ElevenMusic v2.5: prompts, Audio Reference, editing, downloads and ownership in September 2026
ElevenLabs released Music v2.5 on September 11, 2026 and says it is now the default for prompted and reference generation in ElevenMusic. The platform combines text prompting with Audio Reference and post-generation editing, but reference-based downloads have an important restriction.
Use text prompts for a clean original brief and Audio Reference only when you have the necessary rights. For downloads, streaming and commercial use, check the current Model-Specific Terms for your plan: ElevenLabs’ September v2.5 announcement and its current legal table do not fully agree.
What v2.5 adds to the current workflow
ElevenLabs describes v2.5 as improving instrument realism, layering and overall cohesion. Its documentation says Music v2/v2.5 support prompted generation, composition plans, Audio Reference and inpainting/editing workflows.
Audio Reference is guidance, not a generic remix button
ElevenLabs says Audio Reference accepts a short uploaded track of about 30 seconds to guide sound, mood, instrumentation and production. It also says every upload is screened for copyright compliance and that the feature is not simply a genre-transfer/remix tool.
Duration and export
ElevenLabs’ current API and composition-plan documentation allow total music duration from 3 seconds up to 10 minutes and support MP3/WAV output. One overview page still shows the older 5-minute figure, so ElevenLabs’ own documentation is not fully synchronized. Separately, the v2.5 announcement, last updated September 20, says Free gets five lossless downloads per day and Pro gets 400 per month. However, the current Model-Specific Terms table says Free downloads are not permitted and lists different plan limits. Treat the legal plan table as the controlling reference for release decisions and the current API contract as the technical duration limit.
Ownership and the artist-reference restriction
The v2.5 announcement says users own what they make on every plan and describes commercial use on Free with attribution. The current Model-Specific Terms make a separate distinction about permitted uses: Free and Starter show streaming rights as prohibited, while Creator and higher self-serve plans show streaming rights as allowed. The Music Terms state that Model-Specific Terms take precedence in a conflict. Ownership and permission to distribute are therefore not the same question.
The current API prompt limit is 4,100 characters
ElevenLabs' current Music API documents a maximum of 4,100 characters for a plain text prompt. The same endpoint also accepts a structured composition plan, but the two inputs are alternatives rather than something to stack together. The API currently allows 3,000 to 600,000 ms when generation is driven by a prompt.
ElevenMusic v2.5 is current and capable, but its public launch article and current legal plan table conflict on some Free-plan download and usage details. For monetization or streaming, verify the Model-Specific Terms for your plan immediately before release.