Best Stock Music Sites

As much as content matters, any online platform is only as good as its interface. That is precisely why we've no issues putting PremiumBeat so high up on our list. The site's search functionality and layout make it particularly easy to quickly find what you’re after, which is great since you want to find the right track without wasting hours trawling through unnecessary options.

The aforementioned layout isn't crowded with information, which is always a plus in our book. The signposting is as clear as it gets. You don't even have to register to purchase tracks. The company's model is as streamlined for customers as it is for content creators.

Plus, we really like the website's overall look and feel. It is massive but, at the same time, not clunky at all. It isn't bloated with unnecessary tools and features. It doesn't overwhelm you. Everything is right there at your fingertips.

As far as the pricing is concerned, PremiumBeat is surprisingly affordable. The audio tracks always cost $49 per track. The length does not matter. Of course, we're talking about standard, non-commercial, web-based license. You'll have to cough up $199 per track for that premium license that covers revenue-generating content. But that's always the case with these resources.

All the tracks on the website include the full song, loop sets (up to 16 different loops per track), and/or short clips (15 sec, 30 sec, and 60 sec). The platform has an excellent audio track selection as well as countless sound effects (SFX) to choose from.

Other than that, with Shutterstock behind it, PremiumBeat will let you access stock footage and stock imagery too. There're even After Effects templates available at RocketStock, another Shutterstock subsidiary.

All things considered, PremiumBeat is up there with the best stock music sites on the market today. It is as good for music makers as it is for customers. You won't be able to find so much quality original content anywhere else. It doesn't hurt that the website's layout is straightforward and the model is as streamlined as they come.

Pond5 definitely banks on its huge and diverse stock media selection first and foremost. At the same time, the company has other things going for it. For one, the website has an excellent search and categorizing system. You can sort the tracks by duration, upload date, artist, price, page views, number of sales, etc.

The music preview feature here is fast and intuitive. You'll be able to quickly demo a lot of music.

When you find the right track, you can download a watermarked preview, add it to a collection, or buy a license and download the music immediately.

Needless to say, having the option to sample the track before you buy it is huge.

You can select individual tracks (starting at $15 per track), buy pre-purchased credit bundles, or go all-in with monthly ($190) or annual ($950) memberships.

As for the search system, the biggest standout feature is definitely the Tempo setting. Using that setting, you can select/sift through tracks based on tempo. At the same time, we really like the additional filters too, especially the Public Domain and non-P.R.O. settings.

Pond5 is great for customers. It is even better for musicians though. The website is intuitive and accessible to beginners. You can batch upload your songs (the company's servers are usually really fast). It lets you use batch templates and quickly make batch edits to songs. The company's platform automatically inserts watermarks, so you don’t have to waste your time on that too.

They offer contributors a customizable artist account. You can set your own prices. The affiliate program is nothing to complain about (especially compared to its direct competition). The review process for new music is quick and straightforward enough.

Other than that, the platform provides artists with extensive data on sales trends. It doesn't force an exclusive license onto contributors, meaning you're free to sell your music on other websites.

Long story short, Pond5 hosts one of the biggest stock music libraries out there. Whether you’re working on a short promo video, corporate shoot or commercial, the company's platform offers stock music for just about any project. The company gives media creators the tools necessary to thrive, including the best statistics on listens, likes, and add to carts.

As it is always the case, MotionElements lets you select individual tracks and pay for them separately. More often than not, the prices are fair enough and you'll unlikely face any issues buying/downloading different tracks. However, we would say that the company's subscription plans are where it's at.

There are 3 different plan categories available right now. The first one includes music, After Effects templates, and Premiere Pro templates. The second category is reserved for stock footage and Apple Motion. The last category covers images, GIFs, vectors, and Lotties. Naturally, we will not be covering the last two categories in this review and rather focus on the first one.

There are 2 monthly plans that concern music. The Starter plan will cost you 29 bucks per month and let you download 3 media elements (again, music, After Effects templates, or Premiere Pro templates). It gives you access to the music subscription library that includes tracks aren't available for download otherwise. You'll also be able to access the After Effects and Premiere Pro subscription libraries. These media elements are all royalty-free, meaning you buy them once for unlimited worldwide use in as many projects as necessary. You can cancel anytime you want.

