What is AIVA?
AIVA (Artificial Intelligence Virtual Artist) is an AI music composition platform that generates original instrumental music across various styles — from cinematic and orchestral to electronic and ambient. Users can specify a style, mood and duration, and AIVA generates a complete composition that can be used as background music for videos, games, podcasts or other content.
AIVA's compositions are royalty-free for paid plan subscribers, making it useful for content creators who need original background music without licensing concerns. The platform also allows some editing and customisation of generated tracks, and has been used in commercial projects including film and advertising.
Key Features
Style-Based Generation
Generate original music in styles ranging from cinematic orchestral to electronic and ambient.
Royalty-Free Licensing
Paid plans include royalty-free licensing for generated compositions, suitable for commercial use.
Customisation
Edit and adjust generated compositions — change instrumentation, tempo and structure.
Soundtrack Use Cases
Designed for use in videos, games, podcasts, films and other media projects.
Pros & Cons
What we like
Generates genuinely usable instrumental music across many styles
Royalty-free licensing removes copyright concerns for creators
Used in real commercial projects, demonstrating production quality
Good option for background music without hiring composers
Watch out for
Generated music can lack the nuance of human composition for complex needs
Free tier has significant limitations on downloads and usage rights
Best suited for instrumental/background music, not vocal tracks
Some customisation limitations compared to working with a composer
Frequently Asked Questions
AIVA has a free tier for exploring the platform, but commercial use and full downloads typically require a paid subscription which also includes royalty-free licensing.
Yes — paid AIVA plans include royalty-free licensing for generated compositions, allowing use in commercial projects like videos, games and advertising.
AIVA focuses on instrumental/cinematic composition often used for soundtracks, while Suno AI generates full songs with vocals. Soundraw is similar to AIVA in focusing on background/instrumental music for content creators — the best choice depends on whether you need vocals and your preferred style range.