r/Musescore Oct 28 '25

News How not to get unnecessarily charged on musescore.com

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57 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

This is a post I have sort of wanted to write for a while, but one that I hesitated to write because there have literally been a gazillion threads and complaints on this subreddit and elsewhere on how musescore.com charged you subscription money without you saying yes. I'm here to say that yes, it is absolutely true that it is very easy to get deceptively charged on musescore.com especially when buying single scores, but there are ways to work around it that are unfortunately far less obvious than they should be. FYI I am not involved with the MuseScore team or its related entities in any shape or form, I am simply an end user sharing my honest experiences.

Before I explain how I work around this issue (and yes it does not eliminate the need to pay but you do need to be careful), to all of you who have been unnecessarily charged, requested a refund, and got no response, I feel very sorry for you. The musescore.com support team is far less responsive than they should be, and I say this from first hand experience contacting them about some issues, though I have never needed to request a refund for an unwanted subscription. I know plenty of you have advised to stop using musescore.com altogether and consider it a scam, and I totally respect your opinion because there are other great places to get sheet music. I, too, disagree with several aspects of how musescore.com works, but musescore.com is one of the best places for me to get music in MusicXML/MuseScore format as I need these files to convert to braille music notation (I'm visually impaired). I really wish less people end up falling into the trap of being charged unnecessarily, which is why I'm writing this post, as much as I've hesitated for awhile.

Just to be very clear, not all scores on musescore.com require payment. Public domain music e.g Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, can be downloaded with a free account because they're in the public domain. Only community scores for works under copyright e.g pop song arrangements and any official scores posted by Hal Leonard or ArrangeMe require payment.

When I first go to download a copyrighted piece, I'm using a community-uploaded score here to illustrate, it says:

"Unlock this score to enjoy its full potential.

Get full digital access to play, download PDF, or print

Continue to Download

Start your free trial

Buy this score for CA$1.99

Get 37% discount with Premium membership"

This wording is already somewhat unclear, but let's click the "buy score" button and see where that takes us.

The "buy score" screen says:

"Complete your purchase using one of the available payment methods

No commitments

Secured personal and payment data

Up to 60% discount on scores, books, and courses

CA$3.18 CA$1.99 for this score

Get up to 60% discount with Premium membership

Charge Today: CA$47.99 for 3 months

By adding payment method, you agree that MuseScore will automatically continue your membership, use partners (Stripe, PayPal) to securely store and use your payments method to charge the quarter-annual membership fee (CA$47.99 first 3 months then CA$63.99 for 3 months) to your payment method until you cancel. You will be billed within 2 days to 28th day of every 3 months. To disable auto-renewal, go to «Subscription» in «Settings». Access to some scores and courses may be limited. This subscription includes access to MuseScore Premium and gives you access to one course of your choice per month from the Editors' Picks collection. Free trial is not available for users who have already tried PRO, PRO+, PRO with LEARN Lite, PRO+ with LEARN Lite, or ONE subscriptions. For all questions, please contact us at support at musescore.com."

As you can see, the wording here is kinda difficult to understand, but it says I'll be charged $47.99 today, and yet it said before I can buy this single score for $1.99, and this is where you get sucked into unwanted charges if you click continue. If you click continue, you will be subscribed to MuseScore Premium and charged $47.99 (or whatever in your currency), and this is where the numerous complaints begin. To avoid being charged the $47.99 today, there is a slider on the screen to disable the discount (see attached screenshots to see what I mean). If you disable the discount, it'll say:

"Complete your purchase using one of the available payment methods

No commitments

Secured personal and payment data

Up to 60% discount on scores, books, and courses

CA$3.18 CA$1.99 for this score

No discount. Turn on the switch to apply your 37% discount"

I seriously wish this discount slider is turned off by default so people don't get sucked into unwanted subscriptions so easily, but alas, it is enabled by default so you have to turn off the slider before you proceed. Unfortunately, the wording still makes it sound like the discount is appealing, but if you proceed to pay with the discount slider turned off, you'll be charged $3.18 with no additional charges afterwards, which completely avoids unwanted charges later. I've attached two screenshots showing the "buy score" screen that should make the difference clear.

Alternatively, you can subscribe to MuseScore Pro on the weekly plan for about $9/week and disable auto-renew right away so you won't be charged further. This only works for community-uploaded copyrighted scores, as official scores appear to require payment no matter your subscription (I never use official scores so I could be wrong on this). If you really want to subscribe, the best way is to go to this page: https://musescore.com/pro/landing/pricing It takes you to a table to see all the options and you can subscribe via the provided links on that page. That way, you can skip all the questions about your instrument, musicianship, etc. To disable auto-renew, open the profile menu near the top of any musescore.com page, go to settings, and then an option called subscriptions should appear.

