Top 5 Music Licensing Platforms for Video Production & Filmmakers
July 27, 2022
Top 5 Music Licensing Platforms for Video Production & Filmmakers
The Best Music Licensing Platforms – In Our Opinion
Have you ever watched scenes of a horror movie or played certain parts of a scary video game on mute? Some of you just read this and chuckled because you know exactly what I’m talking about. It loses its ability to scare you, right? Why? Because there is so much power in music.
Music is the fundamental amplifier that connects the universal language of emotion. For filmmakers and video production companies, music is possibly the most important part of their creative repertoire and choosing the right music for your production is crucial.
In this article, we’ll list our favorite music licensing platforms you can use to pick that right sound for your production. Now, I get that good music is all subjective to opinion and that there are literally dozens and dozens of sites not listed in this review.
That doesn’t mean they aren’t good music licensing platforms or offer competitive pricing. It’s just that there are a few we like as our “go to” music providers for commercial video production, documentary films and corporate interviews.
Music Licensing Platforms Have Exploded Recently
Over the last decade, music licensing platforms have exploded. A few years ago, you could count the number of platforms with both hands. But now, it seems there are more and more popping up each week.
If you’re an established video production company or experienced filmmaker, you’ll more than likely have your go-to music licensing platforms you use and that’s ok. We most certainly do. But here’s a list of the top 5 we like to use each time.
Before we get to our top picks, here’s our criteria for companies to make our list.
Quality – we look at companies that provide high-quality content produced from reputable musicians. Why? Because true musicians that care about their reputation will care about the quality of content they produce. For us, that’s really important.
Website – how easy is the website to browse? Can you find what you’re looking for relatively quickly and is it intuitive?
Price and Terms – Every site has their pro’s and con’s. Some sites cater towards agencies and large production companies that produce commercial content. Others are freelancers and have limited budgets. We look at both and the benefits of an equally weighted platform that offers both professional grade services at an affordable price.
1. MusicBed – Tribe Films overall best choice for music licensed content
“Curated Roster of Real Artists. Our A&R team handpicks every song from our roster of indie musicians, bands, and composers, so you can spend less time digging and more time creating.”
Now, MusicBed is one of the oldest music licensing platforms around and arguably the best. They were one of the very first to pioneer this genre and they have it nailed.
They have a robust library that exceeds 10,000 hand-picked songs and have worked in every industry, provided work in every category and truly provide music for creatives.
What Makes MusicBed Great?
Some people might overlook this, but in the paragraph above, there’s something really key. It’s their selection process. Now, don’t get me wrong. Everyone has what they call a “highly selective process” however, I know from first-hand experience that MusciBed’s process is truly rigorous.
Just like FilmSupply (a sister company focused on licensed video content), only the top 1% of MusicBed’s submissions get the right to publish their work on their platform.
This highly disciplined approach not only provides the highest quality content for filmmakers and video production companies, it also creates a high barrier-to-entry.
Their Interface is Easy to Use
We love how their website is laid out. Their functionality is very intuitive, and it doesn’t take long at all to find what you’re looking for. You can browse all their songs for free without a subscription too.
They also have a very responsive support team. If you need something for a specific video or scene, MusicBed’s team will personally look at the video and help you select that perfect score.
Take a look at this YouTuber’s (Cody Wanner) experience. He was looking for a specific sound for an old production using a vintage 16mm lens. Here’s what they did for him:
“Curated Roster of Real Artists. Our A&R team handpicks every song from our roster of indie musicians, bands, and composers, so you can spend less time digging and more time creating.”
Now, MusicBed is one of the oldest music licensing platforms around and arguably the best. They were one of the very first to pioneer this genre and they have it nailed.
They have a robust library that exceeds 10,000 hand-picked songs and have worked in every industry, provided work in every category and truly provide music for creatives.
What Makes MusicBed Great?
