, OpenTracks said it is considering bringing the use of its music in music and rhythm games within the normal license, after listening to registered composers. The site stressed that the conditions for music and rhythm game use have not yet been changed, and that the measures it announced on 11 November, including leniency for games already released, remain in place.

In that 11 November 2026 announcement, OpenTracks said use of its music in music and rhythm games falls outside the normal license. The policy led a music game to delete all 34 songs and a rhythm action game to replace songs just before release.

The site cited RPG Maker-style tools, where audio files sit openly in folders, as an example of the accessibility question. OpenTracks asked people not to contact composers directly and to use its inquiry form instead.