What Is AIVA? The AI Music Composer Explained (2025)

Updated at: 2025-08-12 11:37:55

Welcome to the world of AIVA — the Artificial Intelligence Virtual Artist. Launched in 2016, AIVA was the first AI “composer” officially recognized by a music society (SACEM), and today it powers personalized music generation across genres from cinematic orchestral to ambient and pop.

Whether you’re a filmmaker searching for a custom soundtrack, a content creator in need of royalty‑free music, or a developer looking to integrate adaptive audio into your app, AIVA offers a compelling blend of automation, quality, and legal clarity.

This article explores what AIVA really is, how it works, what you get in each plan, and whether it could be your go‑to AI composer—or if you’d benefit from pairing it with other tools.

What Is AIVA? Origins, Mission & Recognition

AIVA stands for Artificial Intelligence Virtual Artist. It is an AI-powered music composition tool that was founded in 2016 in Luxembourg by a team of musicians and engineers. The platform was developed with one clear mission:

“To compose emotional soundtrack music using artificial intelligence.

What makes AIVA historically significant is that it became the first AI ever recognized as a composer by a professional rights organization—the Société des Auteurs, Compositeurs et Éditeurs de Musique (SACEM) in France. This recognition granted AIVA the ability to own copyright for its compositions, which was a groundbreaking step in the intersection of AI and the creative arts.

AIVA originally focused on classical and cinematic music, but it has since expanded into other genres such as pop, jazz, ambient, and lo-fi. Its compositions have been used in:

  • Short films
  • Video games
  • Commercials
  • Educational videos
  • Background scores for corporate media

Backed by years of machine learning research, AIVA is now one of the most respected AI music generation platforms, particularly for users who need emotionally rich, royalty-free, and semi-customizable music without composing it manually.

How AIVA Works: Technology Behind the Music

At its core, AIVA uses advanced deep learning algorithms trained on a rich dataset of historical musical scores—particularly from classical composers like Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven. By analyzing structure, harmony, rhythm, and melody from thousands of compositions, AIVA learned how to generate music that sounds not only technically correct, but emotionally expressive.

Here’s a breakdown of how AIVA’s composition process works:

Style Modeling

AIVA lets users choose from predefined musical styles such as:

  • Cinematic orchestral
  • Pop
  • Jazz
  • Electronic
  • Ambient Once a style is selected, AIVA uses a style-transfer model to guide the composition’s mood, instrumentation, and structure.

AI Composition Engine

After receiving input from the user (such as key, tempo, and genre), AIVA’s neural network generates a full composition. This includes:

  • Chord progressions
  • Melody lines
  • Rhythmic structure
  • Instrumentation arrangements

The engine doesn’t just replicate—it synthesizes original ideas that align with traditional composition techniques.

Score Generation & Export

Once the track is composed, users can:

  • View the full musical score (sheet music)
  • Download MIDI or WAV files
  • Make manual edits or variations This makes AIVA especially valuable for composers and musicians who want AI assistance, not just a finished audio file.

Feedback Loop & Learning

As users generate and refine tracks, AIVA improves over time. It adapts to user preferences and continually evolves to generate more personalized results.

Key Features & Core Functionality of AIVA

AIVA offers a robust set of tools designed to assist users at various levels of musical knowledge—from composers looking for inspiration to content creators in need of ready-to-use soundtracks. Its strength lies in balancing automation with user control.

Genre and Style Presets

AIVA provides a diverse selection of musical styles and genres, including:

  • Cinematic orchestral
  • Jazz
  • Pop
  • Ambient
  • Electronic
  • Fantasy, adventure, or romantic tones Users can quickly select a style, and AIVA will generate music that fits the emotional and structural parameters of that genre.

Custom Track Settings

When creating a track, you can define:

  • Key signature
  • Time signature
  • Tempo (BPM)
  • Instrument preferences
  • Track length These settings give users the ability to guide the composition toward a desired musical direction without needing formal training.

Sheet Music and MIDI Export

AIVA doesn't just generate audio—it also provides:

  • Printable sheet music (PDF)
  • Editable MIDI files for use in DAWs (e.g., FL Studio, Logic Pro, Ableton) This is ideal for composers who want to further develop the AI-generated pieces or integrate them into larger musical works.

Track Editing and Variation Tools

Users can make on-platform edits to the AI compositions:

  • Change tempo or key
  • Adjust arrangement or instrumentation
  • Regenerate sections while keeping the rest intact This hybrid approach—AI-assisted with human touch—makes AIVA stand out from fully automated platforms.

Timeline Interface

AIVA’s user-friendly timeline allows users to visualize musical structure:

  • Sections like intro, buildup, climax, and outro are clearly marked
  • Users can edit or loop specific sections
  • Seamless for building custom intros or looping background scores

Royalty-Free Licensing

All tracks generated under paid plans are royalty-free and safe for use in:

  • YouTube videos
  • Commercial ads
  • Podcasts
  • Games
  • Films No additional licensing is required, which is a major benefit for creators focused on speed and legal safety.

