What should you check before buying an AI song?

Start with a deliverable, not a credit count

Write the job in one sentence: “I need a song for a family video,” or “I need a vocal demo I can take into an editor.” Those jobs have different requirements. A playable link may be enough for a private gift. A video project needs a file you can import. A production session may need separate vocals and instruments.

Here is an original fictional brief for the checks below: a creator is making a 45-second bicycle-repair film. The voiceover explains the repair; the song should build underneath it and finish cleanly at the closing title. This is a planning example, not a generated track or a comparison test.

For that project, a great full-length chorus is not enough. The creator needs an export their editor accepts, usable music under speech, a workable ending and permission appropriate to where the film will appear. Decide those requirements before comparing plans.

Check the preview against the promise

Listen to real examples, then use a preview from your own brief if the service offers one. Showcase tracks demonstrate selected results; they do not predict your result. If there is no personal preview, record that uncertainty in your decision rather than treating marketing copy as an audition.

Ask whether you are buying access to the recording behind the preview or requesting a new performance. Also ask what happens when an important word lies outside the excerpt. The phrase “full song” does not answer either question.

Gana’s owner has confirmed that its current purchase flow unlocks the same full recording behind the preview. Separate generation is the legacy flow. This is a supplied product fact, not a new checkout test for this guide. See the dated Gana facts and availability page.

Once you can hear the complete result, check the opening, every verse, transitions and the ending. For the bicycle-film example, listen with the voiceover too. A voice that sounds clear alone may compete with the narration. Keep a timestamped note such as “0:18: vocal enters over the wrench explanation,” rather than “make it better.”

Separate generation, download and editing

Ask three separate questions: Can I generate it? Can I download it? Can I edit the part that needs changing? Do not assume one paid allowance covers all three.

A current example shows why: Suno’s download help page, checked October 12, 2026, lists monthly download credits separately and describes a Studio exception. Its file-format guide says WAV access depends on plan and is available on the website, while mobile downloads default to MP3. These are documented terms, not tests we performed or a claim that another service is better.

• File: Is the required MP3, WAV or other format included on the device you will use?
• Parts: If you need separate vocals or instruments, are stems available for this song and included in the purchase?
• Revision: Does changing one line edit this recording, create another performance, or use another allowance?
• Access: What remains playable or downloadable after a subscription ends?

For the film, “I can hear the track in the app” is not the same as “I have imported the file into my video project.” Test that handoff with a permitted sample where possible. If a requirement is undocumented, ask support before treating it as included.

Calculate the cost of an accepted result

A plan’s generation allowance is a capacity limit, not a count of songs you will use. Keep the purchase decision tied to an outcome:

Cost per usable result = actual project spend ÷ results that pass your checklist.

Original arithmetic example: if a hypothetical project costs $12 and two recordings meet the brief, that is $6 per usable result. If none passes, there is no successful-result cost to report yet; you have spent $12 without an accepted result. These are invented numbers to explain the calculation, not Gana prices or measured success rates.

Before paying, record the price, renewal interval, included generation and download allowances, any extra revision costs, and what happens to unused credits. Count only costs you actually incur. If you allocate part of a subscription to this project, state that allocation instead of presenting it as an invoice.

Cancellation and refunds are separate questions. For Apple-billed subscriptions, Apple provides cancellation instructions. Its refund page describes requesting a refund for eligible purchases; a request is not an approval. Use the billing provider shown on your receipt, and do not assume every song service has the same policy.

Check intended use and privacy in writing

Describe the use precisely: a private gift, a portfolio, a client film, a sponsored post or a released track. Find the service’s current terms covering that use, including the plan and any download conditions. Save the relevant link and date. A download button or a paid receipt alone does not answer the permission question.

This checklist does not determine copyright ownership or clear anyone else’s lyrics, voice or recording. If a client needs a specific assurance that the documentation does not establish, resolve that before promising delivery.

For personal briefs, check what goes to providers, what is retained and how deletion works. For sharing, distinguish public posting from an unlisted link and find out whether access can be revoked. A recipient may still have made a copy; revocation should not be treated as recalling every copy. Gana’s privacy policy and terms are the relevant starting points for its own workflow.

Copy this buying worksheet

For the fictional film, a useful stop condition is: “Do not buy a larger plan until I know I can export the required file and make the ending work.” That is more actionable than hoping additional generations will solve an undocumented limitation.

After purchase, mark each requirement as passed, failed or still unknown. Keep rejected results and the reason if you are evaluating a workflow. A hand-picked favorite can show what is possible; it cannot establish reliability.

Need a better starting brief? Use the prompt revision guide or the guide to turning your own lyrics into a song. To audition Gana’s published examples, visit the public recordings.

Sources and how this guide was made

Prepared by Gana with AI-assisted research and writing. The worksheet, film scenario and cost example are original illustrations. No paid generation, export comparison, purchase or success-rate experiment was run for this update. Vendor and Apple help pages were checked October 12, 2026; features and terms can change. The advice applies to Gana too.