Some people might overlook this, but in the paragraph above, there’s something really key. It’s their selection process. Now, don’t get me wrong. Everyone has what they call a “highly selective process” however, I know from first-hand experience that MusciBed’s process is truly rigorous.
Just like FilmSupply (a sister company focused on licensed video content), only the top 1% of MusicBed’s submissions get the right to publish their work on their platform.
This highly disciplined approach not only provides the highest quality content for filmmakers and video production companies, it also creates a high barrier-to-entry.
Their Interface is Easy to Use
We love how their website is laid out. Their functionality is very intuitive, and it doesn’t take long at all to find what you’re looking for. You can browse all their songs for free without a subscription too.
They also have a very responsive support team. If you need something for a specific video or scene, MusicBed’s team will personally look at the video and help you select that perfect score.
Take a look at this YouTuber’s (Cody Wanner) experience. He was looking for a specific sound for an old production using a vintage 16mm lens. Here’s what they did for him:
MusciBed offers both individual licensing and subscription-based models. There are five different account types you can choose from with MusicBed which we like because it offers a range for all sorts of budgets.
Individual subscriptions start out at $9.99 per month, but keep in mind, this is for individual use and not for clients. This option is most popular for social media content warriors that produce and distribution their own productions to promote their brands on YouTube.
If you are a business with less than 250 employees, then it’s $89.99 per month which isn’t bad. Enterprises are different and you’ll have to contact someone at MusicBed to discuss pricing for that.
MusciBed offers both individual licensing and subscription-based models. There are five different account types you can choose from with MusicBed which we like because it offers a range for all sorts of budgets.
Individual subscriptions start out at $9.99 per month, but keep in mind, this is for individual use and not for clients. This option is most popular for social media content warriors that produce and distribution their own productions to promote their brands on YouTube.
If you are a business with less than 250 employees, then it’s $89.99 per month which isn’t bad. Enterprises are different and you’ll have to contact someone at MusicBed to discuss pricing for that.
If you want a great overview on their subscription model, take a look at this review posted by Matt Johnson on YouTube. Although this video is a couple years old, it is still very relevant today. Plus, Matt’s really entertaining too.
2. Audiio–They May be New Kids on the Block but They are Heavy Hitters
“Audiio is founded by former Universal Music Group artist Clay Jones and industry friends who share a vision of bringing the world’s best storytellers closer together. The team works directly with a network of publishers, labels, and independent musicians to ensure that relevant sync-worthy talent is recruited, and new music is added daily. To date, Audiio has licensed music in 80+ countries to projects ranging from nonprofit fundraisers to global television advertising campaigns.”
Audiio is our second choice for music licensing. Although they are one of the newest to hit the market, they are definitely a contender for top ranks. The founder has years of experience inside the industry and his team has an incredible ear for what’s good and what’s not.
When You’re Trusted with Their Brand
It’s really cool when professionals in the industry rely on other professionals with their brand. Tribe Films was humbled when the founders of Audiio asked our team to create a commercial production for the launch of their platform. If you would like to see the commercial we produced using THEIR music, click the video below or you can view the Audiio Case Study Here.
For only hitting the market recently, I must say that Audiio has done an outstanding job of creating a robust library of over 5,000 songs and over 30,000 SFX that include work from major labels, indie artists and composers.
Now I get that this is much lower than most of the competition out there, but I’m looking at Audiio’s quality over quantity. I’d rather have 1,000 high-quality songs to license than 10,000 mediocre ones.
For those that like a little more conversation and discussion around a review, here’s a really good one from Eric at Travel9to5 on Youtube:
For only hitting the market recently, I must say that Audiio has done an outstanding job of creating a robust library of over 5,000 songs and over 30,000 SFX that include work from major labels, indie artists and composers.
Now I get that this is much lower than most of the competition out there, but I’m looking at Audiio’s quality over quantity. I’d rather have 1,000 high-quality songs to license than 10,000 mediocre ones.
