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Updated November 2, 2026

How to write a song in The Sims 4

The skill level to write a song in The Sims 4, the instruments that work, how to license songs at the mailbox, royalties, and lyrics.

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How do you write a song in The Sims 4?

Raise one instrument skill to level 8. Then click the instrument and pick Write Song. The guitar, the piano, and the violin all work in the base game. The pipe organ works if you own the Vampires pack.

At level 9, your Sim can license the song. Click the mailbox and pick License Song. The song then pays royalties for a time. Your Sim can license one song a week for each instrument.

A song takes about 12 game hours to write. Your Sim can stop and come back to it later. An Inspired Sim writes better songs, so set the mood first.

We checked these steps against the EA help pages and seven guides on November 2, 2026. EA does not publish the royalty amounts, so those numbers come from fan guides.

What level do you need to write a song in Sims 4?

Level 8 of the instrument skill. Each instrument has its own skill, so a guitar at level 8 does not let you write for the piano.

SkillWriteLicensePack
GuitarLevel 8: write, scrap, and name songsLevel 9Base game
PianoLevel 8Level 9Base game
ViolinLevel 8Level 9Base game
Pipe OrganLevel 8, and more songs at level 10Not stated by EAVampires
SingingLevel 8: write lyrics at a microphoneLevel 9: license lyricsCity Living

The levels in the table come from the EA help pages. Our Sims 4 skills database lists Write Song at level 6 for the guitar. If your guitar Sim has the option before level 8, use it. Plan for level 8 to be safe.

Who can learn an instrument?

EA says that children can build the Piano skill. The Guitar skill starts at teen age. So a child can start on the piano early, and a teen can pick any base game instrument.

Can you use DJ Mixing or a music station?

Not for the same kind of song. EA lists custom mixtapes at levels 8 to 10 of DJ Mixing, from Get Together. It does not list Write Song. Some fan guides, such as Snooty Sims and Alphr, put DJ Mixing on their lists. We follow the EA page.

The Media Production skill is a 5 level skill from Get Famous. You use it at the Mix Master Music Station. Alphr says that you can release a track at level 5.

How do you level up an instrument fast?

Practice every day while your Sim is Inspired. The guides agree that the Inspired mood gives the fastest skill gain. EA says that Creative Sims are inspired more often.

  1. Buy a guitar, a piano, or a violin in Buy Mode.
  2. Make your Sim Inspired. Ultimate Sims Guides suggests a thoughtful shower or a look at a painting.
  3. Click the instrument and pick Practice. Later, play songs to keep the skill gain going.
  4. Keep the needs of your Sim high, so that the Sim does not stop to eat or sleep.

Read our chart of emotions and skills to see which mood helps each skill. The list of Sims 4 moodlets shows how to get Inspired.

Is there a cheat for the music skills?

Yes. Type testingcheats true first. Then type stats.set_skill_level major_guitar 8. Change the skill name for an other instrument. EA lists major_piano, major_violin, major_pipeorgan, and major_singing.

Open the cheat box with Ctrl + Shift + C on PC. On PlayStation, press R1, R2, L1, and L2 together. On Xbox, press RB, RT, LB, and LT. See the skill level cheat and all the Sims 4 cheats.

How long does it take to write a song in Sims 4?

About 12 game hours. Sims Community, Alphr, and Ultimate Sims Guides all give this number. Most Sims cannot work that long in one go.

How do you finish a song that your Sim stopped?

Look in the inventory of the Sim. Ultimate Sims Guides, Destructoid, and GGRecon say that an unfinished song goes there as sheet music. Sims Community calls it a USB stick. Click it to keep writing.

Do not start again from the instrument. That starts a new song, and the old song stays unfinished in the inventory.

Why can my Sim not write a song?

Check these points first:

  • The skill is lower than level 8 for this exact instrument.
  • The Sim is busy. Cancel the other actions in the queue, and fill the needs of the Sim.
  • The instrument is not on the home lot, or an other Sim uses it.

How do you license a song in Sims 4?

Reach level 9 of the same instrument. Then follow these steps:

  1. Finish the song first.
  2. Walk your Sim to the mailbox of the home lot.
  3. Click the mailbox and pick License Song.
  4. Pick the instrument and the song.

Ultimate Sims Guides and Destructoid say that you can license one song a week for each instrument. A Sim with level 9 in guitar and in piano can license two songs a week.

How much do royalties pay?

EA gives no amount. The fan guides give ranges. Ultimate Sims Guides says §100 to §1,000 a day on one page. Its guitar page says §100 to §500 a day. The guides do not agree on how long the payments last.

  • Ultimate Sims Guides: every day at 10 AM.
  • Sims Community: every day, for a period of time.
  • Snooty Sims and Alphr: for the whole week, from the next morning.
  • GGRecon: every week.

Royalties are slow money, but they add up. For faster money, read how to make money in The Sims 4.

Do songs help with fame?

Yes, with Get Famous. EA and Sims Community say that a song you write or license raises Fame. Read how to become famous in The Sims 4 for the rest of that pack.

How do you write lyrics in Sims 4?

You need the Singing skill from City Living. EA says that Singing level 8 unlocks Write Lyrics at a microphone. At level 9, your Sim licenses lyrics at the mailbox, as with songs.

Sims Community adds that lyrics need level 3 in any instrument as well. EA says that a Sim with level 3 in Guitar or Piano can sing and play at the same time.

Which career uses songs?

The Entertainer career. EA says that the Guitar skill is needed for its music branch. It is also needed for the Musical Genius aspiration. See every job in the list of Sims 4 careers, and read how to get a job in The Sims 4.

Can you write a song in LifeSim?

Not with a skill bar. LifeSim is our game, a free AI life sim in your browser and on iPhone. It has no instrument skill from 1 to 10, and no License Song button.

In LifeSim, you live one life in a real city on a 3D map of Earth. You say what your character does in your own words. The people of the city talk back and remember you. If you want a musician story, you play it in words. If you want levels and royalties, The Sims 4 is the better fit.

You can also bring your Sims along. Import a Sims 4 household, or read LifeSim vs The Sims.

Questions

Can children write songs in Sims 4?

A child can build the Piano skill. EA does not say on the piano page that a child can license songs. Wait until teen age to be sure.

Can you write a song on the guitar and play it on the piano?

No. Each instrument has its own skill and its own songs.

How do you stop royalties?

We found no page that explains this. The royalties end by themselves after a time, in the fan guides.

Does a better mood make a better song?

The guides say that Inspired is best. No page that we opened gives the effect of the mood on royalties.

What pack is the pipe organ in?

Vampires. See all the packs in the Sims 4 pack list.

What we could not verify

  • The royalty amount and how long it lasts. EA does not publish them, and the fan guides do not agree.
  • The guitar level for Write Song. EA says level 8. Our database says level 6.
  • The pipe organ licence level. EA does not state it.
  • Whether DJ Mixing or Media Production tracks pay royalties.
  • The EA forum and Reddit threads. They did not open for us.

More Sims guides

Sources

New to life sims? Read what a life simulator is, or play LifeSim, a free online life simulator on a real map of Earth.

Sims 4 database

Look it up in the Sims 4 database, read from the game files: cheats, traits, careers, moodlets, deaths, packs, challenges, recipes, popular mods, pack finder, and the death odds calculator.

On this topic: testingcheats, motherlode, and Genius trait.

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