Mar 6, 2020
*Updated March 2022
Finding the perfect song for a video can be a nightmare.
It doesn’t matter if the project is an ad, a short film, a wedding video, or a travel vlog — as creatives, we usually have clear visions for our work.
And nothing ruins a video’s mood faster than music that just doesn’t fit.
You’re reading this post because you’re a content creator. And you’ve probably realized that royalty free music is the best way to find great songs at a reasonable cost...and avoid copyright infringement.
We made that same realization. And as a company built to provide filmmakers with the best royalty free songs on the market, Soundstripe is constantly exploring ways to improve our music library and user experience.
But we know we aren’t the only company working in this corner of the industry. You’ve got options for where to get your music. And we’re here to help you make the best decision for your situation, whether you work with an ad agency, an indie film team, or on your own.
Let’s compare and contrast two of the biggest royalty free music licensing companies: Soundstripe vs. AudioBlocks.
The truth is we want to keep creatives creating, no matter which music service you go with. And we think an unbiased comparison (or as close to one as we can get) will be a valuable tool to help you make a smart decision for your business.
Thankfully, you don’t have to take our word in blind faith. You can find YouTube videos, Reddit threads, and discussion boards filled with thoughts and reviews from other videographers. But we thought we’d do some of that work to make your job easier.
So, here is a review of each platform. (And yes, we’ll give a thorough breakdown to summarize these videos!)
One quick note: AudioBlocks overhauled their website since this video was published. As a result, a few of Torsten’s criticisms don’t really apply anymore, but his review was the most direct breakdown of AudioBlocks’ music quality. And we think that’s what is most important.
In this review, you can jump to the sections about Audioblocks at 4:40 and Soundstripe at 8:20.
To be clear, we picked reviews because they are clearly from videographers who rely on royalty free music for their projects. That firsthand experience puts them in a better place to weigh the pros and cons for a creative, and their comments echo points you’ll hear from most other users.
Both Soundstripe and AudioBlocks are royalty free music subscription services. In other words, you sign up for the service just like you would with Disney+ or HBO.
Specifically for both of these companies (But not all!), that subscription gives you unlimited downloads for songs to use in your projects.
In other words, you pay the company, and that company handles the copyrights and royalties. That means tracks you download are yours in perpetuity. You got access to them legally, which means they shouldn’t get flagged for copyright, even if you choose to end your subscription.
Songs from AudioBlocks and Soundstripe can be used in commercial projects, YouTube videos, films, or any other kind of multimedia project you might be interested in trying.
“How much does a music license subscription cost?”
This is usually the first question people ask when they start exploring royalty free music, and for good reason.
Budgets are a big deal, for big corporate marketing teams as well as independent filmmakers. And you’re trying to maximize the amount of cash you’ve allocated for music, which is probably a lot less than you’re setting aside for gear, travel, and talent.
With Soundstripe, you have a few subscription options to choose from. You can get unlimited access to thousands of songs and sound effects for $9.99/month (or $119/year). You can get music, SFX, and Pro features for $19.99/month (or $239/year). And you can get music, SFX, video, and curation support for $33.99/month (or $399/year).
AudioBlocks also offers monthly and yearly subscriptions for individuals, and custom pricing for businesses. Here are the two different tiers for individuals:
While the cheapest option seems like a steal, the download limit is a bit restrictive. Meanwhile, the higher tier offers features that even an ad agency with a big budget would benefit from.
The most important feature of a music library is, well, its songs.
You’re looking for quality and quantity, especially if you produce a lot of content or have very specific visions for how you want your videos to look and sound.
AudioBlocks includes songs and sound effects. They have more than 27,000 songs and 42,000 sound effects.
Tracks come in a variety of lengths, and all the music tracks are available in .mp3 or .wav formats.
But the biggest perk with AudioBlocks — at least according to TDCatTech’s review we embedded above — is the flat files, which is perfect for anyone with mastering experience.
Soundstripe offers upwards of 7,000 songs, with around 200 new tracks added each month and curated by our in-house team of engineers. Other plans include access to 60,000+ sound effects and 100,000+ stock video clips.
Another big piece in the music library experience is the process of actually finding songs you want. Your time is a valuable asset when you’re in editing mode, and getting to good music as quickly as possible will help you get the most out of your royalty free music library.
Soundstripe and AudioBlocks let you sort by mood, instrument, tempo, and duration, among other options. both platforms use playlists to group similar songs (although AudioBlocks calls these “Collections”).
Additionally, Soundstripe has plugins, Frame.io, Twitch, and Premiere Pro to make it even easier to get your favorite songs and simplify your production process.
Now that we’ve finished comparing and contrasting Soundstripe vs. AudioBlocks, you may think you’re ready to make a decision. Or maybe you want to spend some time exploring the songs in each library. After all, that’s what started your search for a royalty free music library in the first place.
Since you’re here, you can browse our music library and see if our song quality matches up to your expectations. Whatever you decide, make sure it’s the subscription that will help you find the quality and quantity of music you want — and, of course, the price you can afford!
Interested in reading more top resources and getting our best filmmaking tips and tricks? Here are a couple of our most popular articles from across the Soundstripe blog:
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