The gist
For a business owner, AI music isn't about becoming a musician. It's about covering three specific needs: background music for videos, jingles for your brand, and the sound package for a podcast. And all of that without hiring a separate composer or sound designer.
Key concepts
- Suno AI: full tracks from a text prompt (a prompt is your request to the AI), vocals included
- Udio: another AI music service; since October 2025, downloading songs there has been turned off (see the Udio section)
- A music prompt: genre + mood + instruments + tempo + length
- Claude helps you write lyrics (the words of the song) and prompts for Suno
- Commercial use: the rules vary in 2026, so it's important to check them
- ElevenLabs Sound Effects: short sounds for apps, interfaces and podcasts
Theory
Why a business owner needs AI music
Three main use cases:
1. Background music for YouTube and other videos Stock music costs money or comes with license terms, and lots of other people use the same tracks. AI music is one of a kind, generated to fit the mood of a specific video, and on a paid plan with commercial rights you can use it in monetized content.
2. A brand jingle A short 10-30 second track with your brand's sound. It used to be expensive and slow. Now it's a few prompts: you pick the best one and adjust it.
3. Sound for a podcast or a course An intro and outro, transition music between sections, background atmosphere for teaching segments.
Suno AI: full tracks from a prompt
Suno creates complete tracks, including:
- The instrumental part
- Vocals (in many languages)
- Song structure: verse, chorus, bridge
How it works: Go to suno.com → "Create" → write a prompt → get two versions → listen → keep going or download.
Plans (as of October 2026):
- Free: no cost, 50 credits a day, the v6-mini model, no commercial rights. You can listen to your tracks and share a link, but you only get a few trial downloads in total
- Pro: from $8/month when you pay for a year, 2,500 credits a month, commercial rights, a monthly limit on song downloads
- Premier: from $24/month when you pay for a year, 10,000 credits a month, a higher download limit, Suno Studio
- The price depends on how you pay (yearly or monthly) and may be different in your country. Exact prices and terms: suno.com/pricing, What's current
Modes (the names in the interface change):
- Custom: you write the lyrics yourself and pick a style
- Simple: you describe the mood, and Suno writes the words itself
Prompts for Suno: the formula
A music prompt follows a formula:
[genre] [tempo] [mood] [instruments] [special details]Examples of good prompts:
# Background music for a business video upbeat corporate background music, 120bpm, optimistic and professional, piano and strings, no vocals, suitable for YouTube # Brand jingle catchy brand jingle, 15 seconds, energetic and memorable, electronic with guitar, male vocal humming, modern startup vibe # Podcast intro podcast intro music, 30 seconds, lo-fi hip hop, chill and focused, soft beat with vinyl crackle, fade in fade out, no vocals # Transition music for a course educational ambient music, 10 seconds, calm and focused, soft piano, neutral mood, suitable for online course transitions
What works:
- A specific tempo (BPM, beats per minute)
- The length you want (Suno doesn't always stick to it; trim the extra in an editor)
- Saying "no vocals" if you don't need singing
- The purpose (for YouTube / for podcast / for e-learning)
What doesn't work:
- "Make some nice music": too vague
- Listing 10+ parameters: the model gets confused
- Styles that don't go together ("jazz metal ambient")
Udio: what changed
Udio (udio.com) used to be Suno's competitor. On October 29, 2025, the service announced a partnership with Universal Music Group, and since then downloading audio, video and stems (the separate vocal and instrument tracks) has been turned off: the music stays inside the platform. A licensed platform was announced for 2026. Check the website to see where it stands today and whether downloads have come back.
Alternatives to Suno as of October 2026: Google Lyria in the Gemini app (tracks up to three minutes, with or without vocals; Google's pages don't state the terms for commercial use, so read the service's policy) and Soundraw (background music; according to the service, the tracks you create come with a license for commercial use). Compare them on your own prompts, and read the license before you monetize anything.
Claude helps you write lyrics and prompts
Claude doesn't generate music itself, but it's an excellent helper for the preparation:
1. Lyrics for Custom Mode in Suno:
Write lyrics for a short brand jingle. Brand: [name] What it does: [what the business does] Length: 30 seconds (4-6 lines) Style: upbeat, catchy, no clichés Language: English Format: verse (4 lines) + chorus (2 lines)
2. Polishing a prompt for Suno:
I need background music for a YouTube channel about [topic]. Audience: [description] Mood of the videos: [description] Write 3 versions of a Suno prompt in this format: [genre] [tempo] [mood] [instruments] [special details] Each version should be a different style, all for the same purpose.
