Music for ads you can legally use
Real music from independent artists, cleared on both sides, priced per campaign — and you can drop it onto your own edit before you spend anything.
To use a song in an ad you need two permissions: the recording (the master) and the song itself (the composition). Miss either one and the ad can be muted, claimed or pulled. Together these are the synchronisation rights every paid ad needs, and our guide to what a sync licence costs shows the traditional price bands.
Melody licences start at $5. One fee covers the recording and the song, worldwide, for that piece of creative, with a PDF certificate issued the moment you pay.
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
Tracks brands are licensing right now
$50 licenceSPORTS ROCK
Haunted WaterA powerful, high-energy rock anthem driven by bold guitars, punchy drums and a victorious, adrenaline-fuelled atmosphere. Ideal for sports broadcasts, match highlights, team entrances, action montages, promotional campaigns, trailers, competition recaps and moments of triumph.
$20 licenceMoving Shore
Stella WahlströmThis short song is both happy and sad at the same time. It's like a nostalgic feeling rising from within, both familiar and new, and deeply moving. It might sound like a childhood memory of hopefulness, anticipation or even melancholy. This minimalist composition is built on fifths in both hands, moving and overlapping in an arpeggio-like manner. Instrumental, solo piano only.
$10 licenceYaksha (20s Version)
Gecko BeachShortened version of the full track. Energetic and driving electronic beat featuring dark atmospheric textures, sharp rhythm, and a cinematic punch. Perfect for trailers, promos, high energy intros, main titles, or as a tense background underscore. Ideal for modern tech, cyberpunk, dystopian, gaming, action sequences, military scenes and digital media content. Features seamless cut in potential for cues, transitions, and end credits.
$15 licenceCeltic
Niki N. PhaserHeartfelt Celtic fusion track featuring expressive harp melodies, acoustic guitar, driving pop rock drums and lush orchestral textures. The memorable folk inspired theme builds into an uplifting and epic journey before giving way to an emotional choir and strings breakdown. Perfect for fantasy films, travel documentaries, storytelling, historical productions, highland landscapes and magical forest visuals. Also suitable for games, esports videos, adventure content, tourism campaigns and cinematic promotional projects. Keywords: acoustic, adventure, atmospheric, celtic, choir, cinematic, documentary, dramatic, emotional, epic, fantasy, folk, forest, harp, historical, inspiring, irish, legend, magic, medieval, melody, orchestra, scotland, storytelling, traditional, trailer, travel, uplifting, wales, world music
$25 licenceFalse Reality
NEMESISStarts with an explosive riff that builds to a manic beat. Aggressive, fast, perfect for any clip that's referencing AI or an unreal view of the world ie. a False Reality. The music is very dynamic with so many pieces that could stand alone. The riffs are relentless!
$5 licenceELFEN LIED
ATMAThe scene begins with a sense of mystery that gradually unfolds into a wonderful, truly celestial sound.
$150 licenceIt's All About Love
Marci GellerA heartfelt, guitar-driven love song celebrating the enduring power of love through life's twists and turns. Warm, intimate, and hopeful, with a lilting 6/8 rhythm and a deeply held belief that love makes us stronger, shelters us, and makes life richer. A sweet and romantic reminder to choose your partner every single day.
$500 licenceRVGX x FVMX
LORD UNCLE DAVEPerfect for upbeat commercials, sports, hype, festivals, stadiums, etc.
Why stock music stopped working
Subscription libraries solved the legal problem and created a creative one. The same few thousand beds are used by everyone, so your ad sounds like the ad before it and the one after it.
Independent music sits in a different place: it has a voice, an artist behind it, and it has not been used on a hundred competing campaigns. It is also cheaper than most people assume, because you are licensing one campaign rather than renting a whole catalogue. Stock, indie or AI music compares the three routes side by side.
What a Melody licence covers
Each licence is written for how brands actually work:
- 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 — nothing expires mid-campaign
- Both master and publishing cleared in the same transaction
- A PDF certificate with the exact track, artist, ISRC and issue time, ready for legal or a platform dispute
Hear it on your edit first
The hardest part of choosing music is imagining it against the picture. Upload your cut, drop a track on it, and watch the real thing before you decide. Your video stays on your device until you license.
That is deliberately available without an account, because picking music is not a decision anyone should make from a waveform.
What it costs, honestly
A traditional sync deal for a social ad usually lands between $500 and $5,000 per side, and takes weeks. A recognisable recording costs far more. That maths only works for a hero campaign.
Per-track licensing exists for everything else: testing five music directions, refreshing a fatigued creative, or scoring the twenty pieces of content that never got a music budget in the first place.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use any song in my ad if I credit the artist?
No. Credit is not a licence. Using a recording in advertising needs permission from whoever controls the master and whoever controls the composition, in writing, before the ad runs. Crediting the artist afterwards does not change that.
Is royalty-free music safe for paid ads?
Only if the licence explicitly covers paid advertising and the territory you are running in. Plenty of 'royalty free' downloads exclude paid media, exclude broadcast, or are uploaded by someone who never owned the rights. Melody licences state paid social and digital use on the certificate.
How much does music for an ad cost?
Melody licences start at $5 for a single piece of creative and cover both rights worldwide. Traditional clearance for the same use typically runs $500 to $5,000 per side for social, and considerably more for broadcast or a well-known recording.
What happens if the platform flags my ad for music?
You send them the licence certificate. It names the track, the artist, the ISRC, the licensee and the exact issue time, which is what a rights dispute team needs to clear a claim.
Can I use the same track on a different campaign later?
That needs its own licence. Each licence covers one creative concept, which is exactly why the price is low rather than a five-figure buyout.
Ready to try it against your own footage?
Pick a track, drop it on your edit and see it before you decide. Licensing takes a couple of minutes when you are happy.
- Licences from $5, covering the recording and the song worldwide
- Certificate issued the moment you pay, ready for any platform dispute
Keep reading
Music licensing for commercials
What it costs, what you get, and how fast it clears.
Copyright-free vs licensed music
Why 'no copyright' is not the same as cleared.
Music for YouTube ads
Content ID, claims and pre-roll.
What a sync licence costs
Real price bands by media type.