For those that like a little more conversation and discussion around a review, here’s a really good one from Eric at Travel9to5 on Youtube:
Very Simple Website Design and Search Function
Their website interface is extremely simple to use and very intuitive. There is not a lot of guesswork when it comes to browsing their library. Their search function gives you options to filter songs based on mood, instruments, track length, vocals, energy level, genre, elements and more.
Audiio Search Menu for Songs
Early Adopters of Unlimited Licensing
Audiio’s pricing is what sets them apart from their competition. It is very simple. They don’t offer monthly subscriptions, which I know will upset some of you. However, their annual packages end up being less expensive than most of their competitor’s monthly options so it works out in your favor.
Their standard annual subscription is $199 which provides each subscriber access to their 5,000+ library of songs and 30,000+ SFX and unlimited licensing. Crazy, right? But check this out…
For just $299 one-time fee, Audiio will give you a lifetime membership and perpetual licensing rights forever…what?! If that’s not early adopters, than I don’t know what is.
Artlist is a sister company of Artgrid.io which we wrote about in one of our last blog posts. Artlist made our list because they follow the same rigorous selection process as in their video licensing content.
Artlist offers music and SFX subscription-based licensing to subscribers. They were founded in 2015 and became one of the early adopters of unlimited downloads and use for a fixed yearly price.
What We Like About Artlist
Artlist’s library boosts a massive list of more than 12,000+ songs and FX. They are all original pieces and their artists come from all walks of life. You can find songs from any genre and across the globe to fit any variations in your production.
Once you sign up for their platform, you get access to their entire database and can download as many as you want with exception. There’s always exception. You can only download 40 songs per day, but that’s ok. Who needs more than 40 songs per day, right?
You Can Listen Before You Sign Up
You read that right. You can actually listen to their music before spending the money on a subscription. That’s really nice. It’s like the car salesman telling you to take the car home for the day and see how it feels. They know darn well you’ll end up buying it if that happens. It’s a pretty good strategy if you ask me.
Their Website is Simple
It seems the best licensing platforms all follow the same model – simple layouts and search functions. Everything about this website is intuitive. You don’t have to click around to search for what you’re looking for. It’s all right there.
Artlist is a sister company of Artgrid.io which we wrote about in one of our last blog posts. Artlist made our list because they follow the same rigorous selection process as in their video licensing content.
Artlist offers music and SFX subscription-based licensing to subscribers. They were founded in 2015 and became one of the early adopters of unlimited downloads and use for a fixed yearly price.
What We Like About Artlist
Artlist’s library boosts a massive list of more than 12,000+ songs and FX. They are all original pieces and their artists come from all walks of life. You can find songs from any genre and across the globe to fit any variations in your production.
Once you sign up for their platform, you get access to their entire database and can download as many as you want with exception. There’s always exception. You can only download 40 songs per day, but that’s ok. Who needs more than 40 songs per day, right?
You Can Listen Before You Sign Up
You read that right. You can actually listen to their music before spending the money on a subscription. That’s really nice. It’s like the car salesman telling you to take the car home for the day and see how it feels. They know darn well you’ll end up buying it if that happens. It’s a pretty good strategy if you ask me.
Their Website is Simple
It seems the best licensing platforms all follow the same model – simple layouts and search functions. Everything about this website is intuitive. You don’t have to click around to search for what you’re looking for. It’s all right there.
There are filter options on the left side of your page, and these are: Genre, Instrument, Mood and Video
Pricing is Very Reasonable
Artlist’s pricing model is one of the more reasonable structures out there. But like the others we’ve reviewed, Artlist does not offer monthly subscriptions. For $199 per year, you’ll end up paying the equivalent of $16.60 per month which is fair for everything that is included in your subscription.
One Suggestion Though…
The only downside we found with Artlist is that they don’t offer the ability to strip songs into stems. So, unfortunately, if you like the music but hate the vocals, you’re stuck with it. Other than that, the value for the money and their licensing is really great.