AIVA Pricing Plans & Licensing Explained (2025 Edition)

AIVA provides a transparent pricing structure tailored to individuals, educators, and businesses alike. Plans are billed either monthly or annually (annual billing includes a discount). Here’s how they compare:

Free (Forever)

  • Cost: €0/month, billed monthly or annually with no credit card required
  • Licensing: Non-commercial only — compositions remain under AIVA’s copyright, and attribution is required
  • Limitations:Up to 3 downloads/monthTrack duration capped at 3 minutesFormats: MP3 and MIDI only This tier is ideal for exploring AIVA or creating music for personal, non-monetized projects.

Standard Plan

  • €11/month (billed annually with a discount) or €?? if billed monthly
  • Licensing: Limited commercial use — allowed on platforms like YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, and Instagram; no attribution required
  • Features:15 downloads/monthTrack duration up to 5 minutesFormat support: MP3 and MIDI Recommended for social media creators or educators who need royalty-free tracks with modest usage limits.

Pro Plan

  • €33/month (billed annually with discount) or higher if billed monthly
  • Licensing: Full copyright ownership — user owns rights and can monetise without restrictions
  • Features:Up to 300 downloads/monthTrack durations up to 5 minutes 30 secondsFull file export, including high‑quality WAV in addition to MP3 and MIDI Designed for professionals—filmmakers, game developers, agencies—who need robust rights and versatile output formats.

Who Should Use AIVA? Use Cases by Role and Industry

AIVA’s flexible interface, customizable outputs, and licensing options make it appealing to a wide variety of users—from beginner creators to professional studios. Below are the key audiences who can benefit most from AIVA’s AI-powered music composition capabilities:

Content Creators (YouTubers, Streamers, Podcasters)

AIVA is a powerful tool for creators who need quick, emotionally engaging music to accompany their content. Whether you're producing a cinematic vlog, an educational podcast, or a branded short for social media, AIVA allows:

  • Fast generation of mood-specific music
  • Easy integration of background soundtracks
  • Royalty-free usage under paid plans

It removes the risk of copyright strikes while saving hours spent searching for stock music libraries.

Filmmakers and Video Producers

For narrative media, AIVA offers orchestral and cinematic styles that adapt well to emotional cues. With the Pro plan, filmmakers can:

  • Customize tempo, key, and instrumentation to match specific scenes
  • Export high-quality WAV files and editable MIDI tracks
  • Own full commercial rights for wide distribution

Whether it’s a short film, documentary, or commercial, AIVA’s music engine can act as a virtual assistant composer.

Game Developers

Video game creators can use AIVA to:

  • Generate looping tracks for menus, battle scenes, or ambient worlds
  • Export MIDI to fine-tune sound in game engines
  • License music without complex negotiations

For indie devs or small studios, it offers affordable access to adaptive audio without needing a full-time composer.

Musicians and Composers

While AIVA is an AI tool, musicians can use it to:

  • Get inspiration for melody lines or chord progressions
  • Export and edit MIDI files in their DAW
  • Collaborate with AI to overcome creative blocks

It’s especially useful for hybrid workflows—where AI drafts a base and the human adds emotion and nuance.

Educators and Students

Music educators and learners benefit from AIVA through:

  • Exposure to different composition styles
  • Hands-on experience with orchestration, harmony, and form
  • Sheet music and MIDI files for analysis or rearrangement

The Student plan provides access at discounted rates, making it a practical learning companion.

Marketing Teams and Agencies

For ad creatives and brand marketers, AIVA helps deliver sound that matches brand tone and campaign goals—without licensing hassles. Use cases include:

  • Branded explainer videos
  • Product demos
  • Background music for reels or events

With full rights and WAV export in the Pro plan, AIVA enables fast turnarounds and sound that feels unique.

Conclusion

AIVA is not just another AI music generator—it’s a sophisticated tool built on deep musical knowledge, designed for creators who value emotion, structure, and artistic depth in their soundtracks. From cinematic scores to classical piano pieces, AIVA delivers music that feels thoughtfully composed rather than simply stitched together.

Its biggest strengths lie in:

  • Compositional control (key, tempo, structure)
  • High-quality MIDI and sheet music exports
  • Flexible licensing for both personal and commercial use
  • Recognition as a legitimate creative entity in the world of music

Whether you're a filmmaker, composer, educator, or content creator, AIVA offers a unique blend of automation and artistry that can save time while inspiring new creative directions.

Looking for More Than Music? Try Vozart.ai

If you're seeking a more all-in-one creative platform—where you can go beyond just music generation to include features like:

  • AI voice cloning
  • Lyrics-to-music composition
  • Vocal remover and stem splitter
  • Real-time MIDI editing and music extension

Then Vozart.ai might be the better fit. It’s designed for creators who want not just soundtracks, but complete control over every layer of their musical content—backed by powerful AI tools and full royalty-free rights.