Music licensing for brands and agencies
Licence real music from independent artists for your ads — the recording and the song cleared together, worldwide, from $5 per piece of creative. Hear any track on your own edit before you spend anything.
Hear it on your own video first
Upload your cut, drop a track onto it and watch the real thing before you spend anything. No account needed, and your video stays on your device until you license.
- Licences from $5, covering the recording and the song worldwide
- Certificate issued the moment you pay, ready for any platform dispute
How do brands licence music for ads?
You need two permissions for every advert: the master recording and the underlying composition. Together these are the synchronisation rights, and both sides must say yes in writing before the ad runs. Traditionally that means two negotiations, two to eight weeks, and a quote per side. On Melody both rights are pre-cleared, so licensing a track is a checkout rather than a negotiation, and you get a certificate naming the track, the artist, the ISRC and the exact time it was issued.
If you are pricing a campaign, our sync licence cost guide sets out the traditional bands, and music licensing for commercials walks through the whole clearance process.
Music you can licence right now
Play any of them, then try one against your own footage.
$15 licenceChill Lofi
Niki N. PhaserMelancholic lofi chill hip hop track at 90 BPM featuring warm electric piano gentle foley percussion and subtle vinyl textures. The emotional chords and laid back groove create a reflective almost sad atmosphere with a nostalgic character. Soft sound design and organic percussive details give the track an intimate human feel. Ideal for emotional vlogs documentaries late night study playlists and atmospheric background use. Keywords: atmospheric, background, calm, chill hip hop, chillhop, documentary, downtempo, electric piano, emotional, focus, foley, hip hop, instrumental, lo fi, lofi, melancholic, nostalgic, percussion, reel, reflective, rhodes, sad, slow, soft, study, tape, vintage, vinyl crackle, vlog, warm
$5 licenceLet's Share Love
Herman BookerSoft rock ballad with a country music feel. Passionate with a traditional line-up of drums, bass, guitars and piano.
$500 licenceELVIS - Remix
Marco PerniceA very upbeat instrumental track with an electro-funk vibe and dreamy, ethereal guitars (in the style of "The Alan Parsons Project" and "Pink Floyd"). Often used in stories, reels, and social media videos by commercial stores promoting their products. Ideal for sports, clothing, electronics, technology, media, music services and documentaries.
$5 licenceCoffee
Jay Jammang"Coffee" is a delightful mix of Jay’s signature pop-rock style with upbeat melodies and introspective lyrics. It invites listeners to laugh, dance, and reminisce about their own romantic jitters.
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$5 licenceSwingin Trees
Late Night Superglue - Samuele MogaveroLate Night Superglue presents something special from our dear friend in Sicily. Groovy, sleazy wonderfulness. Swaggering basslines and sly synths speak only of nocturnal mischief. It is our privilege to present Samuele Mogavero.
$60 licenceAngel (Instrumental)
The Moons Of JupiterBeautiful, uplifting, inspiring... full of hope and optimism.
$70 licence
$5 licenceDiscoteque – Energetic Modern Electronic Groove (Full Track)
XABRUALVA“Discoteque” is an energetic modern electronic groove built with punchy synths, driving rhythm and a bright dance‑floor feel. Its upbeat motion and clean production make it perfect for commercials, fast‑paced edits, tech content, lifestyle videos, product promos, social media, and any project needing a fresh, modern and dynamic electronic vibe.
Built for agencies as well as brands
Agencies run into the same wall on every job: the client loves the cut, the music is a temp track, and clearance would cost more than the media. Per-creative licensing removes that step. Licence one track for one concept, for one client, and move on — no subscription to justify at the end of the year, and no catalogue-wide contract to renegotiate when a client leaves.
Every licence is issued in the licensee's name, so the paperwork lands where legal expects it.
