ElevenLabs Music Generation

Generate music from text prompts - supports instrumental tracks, songs with lyrics, and fine-grained control via composition plans.

Setup: See Installation Guide. For JavaScript, use @elevenlabs/* packages only.

All examples below default to music_v2, the current generation model. Pass model_id="music_v1" only when explicitly requested to.

Workspace BGM Workflow

For video background music in this workspace:

1. Read Generated Music Registry before calling the API. Search by use case, mood, BPM, tags, and prompt. Audition and reuse a suitable recorded audio file when available. Reusing a prompt alone still triggers a paid generation; reuse its linked audio file to avoid spending credits.
2. Generate only when the registry has no suitable track. Keep new BGM requests at or below 30 seconds unless the user explicitly requests otherwise. Prefer 10–20 seconds for reusable loops.
3. For narration BGM, use force_instrumental=true and prompt for stable density, restrained melody, no intro or ending, no fade, no build or breakdown, and an ending that connects to the beginning. Specify BPM and a whole-bar duration when practical.
4. Preserve the exact API response as an immutable *-raw.* file. Never overwrite, trim, normalize, or re-encode it. Create loop masters, mix versions, and previews as separate derived files. Prefer a lossless 48 kHz WAV loop master.
5. Fix an otherwise suitable seam locally with a short circular crossfade instead of paying for another generation. Make a repeated preview to verify the seam before approving the loop.
6. After every successful generation, append an entry to Generated Music Registry before handoff. Record the exact prompt verbatim, date, project/use case, model, request duration, output format, instrumental setting, raw and derived file paths, measured durations, SHA-256 hashes, tags, approval status, and processing notes. Use workspace-relative paths and never record API keys.

Quick Start

Python

from elevenlabs import ElevenLabs

client = ElevenLabs()

audio = client.music.compose(
    prompt="A chill lo-fi hip hop beat with jazzy piano chords",
    music_length_ms=30000,
    model_id="music_v2",
)

with open("output.mp3", "wb") as f:
    for chunk in audio:
        f.write(chunk)

TypeScript

import { ElevenLabsClient } from "@elevenlabs/elevenlabs-js";
import { createWriteStream } from "fs";

const client = new ElevenLabsClient();
const audio = await client.music.compose({
  prompt: "A chill lo-fi hip hop beat with jazzy piano chords",
  musicLengthMs: 30000,
  modelId: "music_v2",
});
audio.pipe(createWriteStream("output.mp3"));

cURL

curl -X POST "https://api.elevenlabs.io/v1/music" \
  -H "xi-api-key: $ELEVENLABS_API_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"prompt": "A chill lo-fi beat", "music_length_ms": 30000, "model_id": "music_v2"}' \
  --output output.mp3

Methods

See API Reference for full parameter details.

music.upload is available to enterprise clients with access to the inpainting feature.

Video to Music

Generate background music from uploaded video clips via POST /v1/music/video-to-music (client.music.video_to_music). This is separate from prompt-based music.compose (POST /v1/music).

The API combines videos in order, accepts an optional natural-language description, and lets you steer style with up to 10 tags such as upbeat or cinematic. This endpoint still defaults to music_v1; pass model_id="music_v2" to use the newer model.

Python

from elevenlabs import ElevenLabs

client = ElevenLabs()

audio = client.music.video_to_music(
    videos=["trailer.mp4"],
    description="Build suspense, then resolve with a warm cinematic finish.",
    tags=["cinematic", "suspenseful", "uplifting"],
    model_id="music_v2",
)

with open("video-score.mp3", "wb") as f:
    for chunk in audio:
        f.write(chunk)

