Frequently Asked Questions

Billing

  • What forms of payment do you accept?

    For individual track and sound effect purchases, we accept PayPal and all major credit cards, including Visa, MasterCard, American Express, JCB, Discover, and Diners Club.

    For subscriptions, we only accept the above credit cards. Sorry, at this time, we do not accept PayPal for our subscription plans.

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General

  • How do I get a Cue Sheet?

    All the cue sheet information is available on your download page under MY MUSIC in your account. Each track has its own cue sheet information available.

    Just login and navigate to your purchased products. There you will find a link next to your licensed music that says "Cue Sheet Info".

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  • What are cue sheets?

    A cue sheet contains details of all the music and how it's used in a media production. It is distributed to Performing Rights Organizations (PROS). The PROs will use this information to identify which composers and publishers should receive performance royalties. If you need to learn more, we wrote a comprehensive guide on how Cue Sheets and Performance Rights Organizations work. Please let us know what you think!

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  • Do I Need to Submit a Cue Sheet for Video used for Broadcast Film or Radio?

    Short answer: Yes.

    Long answer: Yes, because this has to do with the royalties paid to composers through Performance Rights Organizations (PROs) like ASCAP and BMI. You won't have to pay these royalties; TV networks and other broadcasters do.

    Submitting a cue sheet is the right thing to do because it's one-way composers like ours get paid for their work.

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  • What Are the License Differences Between Individual Track Purchases and the Subscription Plans?

    Short answer: Individual purchases are more expensive but have no strings attached. Subscription plans are cheaper, but you must stay subscribed to keep using music for future projects.

    Long answer: When you make individual track purchases, you pay a straightforward $39.95 per music track and $2.95 per sound effect. That payment gives you unlimited usage for life. There are no restrictions on how or where you use those tracks. The license lasts forever. You can use the music in as many projects as you like.

    Subscriptions are more affordable. They're priced at $19.99 per month or $199.99 per year (when you subscribe annually, you get two months free). However, subscriptions only allow you to create with and publish our music while you are subscribed. Once you end your subscription, you can no longer use the music for new projects nor distribute previous creations to new channels. However, material that you published while subscribed will remain licensed in perpetuity.

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  • The Music I Purchased Still Has the ‘stockmusic.net’ Voiceover. Why?

    This means you accidentally downloaded the demo version of the track. So not only does it have the voice-over, it’s encoded with poor quality.

    You paid for full quality! To get the full quality track and no voiceover wordmark, download from the MY MUSIC section of your account here.

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Licensing

  • Is the license transferrable to my clients?

    You can certainly sub-license your created media to a client, but only in a completed media production. Your client will not have the right to create new media with the music, though. Also, as long as you maintain a subscription or purchased an individual license, you the creator can continue using the music in projects for future clients.

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  • What happens if I receive a YouTube claim?

    Buying licensed music from us means you are 100% guaranteed usage rights on YouTube, Vimeo, Instagram, and all other Internet video platforms.

    However, because platforms like YouTube use automated systems to identify piracy, there’s always potential for mistakes in their attempts to identify copyrighted material. Thankfully, the potential for this is extremely rare.

    If you do happen to receive a claim from YouTube, disputing the claim is very easy.

    When responding to the YouTube claim simply write, "I have purchased a royalty free music license from stockmusic.net, and can provide documentation if necessary.”

    99% of the time this is all that’s needed to lift the claim, but if you have any other issues please contact us at contact@stockmusic.net.

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  • What are sync (synchronization) rights?

    "Sync" Rights, short for "synchronization", permit a media producer to use copyrighted audio in a media production.

    We like to describe it as anything besides a “muisc-only production.”

    Some examples of media productions we support are:

    • Films
    • TV Shows
    • YouTube and Internet videos
    • Advertisements and commercials
    • Radio ads
    • Podcasts
    • Apps and games
    • Books on tape
    • And much more

    That is, any time you wish to sync music to something else, not just play the music it on its own, you need "Sync" rights. Sync rights also include mechanical rights (which once upon a time referred to pressing CDs and vinyl), namely the ability to make additional copies of a track.

    At StockMusic.net, we often refer to our Sync License as our “Media Producers License” since media producers are our main customers.

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  • What are public performance rights?

