If you create content for personal or professional use, you know how important music is to your work. Music tells the viewer how they should feel. Want to change the emotion of a scene? No need to reshoot or flip the script – just change the music. With that in mind, more and more platforms are coming on-line, each that are easy to use with great music and affordable prices. A monthly music subscription makes this process easier than ever before, with the added benefit of no more copyright claims, easier Youtube monetization, etc.
Artlist, Epidemic Sound, Musicbed, Soundstripe, and Comma Music all offer music subscription services with varying differences. These five represent not only the best music on the market, but the best value within the monthly music subscription space. There are many differences and details to document, so in this series of articles we’ll dig deep into each music subscriptions’ strengths and weaknesses. Here’s a quick preview of what we’ll be paying attention to.
Price and Payment
Comparing pricing and plans is probably the most confusing part when looking at these five libraries. To start, all of the platforms offer a free trial and some offer the possibility to cancel at anytime. Of the five libraries compared, Epidemic, Musicbed, Soundstripe, and Comma offer a true monthly subscription, with per-month payments. Artlist is the lone option offering an annual prepaid plan only. Epidemic, Musicbed, and Soundstripe charge less if you pay for the whole year upfront. Comma and Musicbed offer a discounted annual plan that you can still pay for monthly. And don’t be confused – Soundstripe, Musicbed, Artlist advertise their plans with a monthly price, but generally what they are talking about is a whole year paid upfront.
Style and SFX
Each of the libraries offer a variety of content, with some stylistic overlap and some specialization. We actually recommend signing up for a monthly music subscription from at least two or three of these companies to get the best from each library. Some libraries heavily feature songs by artists, singer-songwriters, and bands – like Musicbed, Soundstripe, Artlist.io, and Epidemic Sound. Others specialize in soundtracks, music without vocals, and music scored for picture – like Comma Music. Either style can work better or worse depending on what the film calls for. What’s more, some libraries offer sound effects (or SFX) to help filmmakers add realism and depth to their content. Some libraries charge more for access to those sound effects, while others don’t offer them at all.
Epidemic has the largest catalog of the five companies profiled here, but the other four catalogs are growing rapidly. A growing library is important, as listening and using new work helps inspire creativity. “Static” and “stale” are two words all creatives abhor, so it’s nice to log on to these sites and hear high quality new work.
Claims and Copyright
Royalty Free music means once you pay the first time, you will not have to pay again. As long as you’re an active member of any of these services you can publish your videos without worry of a copyright claim. If you do get a copyright claim, it’s usually fixable – but we believe Comma has the simplest Youtube whitelisting process of the five to help avoid claims.
At the end of the day
The most important factor in curating music for film is the film itself. What does the scene and or film demand? What is going to give the viewer the best experience possible? Music creates the bond with the audience that the film on it’s own cannot. Finding the right track, the one that has the correct arc and emotion are the two most important factors in curating music for any type of content. Honestly, you can’t go wrong with any of these music subscriptions if you want to get started making your content the best it can be.