- •One licence covers a creative concept: every cutdown, aspect ratio and language version of it
- •Separate licences per client, so nothing is pooled under one agency subscription
- •Test several music directions cheaply before the client picks one
- •A PDF certificate per licence, ready for legal or a platform dispute
- •Music no competing campaign has already worn out
What a Melody licence covers
Each licence is written around how brands actually use music, rather than around a catalogue subscription:
- Both master and publishing cleared in the same transaction — no second negotiation
- One creative concept, including every cutdown, aspect ratio and language version of it
- Worldwide use across paid social, digital, YouTube, web and owned channels
- A perpetual term for that creative, so nothing expires mid-flight
- A PDF certificate with the track, artist, ISRC, licensee and exact issue time
- 75% of every fee going to the artist who made the music
Broadcast, out-of-home and other extended uses are quoted separately. If a track carries industry restrictions — some artists exclude gambling, tobacco or political advertising — that appears on the track before you licence it.
What it costs, honestly
A traditional sync deal for a social campaign usually lands between $500 and $5,000 per side and takes weeks to close. A recognisable recording costs considerably more, which is why that route only makes sense for a hero campaign.
Per-track licensing exists for everything else: testing five music directions before a client picks one, refreshing a fatigued creative, or scoring the twenty pieces of content that never had a music budget in the first place. Melody licences start at $5 per creative and cover both rights worldwide. Subscribers can also licence without the on-screen watermark by crediting the artist in the caption.
Full detail is on the pricing page.
Start with your brief
Guides for each of the places brands most often need music.
Music for ads
The buyer's guide to licensing music for advertising.
Music licensing for commercials
What clearance involves, what it costs, how fast it moves.
Copyright-free vs licensed
Why 'no copyright' is not the same as cleared.
Music for YouTube ads
Content ID claims, pre-roll and what your licence must say.
Music for Instagram ads
Why the in-app sound library does not cover paid posts.
Browse music by use case
Upbeat, cinematic, corporate, tech and more — all licensable.
Guides for marketers
The commercial side of music: what it costs, what it does to performance, and how to stay on the right side of each platform.
What is a sync licence?
The two rights every ad needs, in plain English.
Music for TikTok ads
What the commercial sound library does and doesn't cover.
Legal alternatives to trending sounds
How to get the feel without the takedown.
Fighting ad fatigue
Why creative refresh needs new music, not just new footage.
The ROI of music
What the research says about music and ad performance.
A/B testing music
How to test music directions without blowing the budget.
Stock vs indie vs AI
Three routes to a soundtrack, honestly compared.
What a sync licence costs
Real price bands by media type and territory.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a sync licence for a social ad?
Yes. Any advert that pairs music with moving images needs synchronisation rights for both the recording and the composition, whether it runs on TV or as a paid post. Platform sound libraries are licensed for organic personal use, not for paid brand advertising.
How much does it cost to licence music for an ad?
Traditional sync deals for a social campaign typically run $500 to $5,000 per side and take two to eight weeks. Melody licences start at $5 per creative and clear both the recording and the song worldwide, issued immediately.
What does one licence cover?
One creative concept: every cutdown, aspect ratio and language version of it, worldwide, across paid social, digital, YouTube, web and owned channels, for a perpetual term. Broadcast and out-of-home are quoted separately.
Can I hear a track on my own video before paying?
Yes. The Sync Editor lets you upload your cut and preview any track against it without an account. Your video stays on your device until you decide to licence.
Will I get a Content ID or copyright claim?
Melody artists licence their music non-exclusively and knowingly for advertising, and every licence comes with a PDF certificate naming the track, artist, ISRC and licensee. If a platform raises a claim, that certificate is what resolves it.
Can agencies licence on behalf of clients?
Yes. Each licence is issued in the licensee's name, so you can licence per client and per concept rather than pooling everything under one agency subscription.
Do the artists get paid properly?
Artists keep 75% of every licence fee, paid directly. Music is licensed non-exclusively, so artists keep full ownership of their work.
See it on your own edit
Upload your cut, drop a track onto it and watch the real thing before you commit. No account needed.
Open the Sync Editor