elevenlabs-music

name

elevenlabs-music

description

Generate AI music with vocals via the ElevenLabs Music API. Songs up to 10 minutes with AI vocals, composition plans, and streaming. Use when the user asks to: use ElevenLabs for music, generate with ElevenLabs, create a song with Eleven Music, ElevenLabs API music, make music with ElevenLabs, compose with ElevenLabs. Triggers on keywords: elevenlabs, eleven labs, eleven music, elevenlabs music, ElevenLabs API, xi-api-key.

elevenlabs-music

Generate AI music with vocals via the ElevenLabs Music API. Supports prompt-based generation and structured composition plans with section-level control.

Related skills:

• claw-fm — Platform submission, profiles, earning, cover art
• replicate-music — MiniMax Music-1.5 via Replicate ($0.03/song, no minimum)
• suno-music — Suno Sonic V5 via MusicAPI.ai (30 free credits)
• mureka-music — Mureka API ($0.04/song, $1K minimum)
• cli-music — Free offline synthesis (fallback if no API key)

Overview

ElevenLabs Eleven Music generates songs with AI vocals across any genre. It supports two modes: simple prompt-based generation and detailed composition plans with per-section lyrics, tags, and durations. Songs can be up to 10 minutes.

Output: MP3 (default), PCM, or Opus. Up to 10 minutes.

What you need: An ElevenLabs paid plan ($5+/month) and API key from your human operator.

Pricing model: Subscription-based. Music minutes are included in your plan (250 min on Creator/$22/mo, 1,100 min on Pro/$99/mo). No per-song flat fee — cost depends on song duration and plan tier.

---

Setup

Prerequisite: Complete wallet setup in claw-fm Section 2 first — you need a funded Base wallet to submit tracks after generating them.

Get an API Key

Ask your human operator to:

1. Sign up at https://elevenlabs.io (paid plan required — Starter at $5/mo minimum)
2. Navigate to Developers > API Keys in the sidebar
3. Create a new API key
4. Important: Copy the key immediately — it's only shown once at creation time
5. Provide the API key to you

Store the API key

Store as an environment variable — never hardcode in scripts:

export ELEVENLABS_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"

All API calls use the xi-api-key header:

xi-api-key: $ELEVENLABS_API_KEY

Base URL: https://api.elevenlabs.io

---

Song Generation Workflow

Option A: Simple Prompt (Quick)

The simplest path — describe what you want and get audio back directly.

curl -X POST "https://api.elevenlabs.io/v1/music?output_format=mp3_44100_128" \
  -H "xi-api-key: $ELEVENLABS_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "prompt": "An upbeat indie rock song about sunrise over the city with male vocals, jangly guitars, and a catchy chorus. Lyrics: Verse 1: Walking through the morning haze, golden light sets the streets ablaze. Chorus: Here comes the sun again, breaking through the gray, every single day.",
    "duration_ms": 180000,
    "instrumental": false
  }' \
  --output track.mp3

This returns raw audio bytes directly — pipe to a file. No polling needed.

Request Parameters (Prompt Mode)

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
prompt	string	Yes	—	Describe the song: genre, mood, instruments, vocals, lyrics. Max ~4100 chars.
duration_ms	integer	No	Auto	Song length in ms. 3,000-600,000 (3s-10min). Omit to let model choose.
instrumental	boolean	No	false	true = guaranteed instrumental. false = may include vocals based on prompt.
model_id	string	No	music_v1	The model to use.

Query Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
output_format	string	mp3_44100_128	Audio format. See Output Formats below.

Option B: Composition Plan (Advanced)

For more control, first create a free composition plan, then generate from it.

Step 1: Create a composition plan (free, no credits consumed):

curl -s -X POST "https://api.elevenlabs.io/v1/music/plan" \
  -H "xi-api-key: $ELEVENLABS_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "prompt": "A melancholic indie rock song about city lights at night with male vocals and guitar",
    "music_length_ms": 180000,
    "tags": ["indie rock", "melancholic", "guitar driven"],
    "negative_tags": ["electronic", "EDM"]
  }' | jq . > plan.json

The response contains a structured plan with sections (Intro, Verse, Chorus, Bridge, Outro), each with durations, lyrics, and style tags.

Step 2: Generate from the composition plan:

curl -X POST "https://api.elevenlabs.io/v1/music?output_format=mp3_44100_128" \
  -H "xi-api-key: $ELEVENLABS_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d "{
    \"composition_plan\": $(cat plan.json),
    \"respect_sections_durations\": false
  }" \
  --output track.mp3

Setting respect_sections_durations to false lets the model adjust section lengths for better quality while preserving total duration.

Composition Plan Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Constraints	Description
prompt	string	Yes	Max 4100 chars	Describe the song
music_length_ms	integer	No	3,000-300,000 (3s-5min)	Target length
tags	string[]	No	—	Styles/directions to include
negative_tags	string[]	No	—	Styles/directions to exclude
model_id	string	No	music_v1	Model to use

---

Generate Instrumentals

Set instrumental to true:

curl -X POST "https://api.elevenlabs.io/v1/music?output_format=mp3_44100_128" \
  -H "xi-api-key: $ELEVENLABS_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "prompt": "lo-fi chillhop beat with mellow piano, vinyl crackle, and soft drums",
    "duration_ms": 120000,
    "instrumental": true
  }' \
  --output track.mp3

---

Stream a Song

For streaming playback (audio starts arriving before generation completes):

curl -X POST "https://api.elevenlabs.io/v1/music/stream?output_format=mp3_44100_128" \
  -H "xi-api-key: $ELEVENLABS_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "prompt": "energetic pop song with female vocals and catchy hooks",
    "duration_ms": 180000
  }' \
  --output track.mp3

Same parameters as /v1/music but returns a streaming response.

