7 Best & Affordable Music Sync Companies

If you have an amazing video, podcast, or film project in the works, and find yourself in need of music to use, look no further! We’ll be talking about the 7 best and most affordable music sync companies to help you find exactly what your project needs.

Now, I know what you’re thinking…

What is a music sync company?

Wow, gee, I’m so glad you asked! A music sync company, or music licensing company, is focused on granting creatives the legal rights to use their music in any form of media – commercials, videos, films, TV shows, podcasts, radio broadcasts, video games, you name it.

What do music sync companies do?

Aren’t you a little inquisitive soul, you. Well I’ll tell ya. Music sync companies work with musical artists and their copyright holders to ensure both parties earn the proper royalties when their song is used.

For example, if you hear a pop song played in a television show, the artist and copyright holders will make royalties every time that episode is broadcast.

Music licensing companies draw up agreements with film and TV creators to negotiate the price of the song based on many factors.

For smaller-scale projects (Oh hello, you!), music sync sites typically offer customers monthly subscriptions or lifetime licenses. The length of these licenses differ from company to company, and from plan to plan.

Why do we need music licensing companies?

So video & filmmakers, as well as all content creators, are legally allowed to use copyrighted music in their work. Furthermore, the songwriters, musical artists, and copyright owners (usually a publisher) will be paid exactly what they should earn from their song’s use.

Music sync companies are the liaison between musical artist and mixed media creator, and with their agreements, both parties win.

The artist reaches a wider audience thanks to their music being used in the video or podcast, and they make royalties off its use. The mixed media creator avoids copyright infringement and is able to add an extra layer to their art by using the song. Both will simultaneously be able to create their art with no mess, and hopefully be able to pay for their groceries. Yay!

What are the best music licensing sites?

Hey, hey, hey, slow down – we’re getting there! Patience is a virtue, kiddo. The answer: it depends. It depends on your project budget, the quality of music you’re striving for, and a whole host of other factors.

We will be focusing on sites catered towards music licensing for YouTube videos, as well as music licensing for podcasts.

I said it once and I’ll say it again, Tina (or whatever your name is) – patience is a virtue. Let’s start the countdown!

Here are the 7 Best & Affordable Music Licensing Sites

1. Soundscape.io

Whatever your audio needs, Soundscape delivers with grace and ease. This music licensing site holds over 20,000 original top-notch songs from independent artists in all genres. Users can search for songs in 3 different ways: through filters by mood, genre, tempo, etc.; via Soundscape’s own curated playlists; or through text-based search. Small businesses will love Soundscape’s Corporate / Business / Promo section, part of their curated playlists to add the perfect touch to corporate videos.

Soundscape provides the most affordable rates out of any of these companies listed, with their Content Creator subscription (individual creators) priced at $8.25/month! The content you release during your subscription grants a perpetual license worldwide for all YouTube, crowdfunding, social media, podcast, vlogging, and short film projects. Small Business subscriptions cost $12/month. 

If you’re not yet ready to sign on to a paid subscription, Soundscape also offers free accounts to everyone. Sign up for free here!

Soundscape is not associated with any label, and works solely with independent artists. They will not let you down, and will bring your independent projects to the next level. Click here to get 25% off on all Soundscape licenses!

2. JinglePunks

One of the most versatile sites on our list, JinglePunks offers music licensing to large-scale productions, studio-grade podcasts, and brand creative initiatives to many household names. JinglePunk’s in-house songwriters have worked with Pepsi, Taco Bell, Zillow, and FootLocker. They also have large-scale production credits, including on Django Unchained and Chopped, just to name a few.

The JinglePlayer cloud-based music library is home to over 500,000 songs from over 4,000 musical artists. JinglePunks makes it easy to search, and offers free music supervision services to help you find the perfect song. What’s not to love?

3. MusicBed

MusicBed’s home page says they are “built for filmmakers”, and that is exactly right. MusicBed licenses out “label-ready” music from highly talented independent artists and composers, and has curated playlists for every genre placed conveniently on their home page.

Over 1400 artists call MusicBed home, with over 10,000 tracks ready to choose from on the site. Their music library filters songs using similar categories to previous sites on our list (genre, lyrical vs instrumental, mood, instrumentation, etc.).

Users can request a consultation to negotiate license terms, or inquire about MusicBed’s music supervision and custom music services. MusicBed boasts maybe the highest-quality produced tracks out of any library on our list, and are sure to impress.

4. AudioJungle

AudioJungle is a subsidiary of Envato, a music / video / graphics licensing company. As the name suggests, AudioJungle is a music-based licensing site that lists royalty free audio and music samples for as little as $1 (based on prices artists set).

AudioJungle offers many different audio samples to customers. They have everything from music and music packs, to SFX, to audio logos for your business.

AudioJungle lists 5 separate music license packages and two SFX license packages (single use and multi-use). The site has over 1,000,000 audio tracks available (some better than others), so users will definitely be able to find whatever they are looking for.

5. PremiumBeat

PremiumBeat is home to an expansive, top-shelf music library. Users can search music by genre, mood, and instrumentation. PremiumBeat’s staff create amazing curated playlists that are great for every setting.

However, PremiumBeat watermarks every sound – meaning, you’ll hear a voice say “PremiumBeat dot com” about every 10 seconds. The watermark is blatantly apparent in their instrumental tracks, which his not ideal for any podcast or media.

PremiumBeat is more expensive than competitors, with their subscription including 5 tracks per month at $12.99 per track (which equals nearly $65 per month). However, you will certainly get a bang for your buck with PremiumBeat, and they are worth checking out.

6. Marmoset

Marmoset is a popular music licensing site known for their array of high-quality songs from independent artists. They list their top-performing songs on the home page, and users can search for or filter tracks there. You can filter songs by vocals (and gender), mood, genre, instrumentation, and energy.

Additionally, Marmoset filters songs using their custom Arc™ Tool, which shows the auditory “shape” of a song (crescendo, multiple peaks and valleys, etc.). The site offers curated playlists to listen to and peruse as well.

Marmoset offers an array of licenses to choose from, spanning from independent film to student to wedding video. Few plans have listed prices on the site. Marmoset does list independent podcast rates at $49 USD per song for a single episode use, and $99 USD per song for series use. Although it may be hard to discern prices without directly calling, Marmoset does have a fantastic library.

7. Hooksounds

Hooksounds is a fantastic music licensing site that offers original tracks for YouTube, Podcasts, TV, and all social media content. They worked with Disney, Google, and Microsoft, so you know you’re getting high quality material. Hooksounds has plenty of curated playlists to fit any mood your project requires. 

Hooksounds boasts a large collection of music, sound effects, and bumpers to fit all your project’s sound needs. You can filter their music library by genre, duration, BPM, and mood to find the perfect song for your video or podcast. Sound effects can be narrowed down by filter, though many of the variations sound very similar, and were not recorded with the best quality.

The site has 3 payment tiers: Premium, Business, and Enterprise (independent films and TV shows). The premium plan, aimed at independent content creators, costs $29 per month and includes music and SFX. Their business plan, which also includes music & SFX, charges $49 per month.

That wraps it up, folks!

Sign up for free on these sites and see which ones best fit your project needs. Leave a comment below and let us know how it goes!

Happy video-making, everyone!