Getting your music licensed can be tough, with a lot of effort often leading to nowhere. For new artists, it’s important to start off on the right foot to avoid early burnout. A good start often means partnering with a music licensing company. However, many of these companies ask for fees just to consider your music, promising big opportunities that might not pan out, leaving you out of pocket and discouraged.
To cut through the noise, we’ve put together a list of the top five music licensing companies for new artists in 2024. Let’s get into the list and help you avoid wasting money on empty promises.
5 Best Music Licensing Companies in 2024
To start off, here are the top five music licensing companies for new artists in 2024, ranked in no particular order,
- Songtradr
- PremiumBeat
- Beatpick
- Crucial Music
- Music Vine
Now that we’ve named the best in the business, let’s take a closer look at what each of these music licensing companies offers.
#1 Songtradr
Songtradr is a music licensing platform designed for new artists eager to earn from their music through licensing and distribution. It’s also ideal for labels and catalogs that want to monitor how their music is used commercially, both online and offline.
How to Use Songtradr for Music Licensing in 2024
Sign Up for Songtradr
First things first, create a Songtradr account and choose a subscription plan. This is your key to accessing the platform’s features and finding music licensing opportunities.
Explore Your Songtradr Dashboard
Once you’re logged in, head over to the “Monetization” section on the left side of your dashboard. This will take you to the Monetization Portal, where you can see a variety of opportunities to license your music.
Select a music licensing opportunity
Songtradr makes available eight music licensing opportunities, including Network TV, Twitch Radio, and TikTok. Select any opportunity that interests you. A pop-up window will appear, explaining how it works. Take a moment to read and understand the details, then click “okay.” A second pop-up will show the terms and conditions for the music licensing opportunity. Please read these thoroughly and click “accept” if you agree with them.
Opt in your songs to your selected music licensing opportunity
If you’ve uploaded several songs to your Songtradr account, you have the flexibility to submit them all or only a few for licensing opportunities. To submit every song you’ve uploaded, just click on “opt in all songs.” If you only want to submit specific songs, check the box next to each song you’re interested in submitting and then confirm your choices.
Songtradr notifies you of your song’s progress
If your song is chosen for a music licensing deal, you’ll receive a notification on your Songtradr dashboard and via email. If your song isn’t selected, you’ll be informed as well. It’s important to remember that submitting your song for a licensing opportunity doesn’t guarantee it will be accepted.
Songtradr Pricing for Artists
Songtradr offers subscription plans artists can purchase to use its music licensing services. The Lite plan costs $19 a year, and the Pro plan is priced at $49 a year.
How Much Does Songtradr Pay Artists in 2024?
Artists on the Pro plan keep 80% of their earnings from sync and licensing deals. Meanwhile, those on the Lite plan receive 60% of their earnings.
Why Is Songtradr Among the Best Music Licensing Companies in 2024?
- Songtradr allows artists to submit an unlimited number of songs at once to be reviewed.
- Songtradr pays artist a generous chunk of their earnings.
Cons of Using Songtradr for Music Licensing in 2024
- Using Songtradr for music licensing requires a payment, meaning there are upfront costs involved. Just because you pay these costs doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to secure a music licensing deal.
- Many artists who have used Songtradr for music licensing have noted that the deals they received were not particularly significant.
#2 PremiumBeat
PremiumBeat offers a wide selection of royalty-free music across various genres like pop, funk, and R&B, ideal for videos, apps, and podcasts, available through a subscription. While its primary focus isn’t on licensing music for new artists, PremiumBeat welcomes submissions from artists interested in licensing their music for commercial use in 2024.
How to Use PremiumBeat for Music Licensing in 2024
Head to PremiumBeat
Go to https://www.premiumbeat.com/new-artist.
Complete the Submission Form
PremiumBeat’s website has a straightforward form for new artists. You’ll need to provide some basic details such as:
- Your first and last name
- Your band’s name (if applicable)
- Your email address
- Your membership status with a performing rights organization
- Your country
- The audio files you’re looking to license.
You may submit up to five songs at once for consideration.
Wait for PremiumBeat’s Response
PremiumBeat reviews submissions within about four weeks. If they see potential in your music, someone from their team will get in touch to discuss the next steps. If your music isn’t quite what they’re looking for, they’ll inform you of this as well.
PremiumBeat Pricing for Artists
Artists have the opportunity to submit their music to PremiumBeat for free. However, there’s a catch: if you go with PremiumBeat, they get exclusive rights to license your music. This means you won’t be able to license your music with PremiumBeat and any other company at the same time. So, make sure no third party holds rights to your song before you submit it to PremiumBeat.
How Much Does PremiumBeat Pay Artists in 2024?
PremiumBeat doesn’t publicly disclose how much it pays artists.
Why Is PremiumBeat Among the Best Licensing Companies in 2024?
- PremiumBeat doesn’t require new artists to pay for the chance to license their music. This no-fee approach makes it more accessible for artists to find licensing opportunities without upfront costs.
- The fact that PremiumBeat connects artists with licensing opportunities without charging them suggests it genuinely supports the artists it chooses to work with.