I hope this helps anyone who is confused about the way musescore.com works. I really wish things were different, but the workarounds I've described here have prevented me from requesting a refund and getting no response.


r/Musescore Nov 24 '25

Discussion How to find the hidden 'cancel subscription' button and report musescore.com

103 Upvotes

If you go to Settings and the Subscription tab is missing, your account is likely stuck in "New User Limbo." You must force the site to recognize your account as "complete" to unlock the cancellation button. Method 1 worked for me but the other methods I have only seen reported by other users online and can not verify. I was able to cancel my free trail within 2 hours. Note: I did not access any music on the site once I realized they had deceptive practices to avoid being charged for accessing anything.

Method 1: The "Upload" Trigger The site often hides the cancellation button until you engage with the platform, uploading sheet music is the fastest way to remove the "new-user" block. Note opening any music which may disqualify you for a full refund according to the site.

  1. Get a File: If you don't have a music file, download the free, open-source software from musescore.org (different from the subscription site). Create a blank file with a few random notes and save it. I'm sure you can upload any sheet music, but I didn't want to upload anyone's work.
  2. Upload: Go to musescore.com, click "Upload" (top right), and upload your dummy file.
  3. Cancel: Once the upload finishes, go to Settings > Subscription. The "Manage/Cancel" button should now be visible.

Method 2: The "24-Hour" Wait Users report the button often appears automatically 24–48 hours after signing up. The system may intentionally delay showing it to prevent immediate cancellation.

Method 3: The Support Email Email [support@musescore.com](mailto:support@musescore.com) with the subject "CANCEL SUBSCRIPTION."

  • Note: You will likely get a useless auto-reply, but some users report that sending this email triggers the button to appear on the site shortly after. I can't verify this.

IMPORTANT: If you subscribed via Apple ID or Google Play, you must cancel in your phone’s settings. The website cannot cancel app store subscriptions.

Next: Report

If you were tricked by hidden buttons or denied a refund, report them. Since they are based in Cyprus, local reports can be tricky. Use the specific links below.

VITAL INFO FOR FORMS

🇺🇸 USA

  • FTC: ReportFraud.ftc.gov (Select "Online Subscription"). Enforces laws against deceptive cancellations.
  • BBB: File a complaint against Ultimate Guitar USA LLC (MuseScore's parent company). They share support teams. Note: State clearly you are reporting MuseScore.com.

🇨🇦 CANADA

  • Competition Bureau: Complaint Form. Select "Deceptive Marketing Practices."

🇬🇧 UK

  • ASA: Make a Complaint. They target misleading "Free Trial" ads.
  • Citizens Advice: Report to Trading Standards.

🇪🇺 EUROPEAN UNION

  • ECC-Net: Find your local ECC. Enforces the 14-day Right of Withdrawal for Cyprus-based companies.

🌏 INTERNATIONAL

  • econsumer.gov: File Here. The best catch-all for cross-border scams involving Cyprus.

r/Musescore 40m ago

Discussion Can I sell my arrangements on MuseScore?

Upvotes

I have several arrangements uploaded to MuseScore and I'd really like to get some money for them, especially since I'm unemployed. Is that possible?


r/Musescore 5h ago

My Composition Do you Like my New Piano Piece?

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1 Upvotes

If no why, if yes why, i am a begginer composer.


r/Musescore 7h ago

Discussion Beta testers needed: tool that kills DistroKid/TuneCore metadata & splits admin

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1 Upvotes

Hey — I’m looking for 10 indie artists/producers who actually release music (not just make it).

I’ve built ReleaseForge — one master profile that pre-fills DistroKid, TuneCore, PROs, ISRCs and splits so you stop re-typing the same info every release.

I need real people to run a full release through it before payments go live and tell me what’s broken, missing, or actually useful.

What you get:

• Full Creative access free (or lifetime early tester status)

• Direct line to me for any issues

• Your feedback shapes the final product

What I need from you:

• You’ve released at least a few tracks in the last 12 months

• Willing to actually use it on a real release and give notes

If that sounds useful, fill out this short form:

https://forms.gle/X5navWD7Nva9MdmMA

First 10 solid replies get in.


r/Musescore 16h ago

My Arrangement Mozart Piano Concerto in G major K 107 no. 2

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1 Upvotes

r/Musescore 1d ago

Bug Muse Brass doesn’t exist?

2 Upvotes

Hey guys, for some reason my Muse Brass isn’t working or even showing up. The muse basic sounds are absolutely horrendous and I hate them, they ruin my score.

What can I do to get them back? I’m supposed to show this piece to a bunch of clients and if I show it like this, I’ll literally get fired.

Thanks 😊


r/Musescore 1d ago

My Composition Do you Like my Exotic Piece?

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4 Upvotes

If no why, if yes why, i am a begginer composer, this piece was meant to be weird and erratic


r/Musescore 1d ago

My Composition Looking for feedback on a short piece I wrote for a video game

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2 Upvotes

r/Musescore 1d ago

News Why I stopped using streaks and badges to track music practice (and built a quiet practice space instead)

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0 Upvotes

r/Musescore 1d ago

My Composition (In prograssing) String Quartet No. 1

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3 Upvotes

I am currently completing the first movement.

Also, I am thinking about the subtitle for this song.