    Public Performance Rights allow music to be played to a public audience. The music can be synced to a media production or played directly to an audience. Some examples are in a retail store, a restaurant, an on-hold telephone system, in a gym or yoga class, or during intermission at a large event.

    If you intend to play our music in something like one of the above venues, you can simply purchase our Public Performance License and be fully covered from being billed by a PRO agency like BMI or ASCAP

    You don't need a Public Performance License to put a media production online, but you will if you intend to use the music in a retail setting, a restaurant, gym studio, concert hall, or on-hold system. If your work gets aired on TV (for example), don't worry – it's the network that pays for this license and handles registering with the PROs who track the number of presentations.

    If you purchase our sync license (aka: Media Producers License), the music does not come with public performance rights.

    Typically public performance license is obtained by the broadcasters or publishers of your media. What happens is, the broadcasters submit cue sheets to the Performance Rights Organizations who track viewership. They in turn bill the broadcaster a percentage of advertising revenue, who then pays a percentage of the revenue back to the musical artists.

    It sounds complex, but most of this usually happens by the publishers and broadcasters. Rarely is the media producer responsible for Public Performance royalties.

    We wrote an extensive article on Cue Sheets, Public Performance, and how it all works. Highly recommended reading for anybody who distributes media productions that use royalty free music.

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  • I accidentally purchased the wrong track, can I get a refund?

    Refunds are available for individual licenses if you have not downloaded it. For purchased tracks that have been downloaded, we are unable to offer any refunds.

    Though we do not offer refunds for subscription plans, you still have the option of canceling your subscription at any time.

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Music

  • I need an invoice for my purchase. Where can I find one?

    Login to your account and navigate to stockmusic.net/account/purchases.

    There you can see your entire purchase history, and get a copy of your invoice.

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  • Can I add vocals and more instrumentals to a song I purchase?

    You cannot use our music to create a new music track.

    Purchasing a license only allows you to use the music to make a new piece of media. The media must be distinctly different from a pure music product. You cannot add anything new or change the track to create a new music product.

    However, voiceovers, fade-in and fade-out, and background use of sound effects and dialogue are all acceptable use, when synced to a media project.

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  • What file formats does your music come in?

    For music, we provide three formats for the music you purchase – 320k .mp3, .wav, and .aiff.   For sound effects, we only provide .wav files.

    All your music can be accessed in your download page after you make a purchse.

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  • What is the bit-coding rate of your music?

    For purchased tracks, our encoding is as follows: .mp3: 320 kbps .wav and .aiff: either 16 or 24 bit, 44100 Hz.

    The demo .mp3 files are encoded with 120 kbps and are encoded with our word-mark.

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  • Will I be able to download the music I purchased any time I want?

    Your purchased tracks and sound effects will be available forever. As long as we stay in business, you will have access to your tracks.

    Each track you purchase from stockmusic.net is available to you anytime you want. So long as we stay in business, you will have access to your tracks 24/7.

    Once you've bought a music license, it's yours to use forever in any project you want.

    If you're a subscriber and you unsubscribe, the music you purchased under the subscription will no longer be available for download. However, those tracks will remain in your account so that if you re-subscribe, the music tracks will show up again in the MY MUSIC section of your account

    To download your purchased tracks, just go to the MY MUSIC section of your account.

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Royalty Free Music

  • What is Royalty Free Music?

    “Royalty Free Music” comes from music libraries that offer a one-time sync (short for "synchronization") fee that allows you usage rights for life.

    Royalty Free means you will never be charged an additional fee for synch rights, no matter how many times you use the music, where you distribute it, and regardless of how many projects you use it in.

    There is no expiration to a royalty free synchronization license, so it never has to be renewed. Our Media Producers License offers a very permissive royalty free music license.

    If you need additional information or clarifications, just send us an email about your concerns.

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Subscriptions

  • How do subscription licenses work?

    As a paid subscriber, you're free to download and use as many music and sound effect tracks as you like.

    Keep in mind though that only the audio used while you're subscribed is covered under our Media Producers Sync License. The media produced while subscribed will be licensed forever, even if you transfer it to a client.

    Once unsubscribed, your created media will stay licensed forever but any future projects you create with our music will not be licensed.

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  • What happens when I unsubscribe?

    All media you created while subscribed will be licensed forever, even if you transfer to a client.

    After you unsubscribe, you can no longer use our music or sound effects in any future projects.