Cons of Using PremiumBeat for Music Licensing
- If your music catches PremiumBeat’s interest, you’ll need to grant them exclusive rights to handle your music licensing. This means your music is tied to PremiumBeat for the duration of the agreement.
- Also, PremiumBeat is not very open about how it profits from licensing deals, which might be a concern for some artists.
#3 Beatpick
Since 2006, Beatpick has been a go-to music licensing company, offering a wide range of licensed music to its users while also welcoming new artists to submit their music for licensing opportunities.
How to Use Beatpick for Music Licensing in 2024
Submit Your Music to Beatpick
First, head over to Beatpick’s music submission page. Then:
- Fill in your name or your band’s name if you’re submitting music created by a group.
- Provide an email address for Beatpick to contact you about the status of your submission, whether accepted or rejected.
- Upload at least four music tracks to boost your chances of getting included in Beatpick’s catalog. Ensure these tracks are at least 128 kbps in quality.
- Hit “send” to complete your submission.
Beatpick Reviews Your Music
Beatpick will take about four weeks to review your music, whether you submit one track or several. They’ll assess if your music fits their catalog and let you know their decision via email, regardless of the outcome.
Beatpick Markets Your Music
After your music is accepted, the real work begins. Beatpick’s team will start pitching your music to music supervisors in the film, TV, and advertising industries. They might send digital copies of your music or even physical CDs and DVDs to these professionals. If they like what they hear, your music could be featured in various commercial projects.
Also, Beatpick will make your music available for download and streaming on digital music platforms to help boost your visibility.
Beatpick Pricing for Artists
Submitting your music to Beatpick doesn’t cost anything.
How Much Does Beatpick Pay Artists in 2024?
Beatpick pays you a 50% share of the initial fee you receive when your music is licensed, known as the placement fee. This fee is a one-time payment for the use of your music. Royalties, on the other hand, are ongoing payments based on how frequently and where your music is played, like on TV or radio, and Beatpick does not take any part of these.
Instead, royalties go directly to performance rights organizations, from where you can collect them. If you’re new to this process and need help collecting your royalties from these organizations, Beatpick can assist, though they charge a fee for this service.
Why Is Beatpick Among the Best Music Licensing Companies in 2024?
- You only pay Beatpick a commission when they secure a licensing deal for you, ensuring you don’t have to spend money before you start earning.
- Beatpick operates on a non-exclusive basis, giving you the freedom to pursue licensing deals with other companies simultaneously. This flexibility is great for maximizing your music’s exposure and potential earnings.
Con of Using Beatpick for Music Licensing in 2024
One downside to Beatpick is that they distribute artists’ earnings quarterly. If you prefer or need to access your earnings more frequently, this payment schedule may not suit your needs.
#4 Crucial Music
Since 2006, Crucial Music has been focused on securing high-value placements for artists’ music in films, TV shows, and advertisements. These are the types of placements that can significantly boost your earnings from music licensing. For new artists looking to make an impact, getting your songs into Crucial Music’s catalog is a vital step towards achieving success in the industry.
How to Use Crucial Music for Music Licensing in 2024
Understand Crucial Music’s Requirements
Before anything else, head to Crucial Music’s website and check out their “Deal Points.” This section explains everything you need to know before submitting your music, including essential requirements.
For instance, you’ll need to be affiliated with a performing rights organization (PRO) like ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC in the US, or your country’s PRO if you’re located elsewhere. You’ll also need an IPI number, a unique identifier given to music creators and publishers to track ownership and ensure royalties are correctly distributed.
Make sure you haven’t signed any exclusive publishing deals elsewhere. You should also prepare the sheet music and stems for the song you wish to license.
Register with Crucial Music
To create an account with Crucial Music:
- Go to https://www.crucialmusic.com/indie.
- Provide an email address and create a password for your account.
- Enter your full name, including any middle names.
- If you’re a solo artist, add your artist name. If you’re part of a band looking to license music, include the band’s name.
- Choose your PRO from the provided drop-down menu and input your IPI number.
- Fill in your contact details, such as your address and phone number.
- Click “submit” to complete your registration.
Submitting Your Songs to Crucial Music
Sign in to your Crucial Music account and head to your dashboard. Look for the “submit a song” option and click it. This will direct you to a page where you’ll be asked for details about the tracks you’re submitting. You can submit up to three songs at once. Ensure you provide all possible versions Crucial Music might need for different licensing opportunities: the full track, an instrumental version, a clean version (if it contains explicit lyrics), and any shorter versions of the song.
Review Process at Crucial Music
Crucial Music generally takes about three weeks to review song submissions, but some artists report waiting up to two to three months for a response. Given this timeframe and the fact you can submit songs to Crucial Music less than 20 times a year due to their selectiveness, it’s crucial to submit your best work to increase your chances of inclusion in their catalog.
Acceptance or Rejection by Crucial Music
If Crucial Music decides to add your track to their catalog, they’ll notify you and send an electronic contract for you to review and sign. If your submission is not accepted, you’ll be informed as well. To check the status of your submissions, including whether they were accepted or rejected, visit your dashboard on Crucial Music and select “View your complete submission history.”
