What is the difference between a pay-per-track license and a subscription plan on our site, and how to choose what is best for your project?
What is a pay-per-track license?
What is a subscription plan?
How do I decide which is better for me?
Why are the price and license tiers different for music and SFX?
What is a pay-per-track license?
A pay-per-track license is an easy way for users to purchase individual music tracks or sound effects, paying only for the specific audio content they need. One time purchase—Perfect for one off clients and individual projects.
Common License Tier from $1.90
The most basic license tier with some distribution and audience size limitations.
Recommended for:• Solo / Indie Game Developers
Video Games Production budget up to $10,000 USD
• Personal Projects For Media
YouTube Up to 100K subscribers
Online Streaming and Social Media Up to 100K followers
License Coverage:Music
✔ 1 Project
How do you define '1 Project'?
One project refers to one game/film/online series(max 26 episodes). You can use the assets multiple times in one project.
Example: One music/sound effect can be used in-game and game trailer as long as it is limited to that one game. Same for a short film, the purchased music/sound effect can be used in the film/series and its trailer.
Sound Effects
✔ Unlimited Projects for Video Games Only
✔ 1 UserWhat do you mean by '1 user'?
'1 user' means we grant one user the right to use our Sound libraries. It grants one user the right to use the Sound Libraries or Bundles on one workstation at a time, although the Licensee is permitted to make and keep backup copies of the Sound Libraries or Bundles on other storage devices.
Rare License Tier from $2.90
The enhanced license tier that offers more generous usage rights.
Recommended for:• AA, AAA Game Developers / Game Publishers
Video Games Production budget up to $50,000 USD
Trailers and Marketing Contents Up to 500K subscribers/500k followers
• Monetized Videos / Commerical Projects
YouTube Up to 500K subscribers
Online Streaming and Social Media Up to 500K followers
Apps and Podcast Free or Commercial
Online advertisement Small Business with up to 250 employees
License Coverage:
Music
✔ Unlimited Projects
Sound Effects
✔ Unlimited Projects (Video Games and Media)
✔ 1 UserWhat do you mean by '1 user'?
'1 user' means we grant one user the right to use our Sound libraries. It grants one user the right to use the Sound Libraries or Bundles on one workstation at a time, although the Licensee is permitted to make and keep backup copies of the Sound Libraries or Bundles on other storage devices.
Legendary License Tier from $7.90
The premium license tier that offers more the most comprehensive coverage.
Recommended for:• AAA Game Developers / Game Publishers
Video Games Unlimited Poduction budget
Trailers and Marketing Contents Unlimited subscribers/followers
• Monetized Videos / Commerical Projects / TV & Radio
YouTube Unlimited subscribers
Online Streaming and Social Media Unlimited followers
Apps and Podcast Free or Commercial
Online advertisement Large Business with more than 250 employees
Broadcast TV & Radio TV and Radio broadcasting including TV, Cinema and Radio advertising
License Coverage:
Music
✔ Unlimited Projects
Sound Effects
✔ Unlimited Projects (Video Games and Media)
✔ 5 UsersWhat do you mean by '1 user'?
'1 user' means we grant one user the right to use our Sound libraries. It grants one user the right to use the Sound Libraries or Bundles on one workstation at a time, although the Licensee is permitted to make and keep backup copies of the Sound Libraries or Bundles on other storage devices.
What is a Subscription Plan?
A subscription plan offers users ongoing access to the entire library of music tracks and sound effects for a fixed recurring fee, allowing them to use the audio content to publish unlimited projects during the subscription period.
Personal Plan from $11.70/mo (Creator Program)
Great for game developers who need ongoing assets for game updates or prototyping and budding content creators who create videos or live streams regularly.
Recommended for:
• Solo / Indie Game Developers
Video Games Production budget up to $10,000 USD
• Personal Use
Web Youtube, Facebook, etc.
• Monetized Videos
Videos or Livestream Limit 50K followers
Business Plan from $59.70/mo (Creator Program)
Perfect for companies and publishers working on several projects (games, advertisements, videos) and regularly releasing on multiple game platforms and social media.
Recommended for:
• Game Developers / Game Publishers
Video Games Production budget up to $50,000 USD
• Commercial Use / Monetized Videos
Web Youtube, Facebook, etc.
Videos or Livestream Unlimted subscribers or followers
• Internal / Industrial Videos or Events
Presentation, Training and Trade Show
How do I decide which is better for me?
In summary, the pay-per-track license tiers (common, rare, legendary) are best suited for one-time or occasional audio needs, offering different levels of flexibility and usage rights.
On the other hand, the subscription plans (personal and business) provide access to the entire library of audio content and latest releases, making them more advantageous for creators with ongoing or larger-scale projects, especially those looking to monetize their work or reach a wide audience.
The choice between license tiers and subscription plans depends on the specific requirements and goals of game developers and video content creators, as well as their budget and frequency of audio usage.
Why are the price and license tiers different for music and sound effects?
Music licensing often costs more than sound effects due to various factors, like production costs involving skilled musicians and studios.
Music copyright protection adds complexity, requiring payments to composers and performers, which is less common in sound effects. While these reasons generally hold, individual cases may vary, affecting the final expenses for licensing music versus sound effects.
That is why even though our music and sound effects have the same license tier name (Common, Rare, and Legendary), the cost and usage limitation are vastly different!
Articles you might be interested in:
Video Game Audio Basics: Sample Rate and Bitrate
What is royalty free, copyright free, and DMCA free music?
How does WOW Library work? - Music Tutorial
Custom VS Royalty-free Music
Frequently-asked-questions