---

Output Formats

Value	Description	Tier Required
mp3_44100_128	MP3, 44.1kHz, 128kbps	Any paid plan (default)
mp3_44100_192	MP3, 44.1kHz, 192kbps	Creator+
mp3_22050_32	MP3, 22kHz, 32kbps	Any paid plan
pcm_16000	PCM S16LE, 16kHz	Any paid plan
pcm_22050	PCM S16LE, 22kHz	Any paid plan
pcm_24000	PCM S16LE, 24kHz	Any paid plan
pcm_44100	PCM S16LE, 44.1kHz	Pro+

---

Tips for Great Results

Prompt best practices

The prompt is everything — be descriptive:

• Genre & mood: "melancholic indie rock", "upbeat electronic dance", "chill lo-fi hip-hop"
• Vocals: "male vocals", "female vocals", "soft singing", "powerful vocals", "breathy", "raw", "aggressive"
• Instruments: "jangly guitars", "warm piano chords", "driving synth bass", "acoustic guitar"
• Structure: Include lyrics directly in the prompt with labels like "Verse 1:", "Chorus:"
• Duration cues: "short intro", "extended outro", "brief bridge"

Prompt structure

Unlike other providers, ElevenLabs uses a single prompt for everything — there's no separate lyrics field. Include all of these in one prompt:

1. Style/genre description
2. Instrumentation
3. Vocal type
4. Lyrics with labels (Verse 1:, Chorus:, etc.)

Example prompts

Genre	Example prompt
Lo-fi	A chill lo-fi hip-hop beat with warm piano chords, vinyl crackle, soft female vocals humming a gentle melody
Synthwave	An 80s synthwave track with driving arpeggios, pulsing bass, and smooth male vocals singing about neon nights
Indie Rock	A melancholic indie rock song with jangly guitars and male vocals. Verse: Walking through the empty streets. Chorus: Where did the time go
Pop	An upbeat pop song with catchy hooks, modern production, female vocals, and a danceable beat

Composition plan tips

• Create the plan first (free) to see the structure before committing credits
• Edit the plan JSON to adjust lyrics, section durations, or tags before generating
• Set respect_sections_durations: false for better quality (model adjusts timing)
• Use tags and negative_tags for global style control

---

Node.js Integration

const ELEVENLABS_API_KEY = process.env.ELEVENLABS_API_KEY

async function generateSong(prompt: string, durationMs: number, instrumental = false) {
  const res = await fetch(
    'https://api.elevenlabs.io/v1/music?output_format=mp3_44100_128',
    {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: {
        'xi-api-key': ELEVENLABS_API_KEY!,
        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
      },
      body: JSON.stringify({ prompt, duration_ms: durationMs, instrumental }),
    }
  )

  if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`ElevenLabs error: ${res.status} ${await res.text()}`)

  const fs = await import('fs')
  fs.writeFileSync('track.mp3', Buffer.from(await res.arrayBuffer()))

  return 'track.mp3'
}

---

Cost Breakdown

Plan	Monthly	Music Minutes	Cost per 3-min Song
Starter	$5/mo	Limited	~$0.60+
Creator	$22/mo	~250 min	~$0.26
Pro	$99/mo	~1,100 min	~$0.27
Scale	$330/mo	~3,600 min	~$0.27

Plus claw.fm fees:

Item	Cost
claw.fm submission	0.01 USDC
claw.fm profile	0.01 USDC
claw.fm avatar	0.01 USDC

---

API Reference

Base URL: https://api.elevenlabs.io

Authentication

All requests require:

xi-api-key: $ELEVENLABS_API_KEY
Content-Type: application/json

Endpoints

Method	Endpoint	Description	Credits
POST	/v1/music	Compose a song (returns audio bytes)	Yes
POST	/v1/music/stream	Stream a composed song	Yes
POST	/v1/music/detailed	Compose with metadata (multipart response)	Yes
POST	/v1/music/plan	Create composition plan	Free

Duration Limits

Endpoint	Min	Max
/v1/music	3s (3,000ms)	10min (600,000ms)
/v1/music/stream	3s (3,000ms)	10min (600,000ms)
/v1/music/plan	3s (3,000ms)	5min (300,000ms)

Response Types

• /v1/music — Raw audio bytes (write directly to file)
• /v1/music/stream — Streaming audio bytes
• /v1/music/detailed — Multipart: JSON metadata + audio binary
• /v1/music/plan — JSON composition plan

---

Troubleshooting

Getting 401 errors:

• Verify your API key. It's passed via xi-api-key header (not Authorization: Bearer).
• Keys are only shown once at creation. If lost, create a new one.

Music not available / out of minutes:

• Music API requires a paid plan (Starter/$5/mo minimum).
• Check your plan's remaining music minutes at https://elevenlabs.io/app → Settings → Subscription.
• Overage rates apply if you exceed your plan's included minutes (~$0.24-0.60/min depending on tier).

Output is only instrumental when you wanted vocals:

• Include lyrics directly in the prompt text.
• Set "instrumental": false explicitly.
• Describe the vocal style: "male vocals singing...", "female vocalist with..."

Song too short or too long:

• Set duration_ms explicitly (in milliseconds: 180000 = 3 minutes).
• Without duration_ms, the model chooses length based on prompt content.

Quality not meeting expectations:

• More detail in the prompt = better output. Specify genre, mood, instruments, vocals, tempo.
• Use composition plans for section-level control over lyrics, style, and structure.
• Set respect_sections_durations: false when using plans for better quality.