There are filter options on the left side of your page, and these are: Genre, Instrument, Mood and Video
Pricing is Very Reasonable
Artlist’s pricing model is one of the more reasonable structures out there. But like the others we’ve reviewed, Artlist does not offer monthly subscriptions. For $199 per year, you’ll end up paying the equivalent of $16.60 per month which is fair for everything that is included in your subscription.
One Suggestion Though…
The only downside we found with Artlist is that they don’t offer the ability to strip songs into stems. So, unfortunately, if you like the music but hate the vocals, you’re stuck with it. Other than that, the value for the money and their licensing is really great.
Epidemic Sound is one of the oldest and most robust platforms around. They have a massive following and one of the largest libraries (30,000 songs and 60,000+ SFX) around with very affordable monthly pricing. With all these positive features, you might wonder why they aren’t higher on the list.
Don’t get me wrong, Epidemic Sound is great; however, there are some features they have I feel need to be updated. First, let’s get into why we like them.
What we like about Epidemic Sound
As stated above, their library is massive. They have more than 35,000 songs and over 90,000 SFX. That’s crazy, but then again, that’s what you get when you’ve been around for more than 12 years. We also like them because of the depth in their library genres.
They have a very robust eclectic library which is really good if you want to think outside the box or use something for your high energy videos other than dance music.
The other gigantic plus is that they allow you to break songs into stems. This is such a huge benefit for video production companies that want only a portion of a song included in their production. So, if a producer doesn’t like the vocal track, they can strip it out and just include the instrumental part. This is really a great perk!
Their Pricing
Epidemic Sound was originally created exclusively for YouTube creators as a way of providing cheap licensed music for their creative needs. However, over the years, they have evolved to not just social media, but production companies and other agencies too.
Their model is a monthly subscription-based model for individual creators, freelancers and commercial/Enterprise usage. Their membership ranges from $15 per month to more than $500 per month for large scale licensed content for television or other productions on wide scale distribution channels.
The only real downside to Epidemic Sound is some of the quality of tracks in their library. You may have to weed through some of the legacy tracks that were added a while ago. There are still quite a few tracks that don’t really stand up to the quality of what is added today.
Epidemic Sound is one of the oldest and most robust platforms around. They have a massive following and one of the largest libraries (30,000 songs and 60,000+ SFX) around with very affordable monthly pricing. With all these positive features, you might wonder why they aren’t higher on the list.
Don’t get me wrong, Epidemic Sound is great; however, there are some features they have I feel need to be updated. First, let’s get into why we like them.
What we like about Epidemic Sound
As stated above, their library is massive. They have more than 35,000 songs and over 90,000 SFX. That’s crazy, but then again, that’s what you get when you’ve been around for more than 12 years. We also like them because of the depth in their library genres.
They have a very robust eclectic library which is really good if you want to think outside the box or use something for your high energy videos other than dance music.
The other gigantic plus is that they allow you to break songs into stems. This is such a huge benefit for video production companies that want only a portion of a song included in their production. So, if a producer doesn’t like the vocal track, they can strip it out and just include the instrumental part. This is really a great perk!
Their Pricing
Epidemic Sound was originally created exclusively for YouTube creators as a way of providing cheap licensed music for their creative needs. However, over the years, they have evolved to not just social media, but production companies and other agencies too.
Their model is a monthly subscription-based model for individual creators, freelancers and commercial/Enterprise usage. Their membership ranges from $15 per month to more than $500 per month for large scale licensed content for television or other productions on wide scale distribution channels.
The only real downside to Epidemic Sound is some of the quality of tracks in their library. You may have to weed through some of the legacy tracks that were added a while ago. There are still quite a few tracks that don’t really stand up to the quality of what is added today.
