As a content creator, one of the biggest elements in video creation, aside from the actual content, is the music you use. Thoughtfully crafting the audio of your YouTube videos or podcast is essential to adding another layer of emotional connection with your viewers. You might be wondering where YouTubers get their music from. There are a variety of music licensing services out there to help you find the music that you need to complete your story, but what’s the best option? 

One popular option you might have heard of is Artlist. Artlist is a well-known platform among creators, but it might not be the right one for you. Whether you’re looking for more budget-friendly options or a more user-friendly platform, we’ve gathered a list of alternatives and their pros and cons to help you choose the right service for your creative needs. 

Why Explore Artlist Alternatives?

Artlist describes itself as an “all-in-one platform for video creators.” Offering a wide variety of royalty-free music, SFX, stock footage, and more, Artlist provides an extensive catalog of audio and video assets for content creators. 

However, there are various reasons why creators might want to explore alternatives:

  1. Cost: While Artlist offers access to a vast library of creative elements, their plans might not align with some creators’ budgets.
  2. Too Many Offerings: The amount of offerings that Artlist features can be overwhelming. Additionally, without specialization in any specific category, it can be difficult to find the music that best fits your content.
  3. User-Friendliness: For some creators, it may not be easy to browse the website and find what they’re looking for. They may want a more intuitive interface that matches their search habits.
  4. Popularity: Artlist is established as a go-to music licensing service in not only the content creator community, but also in the commercial video space. With its popularity, many of the same Artlist tracks are commonly reused in different projects, taking away the unique character of each video.

10 Artlist Alternatives for Content Creators

We’re here to help you find out which music licensing service is right for you. Let’s dive into our comparison of ten alternatives to Artlist.

1. Track Club by Marmoset

Track Club by Marmoset offers 100% editable, high-quality tracks that are meticulously curated to showcase craftsmanship and authenticity. Additionally, Track Club is the first music licensing company to invest 10% of all profits back into community orgs, committed to making a positive impact in the world. Here's what you can expect from Track Club:

  • High-Quality, Unique, Carefully Curated Music: Marmoset is known for their award-winning music, and Track Club upholds this value of quality over quantity with a refined, catalog of top-tier songs.
  • 100% Editable Music: With Track Club, you don’t have to worry about lack of creative freedom. Track Club’s MixLab gives you full editing capabilities by allowing you to change the volume of individual stems, adjust BPM, and more.
  • User-Friendly: Track Club features a clean and intuitive interface. Smart Filters allow you to find the perfect track for your project by allowing you to easily filter through the catalog by mood, genres, instruments, and more.
  • Flexible Licensing: Track Club provides flexible licensing options to suit your project needs. From individual creators, to small businesses, large enterprises, or anyone else, Track Club works to create a perfect plan for everyone.
  • Affordable Pricing: Track Club plans start at $12 a month, including unlimited downloads and sync licenses, offering an affordable option for creators.

2. Epidemic Sound

Epidemic Sound is a popular alternative, known for its extensive library of music tracks and sound effects built specifically for content creators across various platforms. Here's how Epidemic Sound stacks up:

  • Extensive Library: Epidemic Sound boasts an extensive collection of over 40,000 music tracks and 90,000 sound effects.
  • Comprehensive Search Features: Offering lots of filters to browse through their vast catalog, Epidemic Sound features a variety of different tags that allow you to sort by any mood or subgenres that you can think of. 
  • Easy Licensing: Epidemic Sound’s licensing models are very straightforward and tailored for creators, so you don’t have to worry about copyright strikes. However, if you choose to use their music outside of the social space, you may need to go beyond their basic plan.
  • Price: Starts at $9.99 per month.

3. Soundstripe

Soundstripe is not only a royalty-free music provider, but also offers a full suite of stock media content. They boast a catalog of over 200k stock music tracks, sound effects, and video clips. Here's a closer look:

  • Mobile App: Soundstripe allows you to listen & license on-the-go with their very own mobile app.
  • App Extension: Integration capabilities with Premiere Pro, Twitch, and Frame.io let you preview and use their music right in the applications.
  • AI Music Search: Simply describe the music you're looking for in natural language and Soundstripe will provide suggestions based on the description you provide.
  • Price: Starts at $9.99 per month.

4. Lickd

Lickd specializes in providing mainstream music for licensing. They boast a large catalog of music available for licensing, at 1.1 million tracks. Lickd stands out for content creators who want to incorporate popular songs into their projects. 

  • Stock Tracks & Mainstream Hits: Lickd is a go-to platform if you want to license popular music from artists like Dua Lipa and Bruno Mars. In addition to commercial hits, they also offer 100k royalty-free tracks.
  • Platform-Specific Songs: Not all songs in their catalog can be licensed for use on all social platforms.
  • Pay-per-song and Subscription Options: Lickd lets you access their stock music library with a monthly subscription, but for more famous tracks, you pay for each individual song license and the pricing is based on the size of your YouTube channel.
  • Price: Starts at $15 per month or from $8 per song.