    You no longer own the sync rights to any audio obtained under the subscription plan.

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  • Can I cancel my subscription anytime?

    Of course you can!

    You will stay subscribed through the end of your current term, but will not be billed on the next billing cycle.

    Keep in mind that after your plan ends, all tracks downloaded are no longer licensed to be used in future projects.

    Also, we do not offer refunds for the remainder of your subscription period after cancellation.

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  • What if I need to use your music after I unsubscribe?

    No problem, you can either simply re-subscribe or purchase an individual license.

    Individual licenses are good forever and can be used in as many productions as you like.

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  • Does the subscription include public performance rights?

    No. If you need a Public Performance license, you need to purchase an individual license.

    Public Performance rights are for retail, restaurant, gym studio, concert hall, on-hold system or anywhere you need to play the music. When you add to cart, you will be asked which license you need.

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  • What Licenses Does the Subscription Plan Cover?

    Subscription plans only cover our Media Producers License (also known as a Sync license). If you need a Public Performance license, you must make an individual track purchase.

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  • I subscribed, but the music I download has the “stockmusic.net” voiceover. What's up with that?

    Even when you subscribe, you still have to “purchase” the music. Don't worry, our "Sync" license has no additional charges for subscribers.

    Download music without the voiceover in three easy steps:

    • Add the music you need to your cart. Choose our “Sync” license.
    • Go to your shopping cart by clicking on the cart icon.
    • In your cart, click “Use Subscription to Purchase.”

    There will be no additional charges!

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  • I’m subscribed, but the shopping cart is asking for payment! I thought the subscription covered everything.

    Subscription plans cover our Media Producers License only. Ensure the tracks in your cart only call for the Media Producers License. If any tracks in your cart have "Public Performance", just change them to "Sync" or "Media Producers License".

    If your usage requires a Public Performance License, the subscription will not cover your use case and you will need to purchase an additional license at $39.95.

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Usage

  • Am I covered for broadcast and commercial use?

    Yes. Your license covers broadcast, theatrical, and commercial use with NO LIMITS on project budget or advertising spend.

    Are tracks on stockmusic.net cleared for use and monetization on video platforms like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitch?

    Yes, our media producers (sync) license covers all commercial use

    All music purchased through stockmusic.net comes with a Sync License and is fully covered for use on all social media and video platforms, TV, film, radio, and more. Furthermore, you may use it in as many projects or videos as you like.

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  • Are tracks cleared for use and monetization on video platforms like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitch?

    Yes, all music purchased with a Sync License is fully covered for use on all social media and video platforms, and in as many projects or videos as you like.

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  • My YouTube Video Was Flagged For Copyright! What Should I Do?

    First of all, don't panic. When you buy licensed music from us, we guarantee you are fully entitled to use it on YouTube, Vimeo, Instagram, and other Internet video platforms.

    However, please keep in mind that the automated systems these companies use to identify piracy will often make mistakes.

    If you receive such a claim, simply let the platform know you have purchased a royalty free music license from StockMusic.net, and that you can provide documentation if necessary. Sometimes you have to dispute the claim. These claims sometimes come with harsh language threatening to ban your channel. Do not worry. Nobody has ever been banned for purchasing a legitimate usage license and uploading it to YouTube.

    We have been in business for over 20 years, and we have never lost a YouTube copyright claim.

    If you still run into issues, you can always reach out to us at contact@stockmusic.net so we can help you sort this out.

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Usage Rights

  • Can I add voiceover, add sound effects, fade-in, fade-out your music?

    Yes, of course!

    So long as it accompanies another form of media and you do not alter the underlying composition in any way, it is absolutely okay.

    Keep in mind however that it is forbidden to create a new pure music product by copying, sampling, remastering, or any other form of duplication of the original music you purchased off stockmusic.net. The finished product must be synced to a media production that is separate and unique from the music itself.

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  • Do we need to give the artist credit? Do we need to give attribution to stockmusic.net on our production?

    There are no requirements to give the artist or stockmusic.net attribution.

    But of course, every artist loves to see their work in production, so don’t be shy to give them a shout out.

    The same goes for us.

    We love seeing music from our library in action. Feel free to tag us if you share it anywhere on social media. If you do, please contact us and let us know about it. You may end up getting some free promotion from us.

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