Marmoset Music rounds out our 5th choice of the top music licensing platforms around. They are not just a licensing platform, but an actual agency.
They are a perfect blend between price-sensitive platforms that cater to budget-conscious creatives looking for cheap corporate interview-style video music and professional film creatives looking for high-quality expensive tracks that will set their production apart from the rest.
Marmoset’s platform is unique in that they can not only help you find the music you need for your video production, but they can also collaborate with you by creating a music score for your film or other creative needs.
If you are going to offer that service, you better know what you’re doing. It appears that they do. They staff professional musicians and other personnel that have deep industry experience.
This really helps when needing to find a song because let’s face it, it can be a mind-numbing process searching through thousands of songs to find what you’re looking for.
At Marmoset, they make it really easy. Aside from the quality of songs in their library, their interface is one of the most intuitive to use. Their search menu actually lets you customize exactly what you’re looking for.
Marmoset Music rounds out our 5th choice of the top music licensing platforms around. They are not just a licensing platform, but an actual agency.
They are a perfect blend between price-sensitive platforms that cater to budget-conscious creatives looking for cheap corporate interview-style video music and professional film creatives looking for high-quality expensive tracks that will set their production apart from the rest.
Marmoset’s platform is unique in that they can not only help you find the music you need for your video production, but they can also collaborate with you by creating a music score for your film or other creative needs.
If you are going to offer that service, you better know what you’re doing. It appears that they do. They staff professional musicians and other personnel that have deep industry experience.
This really helps when needing to find a song because let’s face it, it can be a mind-numbing process searching through thousands of songs to find what you’re looking for.
At Marmoset, they make it really easy. Aside from the quality of songs in their library, their interface is one of the most intuitive to use. Their search menu actually lets you customize exactly what you’re looking for.
This is so incredibly helpful because you’re not just choosing a generic search category and having to sift through numerous songs. This interface really lets you customize what you’re looking for so you’re left with options that match exactly what you’re looking for.
Want to Play with the Best, You Gotta Pay
Price is a big factor when it comes to Marmoset. Unfortunately, if you want quality, you’re going to pay for it. Marmoset is similar to Musicbed’s pricing structure – it gets pricey really quick. But keep in mind, they aren’t just catering to the freelance run-and-gunners of the video production world. They are serving agencies in the commercial and broadcast categories as well.
Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not all pricey. They do have some reasonable options too. For example, they have an affordably priced dedicated podcasting license members can subscribe for.
This is so incredibly helpful because you’re not just choosing a generic search category and having to sift through numerous songs. This interface really lets you customize what you’re looking for so you’re left with options that match exactly what you’re looking for.
Want to Play with the Best, You Gotta Pay
Price is a big factor when it comes to Marmoset. Unfortunately, if you want quality, you’re going to pay for it. Marmoset is similar to Musicbed’s pricing structure – it gets pricey really quick. But keep in mind, they aren’t just catering to the freelance run-and-gunners of the video production world. They are serving agencies in the commercial and broadcast categories as well.
Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not all pricey. They do have some reasonable options too. For example, they have an affordably priced dedicated podcasting license members can subscribe for.
As you can see, this list is highly subjective. You might not like some of our selections and that’s ok. These are just some of our favorites based on our experience from quality, website usability and pricing.
We do a lot of video work and need a lot of variation in music because, let’s face it, who wants to listen to two great pieces of commercial work with the same soundtrack, right?
Each one of these platforms offer users different advantages from licensing content whether you’re an individual creator or an organization, these five licensing platforms have you covered.
As you can see, this list is highly subjective. You might not like some of our selections and that’s ok. These are just some of our favorites based on our experience from quality, website usability and pricing.
We do a lot of video work and need a lot of variation in music because, let’s face it, who wants to listen to two great pieces of commercial work with the same soundtrack, right?
Each one of these platforms offer users different advantages from licensing content whether you’re an individual creator or an organization, these five licensing platforms have you covered.