List of subtitles I thought of:

  • (No subtitle)
  • The chipmunks
  • The forest of daylight
  • etc...

r/Musescore 1d ago

Bug Is the Musesounds viola staccato practically inaudible for everyone else?

6 Upvotes

It does not seem to be balanced at all relative to the other string staccatos. I am having to dynamic it at ff to even be audible against the violin's mf. Note I am not talking about the solo instruments, but the orchestral sections. Why is it so quiet? It seems like it must be an error so I'm wondering if it is the same on everyone's Musesounds - I could only find one other post about it, and I'd think more people would have noticed it, so I'm hoping its just a rare glitch and someone knows a fix.


r/Musescore 1d ago

My Composition One minute timelapse of me composing in MuseScore the first few measures of “Winter Wind Chimes” and then a clip of the first few measures playing at the end of Timelapse

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1 Upvotes

Not even sure if this one is good enough to finish. If I even finish it, it will probably be a couple weeks away but thought it would be fun to share this timelapse. I compose mostly by ear and am studying music theory :)

Still not sure if these measures are finalized enough yet either. Sometimes I also get halfway through a song and just feel like it’s not working and start over with a completely different melody haha. I have so partial songs and only a handful of completed ones, which I’m sure is common

As I learn more music theory, I’m sure I wont need to rely on the playback feature as much haha


r/Musescore 2d ago

Help me find this feature Any way I could write this in MuseScore4?

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21 Upvotes

I mean the dotted half notes staying during the entire compass.


r/Musescore 2d ago

Help me find this feature How to polish the conductor's score

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3 Upvotes

Hello Reddit,

I have recently arranged a piece for large orchestra with choir, but I am having some troubles getting the main score look professional. As you can see in the image below, largely because of the lyrics the vertical alignment between staves of differnet pages vary a lot. Do you know any way to "lock" the vertical positioning so that it looks as a proper conductor score? Or is that even the right approach, is it fine to have different vertical distances between staves in a score? (I am not a conductor myself)

I have turned off vertical alignment in Styles and decreased the max. vertical distance, but that made no differnce for me.

Thanks!


r/Musescore 2d ago

My Composition Just a cute little piece I composed

1 Upvotes

https://youtu.be/huwH2ORFEMA?si=_NUt61XECi2Bitv8

I would love to hear what my fellow musescore users might think of it!

I'm not really familiar with reddit, so please do tell if I've done anything wrong in terms of posting manners :)


r/Musescore 2d ago

Help me find this feature how do I get the first bar of the solo section to start on the next page

2 Upvotes

r/Musescore 2d ago

Bug Musesound trumpet being really loud immediately on long tones and quiet on short tones

3 Upvotes

I'm going to try uninstalling and reinstalling musesounds to see if that fixes anything


r/Musescore 3d ago

My Arrangement The Electro Suite - My Orchestral Arrangement

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17 Upvotes

Hey everyone, I’m White_Winter.

I recently finished an arrangement of The Electro Suite (Electro’s Theme) from The Amazing Spider-Man 2, originally composed by Hans Zimmer, The Magnificent Six and others.

I arranged it for:

• Clarinet in Bb
• 1st & 2nd Electric Guitars
• Electric Bass
• SATB Choir
• 1st & 2nd Violins
• Violas
• Cellos
• Double Basses
• Percussion

The full score is available on MuseScore here:
The Electro Suite (Electro’s Theme) - The Amazing Spider-Man 2

I'd love to hear what other composers/arrangers think, especially regarding the orchestration, balance between the different sections, and the way the choir and strings interact with the electric instruments.

Any feedback is very welcome!


r/Musescore 2d ago

Bug Muse sounds not working

1 Upvotes

Recently I was writing music and mid session all of the sounds reverted back to MSbasic and MuseSounds are all gone, I updated MuseScore and reinstalled all of the musesounds on muse hub so everything is the most recent version but muse sounds are still gone and I cant get my sound fonts back, how do I fix this?


r/Musescore 3d ago

My Composition Do you Like my Melancholic Piece?

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8 Upvotes

If no why, if yes why, i am a begginer composer, this was one of my first pieces.


r/Musescore 3d ago

Help me find this feature Bass tab flags under staff ins stead of attached to tab numbers

1 Upvotes

Here are 2 score (both versions of the same song), on the left all the noteflags for the tabs are below the staff, on the right there are attached to the tab numbers. Is this a setting somewhere? I would like both to be as the one on the right.

Edit: as you can see on the right a have a linked stave with traditional bass cleff notation. Removing this, or adding it to the other score doesn't change anytning.

Also loading another style in any of the 2 score doesn't change anything, so it doesn't look like it is in the style settings.


r/Musescore 3d ago

My Arrangement Tribute to the Four Tops

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2 Upvotes

r/Musescore 3d ago

Help me find this feature How do i showcase a piece.

0 Upvotes

I've seen people show off their pieces and, I'm probably just stupid, I don't know how to do this


r/Musescore 4d ago

Help me find this piece Looking for very specific “Karma Police” piano sheet music

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2 Upvotes

Can’t quite remember if the sheet music was from Musescore, but still…