Crucial Music Pricing for Artists
Crucial Music does not charge artists to review their submissions.
How Much Does Crucial Music Pay Artists in 2024?
Crucial Music collects 50% of the upfront fees obtained from music licensing deals.
Why Is Crucial Music Among the Best Music Licensing Companies in 2024?
- Because Crucial Music accepts a limited number of songs, their music library is uncrowded. This ensures that songs included in their catalog stand a genuine chance of being licensed.
- Crucial Music clearly explains their approach to licensing music once it has been accepted into their catalog.
- On your Crucial Music dashboard, you can view the list of every music licensing opportunity to which Crucial’s sales representatives have pitched your songs . Although the list isn’t updated in real time, Crucial Music tries to keep it as current as possible.
Cons of Using Crucial Music for Music Licensing in 2024
- Crucial Music binds artists to a three-year music licensing contract, which automatically renews unless the artist decides to end it. Despite the contract’s lengthy duration, it is non-exclusive, allowing artists the freedom to license their music with other non-exclusive companies. Therefore, there’s no need for artists to terminate their contract with Crucial Music unless they wish to partner with an exclusive music publishing or licensing company.
- Given Crucial Music’s high rate of rejecting submissions, artists might find it discouraging to keep sending their songs for review.
#5 Music Vine
Music Vine is a music licensing company that provides a variety of music licenses for different purposes. This means that clients looking to use music from Music Vine’s catalog need to buy the license that best fits their project’s needs.
Whether it’s a commercial for a new product or background music for a personal video, Music Vine has a license specifically designed for that purpose. This approach ensures that the artists contributing their tracks to the catalog are compensated fairly. Music Vine’s approach is all about matching the right music with the right project, so that everyone from creators to consumers, wins.
How to Use Music Vine for Music Licensing in 2024
Submit Your Music via the Artist Application Form
Music Vine requires all artists interested in licensing their music through its platform to complete an Artist Application Form. This form is your opportunity to showcase your work by submitting links to your five best tracks. If you have more music that you believe highlights your talents, feel free to include additional links.
During the application process, you must specify whether you prefer an exclusive or mixed licensing agreement with Music Vine. A “mixed” arrangement allows you to license some songs exclusively through Music Vine, while others may be licensed non-exclusively, meaning they can also be offered through other music licensing platforms.
It’s important to disclose any current relationships with other music licensing companies in your application. Once you’ve provided all the necessary information, you can submit your form.
Music Vine’s Review Process
Music Vine commits up to eight weeks to review artist applications. This thorough evaluation assesses your tracks against several key criteria, such as overall production quality, musicianship, the cohesiveness of your arrangements, the quality of your instruments or samples, the emotive power of your music, and its commercial viability. Each category is scored out of 10, allowing for a maximum total of 60 points. To be accepted into Music Vine’s catalog, a track must achieve at least 50 points.
Joining the Music Vine Artist Community
If your music passes Music Vine’s review, you’ll be invited to join their artist community. If you’re not already working with a music publisher, Music Vine will help you register your song in the YouTube Content ID database. When your song is added to YouTube’s Content ID database, you get paid each time someone else uses that song in their YouTube video.
Music Vine Pricing for Artists
Music Vine allows artists to submit their music to it for free.
How Much Does Music Vine Pay Artists in 2024?
When you license your music exclusively through Music Vine, you’ll receive 60% of the earnings from those licensing deals. However, if you opt for a non-exclusive license for your songs, you’ll get just 35% of the earnings.
Meanwhile, any money made from YouTube Content ID is split 50/50 between you and Music Vine.
Why Is Music Vine Among the Best Music Licensing Companies in 2024?
- Music Vine follows a rigorous and efficient method for picking artists to partner with, meaning if you’re selected, you can feel confident they’ll go the extra mile to land you a music licensing deal.
- Music Vine is notably open about its process for evaluating artists’ applications.
Cons of Using Music Vine for Music Licensing in 2024
- Music Vine tends to take a lengthy time to review artist applications, which can be a bit frustrating.
- The percentage of earnings Music Vine offers to artists for non-exclusive music licenses on their platform is really small.
- Given Music Vine’s smaller size compared to some other players in the field, opting to license your music exclusively with them might limit the number of opportunities you come across. To top it off, you only receive 60% of the revenue from each licensing deal.
Conclusion
Choosing a favorite among the five music licensing companies we’ve explored — Songtradr, PremiumBeat, Beatpick, Crucial Music, and Music Vine — might seem straightforward at first glance. However, each company brings its own set of advantages and drawbacks to the table. You need to carefully weigh these factors, considering both the positives and negatives, to select the one that best aligns with your needs, where the benefits significantly outweigh any potential downsides.
If we had to pick, we’d lean towards Crucial Music. They offer non-exclusive agreements, keep artists informed about where their music is being pitched, and give artists a generous 50% of the licensing revenue. This combination is hard to find elsewhere.