5. Beatoven.ai

Beatoven.ai leverages artificial intelligence to create custom royalty-free tracks. Beatoven allows you to choose from 8 different genres and 16 moods to generate songs. Here’s how Beatoven works:

  • Minutes-based Pricing: Beatoven’s pricing structure is based on the length of the music you create and download. They have a free music creation option that lets you test it out, but that doesn’t include free downloads.
  • Avoid Royalties and Copyright Claims: Since the music created through Beatoven is made by AI, there are no royalties to be paid; since Beatoven generates unique tracks, creators don’t have to worry about potential copyright claims.
  • Customizable: Beatoven lets you choose the genre and emotion of the song you want to generate. Additionally, you have control over the duration and can make any cuts to switch moods throughout the track.
  • Price: Starts at 15 minutes of music for $3 a month.

6. Envato Elements

Envato Elements provides designers and creators with unlimited downloads of stock videos, royalty-free music, photos, graphics, graphic templates, and more.

  • Search Filters: Envato Elements lets you refine by mood, genre, instrument, and more.
  • Single Commercial License: All items on Envato Elements have the same simple license terms that allow broad social media and commercial use, but not for television or broadcast purposes.
  • Vast Library: Envato Elements offers over 140k music tracks available for licensing. In addition to music, they are known for their variety of offerings of other digital assets for content creators.
  • Price: Starts at $16.50 per month.

7. AudioJungle

AudioJungle is part of the Envato Market, a platform similar to Envato Elements but without the subscription model. AudioJungle offers over 1.9 million royalty-free music tracks and sound effects. Here's a breakdown of what AudioJungle offers:

  • Single Commercial License: Just like on Envato Elements, AudioJungle provides a single license that allows for commercial projects on web and social platforms.
  • Individual Track Pricing: Unlike other music licensing libraries, AudioJungle does not offer a subscription-based service. Users must purchase tracks individually or in bundles.
  • Community: AudioJungle users can also access Envato Forums, which allows users and creators to engage with each other, ask questions, and get the latest industry news.
  • Price: Varies by track or bundle.

8. PremiumBeat

PremiumBeat is a Shutterstock company that offers stock music and sound effects agency for use in new and traditional media projects, including videos, films, apps, games, and television programming. Here's how PremiumBeat stacks up:

  • Premium Tracks: PremiumBeat’s curated library includes, premium, exclusive tracks suitable for professional projects created by talented world-class musicians.
  • Credit-Based Subscription Model: A monthly PremiumBeat subscription grants you credits for 5 licenses per month (unused credits don’t roll over into the next month). One license can only be used for 1 project and SFX are not included in the subscription plan, but may be purchased individually.
  • Limited Licensing: PremiumBeat has 2 licensing options available, Standard, for web, social, and student projects, and a Premium License for everything that’s included in the Standard License, plus the choice of either broadcast ads, industrial, or broadcast entertainment. 
  • Price: Starts at $64.95 per month for 5 licenses.

9. Pond5

Pond5 is a New York-based online marketplace for royalty-free media. Pond5 started as a stock video marketplace, but now includes music and SFX, in addition to photo elements, 3D models, and effects templates. Here’s what they offer.

Massive Library: Pond5 offers over 1.5M tracks and 1.7M sound effects with daily uploads from around the globe.

Comprehensive Licensing: Pond5 elements are available for use across the web and the world.

Limited Downloads: Pond5 only lets you download 10 elements a month, but you can also buy individual assets upfront or purchase a credit pack for more downloads. 

Price: Starts at $12.50 per month for 10 songs.

10. Musicbed

Musicbed is a music licensing platform built for filmmakers. Their roster strongly emphasizes storytelling and emotional narratives. Here's a detailed look at what Musicbed offers:

  • Customer Service Focus: Musicbed has a responsive customer support team that is happy to help you search through their catalog. Their Music Specialists are here to help you find the perfect song with their Song Search Request option.
  • Custom Requests: Musicbed has options to create custom music and covers of popular songs if you have a specific vision in mind that you want to execute.
  • Obtain Clearance for Any Song: If you want to license a specific popular song, you can request Musicbed to reach out to the copyright owners and handle the licensing process for you so you don’t have to negotiate a license yourself.
  • Price: Starts at $29.99 per month.

What’s the Best Artlist Alternative?

Ultimately, the best alternative to Artlist depends on your specific needs and budget. All of these music licensing services have their respective pros and cons, so what matters is determining what license you need, the type of music you’re looking for, and overall what works best for you. 

That being said, for content creators, Track Club by Marmoset offers a well-rounded experience with unlimited access to high-quality, original music and customizability at an affordable price. Track Club also gives back to the creative community by working with authentic artists, making sure they get paid, and investing back into non-profits working for social justice, education, houselessness, music and arts advocacy, equity and inclusion, civil rights, and more. With a meticulously curated, small-batch catalog and intuitive search functions, we’re sure you’ll be able to find the perfect songs for your creative projects.

Start your 30-day free trial with Track Club today!