The Professional plan is the same except that the cost goes to 89 bucks per month and the media elements that the cost covers go from 3 to 10. Needless to say, $10 per media element is not a bad deal.

The plans are great. We didn't even mention the fact that you can choose annual billing and subscribe to the Starter and Professional plans for $19 and $59 respectively.

Other than that, there isn't much left to cover here. The website's design looks fresh and modern. The navigation part is easy. The layout presents curated galleries that guide you through the available content. Signing up and payment options allow for quick access to the content the customer requires.

In short, MotionElements is all about flexibility and streamlining your interactions with the platform. You'll always be able to find the right track for your project. Plus, the company pays artists at least 50% of the royalties. There aren't too many stock music sites that sell music as well as MotionElements.

Now, let's cover the plans. First things first, here isn't that much difference between them. The Standard plan will cost you $19 per month or $11.25 billed annually. It offers unlimited music licenses, curated playlists on-demand, as well as access to new songs coming every week.

It's not bad but, as far as we're concerned, the Premium plan is much better from the price-value perspective. In addition to the same perks, the plan offers access to 30,000+ sound effects, pre-released music, and over 1,000 songs with stems. It will cost you just $21 per month. You will have to go with the annual billing though.

We really like the curated playlists. At the same time, the company's search settings/filters are pretty impressive too. You can search by genre, mood, instruments, duration, the list goes on.

These memberships cover broadcast and commercial use too. Yes. Your license covers pretty much any video use. The only restriction pertains to video content that is pornographic in nature.

The platform's new-and-improved interface is as sleek and easy to understand as the next best thing. From a design standpoint, the layout is very well-organized, all while providing the necessary information at a glance. The song lists include the track's artist and title, a waveform (that you can scrub through), mood, song duration, type (vocal or instrumental), and licensing shortcut button.

You're able to navigate different sections using the left sidebar. There, you'll find the necessary options for browsing the company's music library as well as managing your playlists and/or favorited tracks. You can follow specific artists or playlists to see new relevant content. Other than that, the sidebar features an account management section. This is where you'll be handling billing, private settings, etc.

To bring it home, Soundstripe is an excellent service for creative freelancers in general. It is also really good for independent/commercial filmmakers, wedding videographers, and marketing agencies. The prices alone make the platform attractive to various customers on a tight budget. The user interface is great too.

It is a shame that you cannot purchase an item without creating an account at Luckstock. Luckily, it is not that difficult to do that. Go to the "Create Account" page to register. It shouldn't take you more than two minutes. After that, the platform offers several ways to find stock music, including the usual search engine approach as well as browsing the platform's multiple categories. At the same time, there is the Popular Files page as well as Top Authors and Featured Items pages. There, you will be able to easily and effortlessly find various awesome tracks.

Done with the search? Now, you can select the right license from the tab on the right side of the item preview page. You can add that item to the shopping cart or purchase the track directly via the "Buy Now" button. The payment options are more or less the usual drill. You can use your PayPal balance. You can pay with your credit card. You can deposit money to your account balance using PayPal or credit card. The process/progress is pretty much straightforward after that.

LuckStock lets you purchase a single-use license as well as unlimited-use license. Just make sure to select the "Unlimited Standard License" option in the Shopping Cart.

Other than that, the company offers standard and wide licenses. The Standard License will let you use the audio in/on/as Internet videos, (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.), commercial as well as non-commercial websites, internal corporate presentations, student films, in-store background music, podcasts, and music-on-hold.

In addition to everything we've listed above, the Wide License covers use pertaining to commercial Internet broadcasting, corporate trade shows, regional TV and radio broadcasting, national TV and radio broadcasting, international TV and radio broadcasting, live theatrical performances, feature films, games and other applications (mobile, desktop, other platforms), and just about every other application that does not involve re-selling the company's royalty-free music and audio products.

All in all, LuckStock isn't the all-around best stock music site available these days. The platform definitely has its moments though. You don't have to pay a king's ransom to purchase a few songs. It won't take you too much time to find/select the right audio track(s). The sound effect library is nothing to scoff at.