| What is Stock Music? And is it Royalty Free? Stock music and royalty free music are not synonymous. Stock music simply means that the music already exists in a catalog … it’s ready to license and use (today). If your project is ready for adding background music and you don’t want to wait for custom music, then a music library of stock music is your first stop. Although some people consider Stock Music negatively as cheap “cheesy / canned music” it is not the case at all. You have the full range of music quality in stock music from very amateurish poorly mixed music to highly professional music tracks. |
What is Stock Music?
Stock music is understood in opposition to custom made (music that is created for a specific project) – an online video, a presentation, a film, a commercial, or a television show. Many stock music libraries offer their music on a Royalty Free basis, but other libraries prefer to offer their music with a Rights Managed license or “pay per use” based on the frequency of use & type of use as well as the size of the territory. This is why it’s important to check the music licensing before making your purchase, to make sure that the licensing fits your needs.
The advantages of Stock Music
Producers of video have never before had so much music designed specifically for media. And the need for well-crafted music has exploded too in recent years. Listen to the music and pick the option that is right for your production requirements. Stock Music gives you the chance to have any type of music and orchestration you need and you can use it in creative, innovative and unexpected ways. There are two advantages of stock music. (1) Save time – pick the music that’s ready to go, and you can insert it into your video masterpiece immediately after download. (2) Cost. Stock music is always less expensive than custom music because you’re sharing the cost with other music buyers who are adding the same background music in their production.
The disadvantages of Stock Music
Since the music is also used by others, your production won’t have a UNIQUE soundtrack. But when you balance the cost savings and time savings, stock music is often an excellent choice for many amateur video producers and small production houses.
Stock music isn’t always royalty free. Be sure to clearly understand the terms of the license before ordering. Many stock music producers DO in fact charge royalties, which means that there is a “pay per use” charge for adding the music into your project.
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