Background Music Licensing FAQ: Everything explained to detail

Everything you need to know about Music Licensing.

Below you will find an overview of the different licenses and subscriptions offered on the Internet for Royalty-Free music. We have compiled the best companies so that you can choose the one that best suits your project and situation.

If you have more questions -we know that this industry is a bit complicated- you will find below a section of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ.) or you can write us through the contact form and we will answer you in just a few hours.

For creators and agencies:

Music for Youtube, social media, ads, products, cinema…

From

$16.50/month

Envato Elements

Ideal for products: apps, video games, audiobooks, websites…

Perfect for YouTube and other uses on the Internet

It is not possible to use your music in broadcasts, television, radio or cinema.

From

13€/month

Epidemic Sound

Ideal for Youtube and Social Media

Pricing depends on the size of your Youtube channel

They also offer solutions for advertising agencies and companies.

From

$16.60/month

Artlist

Ideal for the vast majority of Internet use cases

Payment is annual rather than monthly

New songs are constantly added to the platform every week

From

$15/song

Audiojungle

Songs are purchased individually

Perfect for TV or Radio broadcasts

Ideal for Movies and Film Festivals

5 different license types depending on use

For Physical Businesses:

Background streaming music for stores, restaurants…

From

26.99€/month

Soundtrack Your Brand

Spotify for Business is called ‘Soundtrack Your Brand’.

30 million music tracks available

Ability to schedule songs or playlists and control multiple locations

Prevents saturation of customers and employees

From

$17.95/month

Cloud Cover Music

Famous and well-known music, all the genres

Price depending on the number of premises

Online radio stations, 24 hours a day

Available only in USA and Canada

FAQ.

Frequently Asked Questions

I have a company, what is my best option?

Epidemic Sound offers an ideal subscription for companies with less than 50 employees, so you can use all the music you might need on the Internet and social media.
If you’re looking for streaming background music for stores or physical locations, then our recommendation is Soundtrack Your Brand, also called Spotify for Business.

What happens to my videos if I cancel my subscription?

All videos posted during an active subscription will be cleared and will not be claimed after cancellation.
If a video is published after the subscription period has ended it will be subject to copyright claims.

Do I have to buy a license for every video I make?

With Audiojungle, yes, but with all the other monthly subscription options we show you above, no. You will have unlimited downloads and unlimited uses in all your own channels, videos or products.

I’m a Youtuber, what service is right for me?

Epidemic Sound has a specialized service for Youtubers, called ‘Creator Subscription’ with +30.000 songs and sound effects, so you can monetize your videos on Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitch.

Will Youtube send me a warning for using this music?

No, all the music from these services is licensed so you will not have any problem using it in your videos and you don’t have to worry about the Content ID or any other warning. However, upload your videos as long as you have an active subscription!

Can I try the services before subscribing?

Of course! Click on the button of each one, because in all of them you can listen to their music and navigate between the different categories. In addition, Soundtrack Your Brand and Jamendo offer a free trial month for their services.

What is the cheapest service?

The service with the best quality/price is undoubtedly Envato Elements. You can find thousands of songs and sound effects for only $16.50 per month (with unlimited downloads) and you can cancel your subscription at any time.

I need music for television, radio or cinema…

Your best option then is to go to Audiojungle, since it offers some licenses called ‘Broadcast’, specific for this use cases. In this marketplace, you will find more than half a million songs classified by genre and a multitude of sound effects.

Questions and Answers classified by topics:

Write us if you don’t find your answer here!

If I play music in my place, will I be exempt from paying BMI, ASCAP or other PROs?

If you reside in the United States or Canada, the service offered by Soundtrack Your Brand exempts you from paying royalties to any Performance Rights Organization (PRO).

If you reside outside the US and Canada, Jamendo Licensing does exempt paying royalties to Copyright societies such as the SGAE in Spain, for example.

I just need the song for a Youtube video. What license should I buy?

If you are only going to create just one video and don’t want to pay a monthly subscription, the best option is then Audiojungle. Select the ‘Standard‘ license of the song you want to use. That’s the cheapest license and it will work for all use cases on the Internet. Remember that if you make two videos with the same song, you will also have to acquire two licenses.

Why is the music NOT free or Creative Commons?

Because free music on the Internet (under the Creative Commons licenses) have many regulations and mostly they cannot be used for professional projects without crediting the author. They don’t give complete peace of mind to those who want to use them in social media, corporate videos or big advertisements and their quality is sometimes not up to the standards. In addition, you constantly risk your videos being removed from platforms such as Youtube.

Is there a way to choose the best music for my video?

Yes! There are a few basic rules that will help you a lot if you know them and make your life easier, you can read them in this article that we wrote recently.

I just need music for Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat...

Then go to Envato Elements or Epidemic Sound. Either service covers all uses of their music on all social media on the Internet.

I need music for a Television (TV) or Radio ad.

Then you should go to Audiojungle and choose between one of these licenses depending on the estimated audience size:

Music Broadcast (1 million) License – Up to 1 million people audience size.
Music Broadcast (10 million) License – Up to 10 million audience size.
Music Broadcast & Film License – Unlimited audience size.

And if you have any question, just contact us! 🙂

I just need sound effects...

Then we wrote for you this amazing article about sound effects, explaining where you can find them, both free and paid.

What’s the difference between royalty-free music, non copyrighted music and Creative Commons music?

That is a long answer (but a very interesting one) so we wrote a full article about it. You can read it here: What is royalty-free music?

Why Royalty-Free music is so expensive?

Paying $16.50 a month for unlimited songs is just amazing.

You pay this only once a month, not every time your video/advertisement is shown. If you compare that with a single song on iTunes for example, that costs $0.99, maybe it seems expensive, but this comparison has no sense. While that song is just for your own listening, the Royalty-Free song is going to be used in another end product that can reach millions of people and (even) make money.

So, Royalty-Free music is not an end product, just a piece of another bigger one.

How much business software costs? Or footage? Or a premium WordPress theme?

You can compare the license prices to those products.

Even the most expensive license or subscription is really cheap when you think about it: you can use the music in a TV advertisement or a big movie!… while hiring a composer or a band will have cost you thousands of dollars.

Prices of royalty-free music are low because of scalability: the Internet has allowed the musicians to store and distribute easily any song to thousands of potential buyers and sell many licenses for a single unit (song).

If everyone knew the work that’s behind it, they will say that is really cheap 😉

I need music for an app, a video game, a web or audiobook

The subscription offered by Envato Elements is then your best option. You will be able to use all its music and sound effects on your product without worrying about anything!

Still confused and don’t know which service to choose? Contact us and we’ll help you!

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Everything you need to know about Music Licensing.

For creators and agencies:

$16.50/month

13€/month

$16.60/month

$15/song

For Physical Businesses:

26.99€/month

$17.95/month

FAQ.

I have a company, what is my best option?

What happens to my videos if I cancel my subscription?

Do I have to buy a license for every video I make?

I’m a Youtuber, what service is right for me?

Will Youtube send me a warning for using this music?

Can I try the services before subscribing?

What is the cheapest service?

I need music for television, radio or cinema…

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Questions and Answers classified by topics:

Still confused and don’t know which service to choose? Contact us and we’ll help you!

Need help finding the right service?

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License / Subscription Prices