TypeScript

import { ElevenLabsClient } from "@elevenlabs/elevenlabs-js";
import { createReadStream, createWriteStream } from "fs";

const client = new ElevenLabsClient();

const audio = await client.music.videoToMusic({
  videos: [createReadStream("trailer.mp4")],
  description: "Build suspense, then resolve with a warm cinematic finish.",
  tags: ["cinematic", "suspenseful", "uplifting"],
  modelId: "music_v2",
});

audio.pipe(createWriteStream("video-score.mp3"));

cURL

curl -X POST "https://api.elevenlabs.io/v1/music/video-to-music" \
  -H "xi-api-key: $ELEVENLABS_API_KEY" \
  -F "videos=@trailer.mp4" \
  -F "description=Build suspense, then resolve with a warm cinematic finish." \
  -F "tags=cinematic" \
  -F "tags=suspenseful" \
  -F "tags=uplifting" \
  -F "model_id=music_v2" \
  --output video-score.mp3

Constraints from the current API schema:

• Upload 1-10 video files per request
• Keep total combined upload size at or below 200 MB
• Keep total combined video duration at or below 600 seconds
• Use description for high-level musical direction and tags for concise style cues

Composition Plans

music_v2 composition plans are an ordered list of chunks. Each chunk specifies its own text (section label, lyrics, inline cues), duration_ms, positive_styles, negative_styles, and context_adherence (low, medium, or high, default high). Up to 30 chunks per plan, each 3,000–120,000 ms, total length 3 s to 10 minutes.

Generate a plan first, edit it, then compose:

plan = client.music.composition_plan.create(
    prompt="An epic orchestral piece building to a climax",
    music_length_ms=60000,
    model_id="music_v2",
)

# Edit chunks in place
plan["chunks"][0]["text"] = "[Intro]\nQuiet strings rising"

audio = client.music.compose(
    composition_plan=plan,
    model_id="music_v2",
)

const plan = await client.music.compositionPlan.create({
  prompt: "An epic orchestral piece building to a climax",
  musicLengthMs: 60000,
  modelId: "music_v2",
});

plan.chunks[0].text = "[Intro]\nQuiet strings rising";

const audio = await client.music.compose({
  compositionPlan: plan,
  modelId: "music_v2",
});

Or hand-build a plan to control lyrics and style per section:

composition_plan = {
    "chunks": [
        {
            "text": "[Verse]\nWalking down an empty street",
            "duration_ms": 15000,
            "positive_styles": ["pop", "upbeat", "female vocals", "acoustic guitar"],
            "negative_styles": ["dark", "slow"],
            "context_adherence": "high",
        },
        {
            "text": "[Chorus]\nThis is my moment",
            "duration_ms": 15000,
            "positive_styles": ["powerful vocals", "full band"],
            "negative_styles": [],
            "context_adherence": "high",
        },
    ]
}

audio = client.music.compose(composition_plan=composition_plan, model_id="music_v2")

const compositionPlan = {
  chunks: [
    {
      text: "[Verse]\nWalking down an empty street",
      durationMs: 15000,
      positiveStyles: ["pop", "upbeat", "female vocals", "acoustic guitar"],
      negativeStyles: ["dark", "slow"],
      contextAdherence: "high",
    },
    {
      text: "[Chorus]\nThis is my moment",
      durationMs: 15000,
      positiveStyles: ["powerful vocals", "full band"],
      negativeStyles: [],
      contextAdherence: "high",
    },
  ],
};

const audio = await client.music.compose({
  compositionPlan,
  modelId: "music_v2",
});

Put broader characteristics (genre, instrumentation, vocal style) in positive_styles, not in text. The first chunk's styles set the overall tone — include 6–7 styles there.

Output Formats

Use the output_format query parameter on compose, detailed compose, or stream requests to select the generated audio format. auto chooses a model-appropriate MP3 format; for music_v2, it selects mp3_48000_192. Higher-bitrate MP3 options include mp3_48000_240 and mp3_48000_320.