3. Organizing a sound library:
I have 10 tracks for my YouTube channel. Help me set up a naming and tagging system: - by mood (energetic / calm / focused / inspiring) - by length (intro / transition / background / outro) - by video type (tutorial / vlog / announcement)
Commercial use: the rules as of October 2026
Suno:
- Free: no commercial use; only a few trial downloads, for personal use
- Pro and Premier: commercial rights to the songs you download as a paying subscriber, and a limited number of downloads per month
- Important: Suno can change its terms, so always read the current Terms of Service on the website
Udio:
- Song downloads are turned off; check the monetization terms on the website before using anything
The general rule: If a video is monetized on YouTube or the content is used to sell something, you need a paid plan with commercial rights (on Suno, that's Pro or Premier). Save a screenshot of the terms on the day you create the track. This isn't legal advice: if you're unsure, ask a lawyer.
ElevenLabs Sound Effects: short sounds
ElevenLabs (elevenlabs.io/sound-effects) generates short sound effects from a text description (see the service's page for length limits).
Use cases:
- A button sound in a mobile app
- A notification in an online course
- A transition sound in a video
- A sound logo for your brand (3-5 seconds)
Example prompts:
# Notification sound soft notification chime, professional app sound, 0.5 seconds # Video transition whoosh transition sound, clean and modern, 1 second # Successful action success confirmation sound, positive and light, 0.8 seconds # Sound logo brand logo sound, 3 seconds, rising tone, modern tech company feel, memorable
Price: sound effects use up credits on your ElevenLabs plan. The Free plan gives you 10,000 credits, without a commercial license (as of October 2026; current terms are on the What's current page); for projects you monetize, you need a paid plan.
Practice
- Create a Suno account (free):
Go to suno.com → select Log in → pick a sign-in method, for example your Google account → you get free credits (50 a day on Free; downloads on the free plan are limited to a few trial files, and commercial use needs a paid plan)
- Generate background music for YouTube with Claude's help:
Prompt for Claude: Write 3 versions of a Suno prompt. Purpose: background music for a YouTube channel about [your topic]. Prompt format: genre + BPM + mood + instruments + length. No vocals.
Run each prompt in Suno and listen to the results (6 tracks = 3 prompts × 2 versions)
Have Claude write lyrics for a 15-second jingle for your brand:
Brand: [yours] What it does: [one sentence] Style: [what you want] Write 4 lines + a 2-line chorus
Create a track in Suno with Custom Mode: paste in Claude's lyrics and pick a style
Go to ElevenLabs Sound Effects and create a transition sound for your videos:
# Try a few variations: "cinematic whoosh, 1 second, clean" "soft page turn sound, 0.5 seconds" "subtle tech transition, 0.8 seconds"
Check yourself: your Suno library holds six background tracks and a jingle with words, you've picked the best background track and can say why, and in ElevenLabs you have a transition sound. All of this was made on free plans, so it's fine for learning and personal use, but not for commercial projects.
Tools and resources
- Suno: the main track generator (free plan: 50 credits a day, only a few trial downloads)
- Udio: song downloads turned off, see the section above
- ElevenLabs Sound Effects: short sounds from prompts
- Soundraw: background music, licensed under the service's terms
- Google Lyria in Gemini: tracks in the Gemini app
- Freesound: a library of Creative Commons sounds for mixing
- Prices and versions: What's current
Key takeaways
Suno and similar services don't replace live musicians on complex projects, but they cover a large share of what someone who runs a business on content needs: background music, jingles, transitions. Fast and one of a kind, and on a paid plan with commercial rights, with a clear license.
A good music prompt = genre + tempo in BPM + mood + instruments + length. Those five elements give you a predictable result, unlike "make something nice."
In the music process, Claude is the lyricist and the prompt editor: it doesn't generate sound, but it helps you write a precise brief for the tools that do.
Next lesson
→ How much to spend on AI: working out which subscriptions you need and what they cost
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