The Pulse
ElevenLabs Ships Music v2.5 With API Access and Free Downloads
ElevenLabs released Music v2.5 on September 11, making it the default model in ElevenMusic and adding access through ElevenCreative and the ElevenLabs API. Free users receive five lossless downloads per day, while Pro users receive 400 per
AI.info Team ·
ElevenLabs makes Music v2.5 its new default
ElevenLabs released Music v2.5 on September 11, positioning the model as the new default for prompt-based and reference-based generation in ElevenMusic. The company describes the update as an improvement in instrumental realism, layering, movement and consistency across a full track.
Music v2.5 is also available in ElevenCreative and through the ElevenLabs API. Developers can use the model to place music generation inside their own products, while users of ElevenLabs Studio and Flows can add music to video projects or run the music model as part of an automated workflow. The company’s API documentation lists music_v2_5 as a supported model for structured composition plans.
A 47,885-pair test favors the new model
ElevenLabs says it compared Music v2 and Music v2.5 in a blind test using the same prompt and two generated takes in each of 47,885 pairs. Music v2.5 was preferred in a majority of those comparisons, according to the company.
The largest reported difference appears in vocal-led and acoustic-heavy material. ElevenLabs specifically names R&B, soul, hip hop, rock, metal, orchestral and cinematic music as genres where the newer model showed its widest advantage in the internal test. The announcement does not provide the exact preference percentage or a breakdown by genre.
Music v2 remains available. The change makes v2.5 the default rather than removing the earlier model, giving developers and creators a reason to compare outputs or retain existing workflows built around Music v2.
Free users get five lossless downloads each day
The release changes access to finished audio as much as it changes the model. ElevenLabs says lossless downloads are now available on every ElevenMusic plan, including Free. Free users receive five lossless downloads per day, while Pro users receive 400 lossless downloads per month.
The company says creators own the tracks they make in ElevenMusic across all plans. Commercial use is permitted on the Free plan when the creator credits ElevenMusic. Permissions attached to a track remain in place if a user cancels or downgrades, and any future changes to the terms apply only to tracks created after the change.
One restriction applies to tracks that reference another artist’s song. ElevenLabs says downloads are blocked for those tracks, citing the need to protect the rights of artists, labels and publishers whose work is used as a reference.
API access extends the model beyond the music app
Music v2.5 gives ElevenLabs a single model across consumer creation, professional production and developer integrations. ElevenMusic is aimed at creating and developing tracks, ElevenCreative provides tools for downloadable commercial content, and the API lets companies build generation into their own applications.
The API supports more than a single text prompt. ElevenLabs’ documentation describes composition plans as ordered sections with their own lyrics, styles, durations and arrangement controls. Plans can be used to specify song structure, including sections such as verses, choruses and instrumental passages, before sending the composition to Music v2.5 for generation.
That structure matters for products that need repeatable output rather than a one-off song. A developer can generate a plan, adjust individual sections and submit it again, while a video workflow can regenerate the music separately from the rest of a project. The company says Music v2.5 is available now through the API rather than limited to a private preview.
ElevenLabs draws a line around reference tracks
The download restriction places the release inside a broader rights policy. ElevenLabs says its music products were built with artists, labels and publishers, and distinguishes between tracks created from a user’s own prompt and tracks that reproduce or rely on another artist’s song.
That distinction is reflected in the product rules: creators can download and commercially use eligible tracks, but a track based on another artist’s song cannot be taken out of the service. For users working with references, the practical limit is not generation itself but whether the resulting track qualifies for download.
Music v2.5 is available now in ElevenMusic, ElevenCreative and the ElevenLabs API. Existing Music v2 users can continue using the earlier model, while new generations default to v2.5.