Streaming

For paid plans, stream audio chunks as they are generated instead of waiting for the full file:

from io import BytesIO

stream = client.music.stream(
    prompt="A driving synthwave track with arpeggiated leads",
    music_length_ms=30000,
    model_id="music_v2",
)

buffer = BytesIO()
for chunk in stream:
    if chunk:
        buffer.write(chunk)

const stream = await client.music.stream({
  prompt: "A driving synthwave track with arpeggiated leads",
  musicLengthMs: 30000,
  modelId: "music_v2",
});

const chunks: Buffer[] = [];
for await (const chunk of stream) {
  chunks.push(chunk);
}

Detailed streaming

Use detailed streaming when the application needs generated music metadata while audio is still arriving. POST /v1/music/detailed/stream accepts the same prompt or composition-plan body as detailed compose, streams text/event-stream, and can include word timestamps with with_timestamps.

curl -N -X POST "https://api.elevenlabs.io/v1/music/detailed/stream?output_format=auto" \
  -H "xi-api-key: $ELEVENLABS_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"prompt": "A bright indie pop hook with warm guitars", "music_length_ms": 30000, "model_id": "music_v2", "with_timestamps": true}'

Inpainting

Inpainting edits or extends a stored song by mixing audio reference chunks (unchanged slices of a stored song) with new generation chunks in a single composition plan.

Step 1 — get a song_id, either by storing a fresh generation or uploading existing audio:

# Option A: keep a generation for later editing
result = client.music.compose_detailed(
    prompt="An upbeat pop song with verse and chorus",
    music_length_ms=60000,
    model_id="music_v2",
    store_for_inpainting=True,
)
song_id = result.song_id

# Option B: upload an existing track and extract its plan
uploaded = client.music.upload(
    file=open("my-song.mp3", "rb"),
    extract_composition_plan="music_v2",
)
song_id = uploaded.song_id
composition_plan = uploaded.composition_plan

import { createReadStream } from "fs";

// Option A: keep a generation for later editing
const result = await client.music.composeDetailed({
  prompt: "An upbeat pop song with verse and chorus",
  musicLengthMs: 60000,
  modelId: "music_v2",
  storeForInpainting: true,
});
let songId = result.songId;

// Option B: upload an existing track and extract its plan
const uploaded = await client.music.upload({
  file: createReadStream("my-song.mp3"),
  extractCompositionPlan: "music_v2",
});
songId = uploaded.songId;
const compositionPlan = uploaded.compositionPlan;

Step 2 — compose a plan that references the stored audio and regenerates the part you want to change:

plan = {
    "chunks": [
        {"song_id": song_id, "range": {"start_ms": 0, "end_ms": 30000}},
        {
            "text": "[Chorus]\nWe're rising up tonight",
            "duration_ms": 30000,
            "positive_styles": ["bigger drums", "layered vocals", "anthemic"],
            "negative_styles": ["sparse"],
            "context_adherence": "high",
        },
    ]
}

audio = client.music.compose(composition_plan=plan, model_id="music_v2")

const plan = {
  chunks: [
    { songId, range: { startMs: 0, endMs: 30000 } },
    {
      text: "[Chorus]\nWe're rising up tonight",
      durationMs: 30000,
      positiveStyles: ["bigger drums", "layered vocals", "anthemic"],
      negativeStyles: ["sparse"],
      contextAdherence: "high",
    },
  ],
};

const audio = await client.music.compose({
  compositionPlan: plan,
  modelId: "music_v2",
});

To match the feel of a stored slice without copying it, attach a conditioning_ref (up to 30,000 ms) plus a condition_strength of low, medium, high, or xhigh to a generation chunk. Conditioning placed on the first chunk influences every later chunk.

See API Reference for the full inpainting parameter list.

Content Restrictions

• Cannot reference specific artists, bands, or copyrighted lyrics
• bad_prompt errors include a prompt_suggestion with alternative phrasing
• bad_composition_plan errors include a composition_plan_suggestion

Error Handling

try:
    audio = client.music.compose(prompt="...", music_length_ms=30000)
except Exception as e:
    print(f"API error: {e}")

try {
  const audio = await client.music.compose({
    prompt: "...",
    musicLengthMs: 30000,
  });
} catch (err) {
  console.error("API error:", err);
}

Common errors: 401 (invalid key), 422 (invalid params), 429 (rate limit).

References

• Installation Guide
• API Reference
• Generated Music Registry — read before generating workspace BGM and update after every successful generation