Why the question is phrased wrong

Anyone searching for "buying film music" assumes intuitively that music can change hands like a physical object. Legally, that is not how it works. Copyright is not transferable in the same way you transfer ownership of a car or a laptop — the composer remains the author of the work. What you actually acquire is a usage licence.

This sounds pedantic, but it is the exact point where most projects run into trouble. Someone who believes they have "bought" a track rarely inspects the licence terms — and is surprised three years later to discover that the version on their client's website has to come down, because the subscription has lapsed, or the library never had the rights it claimed.

The better question is: which rights do I need so I can use this music as if I owned it?

What a filmmaker actually needs

Every piece of film music carries two bundles of rights you need to understand:

• Synchronisation rights (sync): the right to combine music with moving image. Without sync rights, the use in your film is not legally covered — whether that is cinema, TV, YouTube, social, or an internal presentation.
• Master rights: the rights to the specific recording. A Mozart symphony may be public-domain as a composition, but any given recording of it is not. Without master rights, you cannot use that particular performance.

A clean film-music licence must cover both. Professional producers run six questions through every track before it goes into the timeline:

1. Is the licence worldwide?
2. Is it permanent (no expiry)?
3. Does it cover all media formats (cinema, TV, web, social, events)?
4. What happens if I switch provider?
5. Is there a written certificate for the record?
6. Are there additional fees — collection societies, broadcast surcharges, performance rights?

The more ambiguous the answers, the riskier the track. The clearer the answers, the closer the licence feels to ownership.

The three most common licensing models, compared

The market offers three fundamentally different ways to use film music legally. Each has its own risk profile.

1. Subscription models (Epidemic Sound, Artlist)

Monthly or yearly billing for access to a large catalogue. Sounds cheap — until you cancel. With most subscription platforms, usage rights lapse with the final paid month. Videos already published on YouTube or client platforms sit in a legal grey area that insiders call the "zombie account": not demonstrably broken, but no longer cleanly defensible — until a takeover or audit forces the question.

2. Stock platforms (AudioJungle, Pond5)

Per-track purchases starting at a few euros. On paper a one-time payment, in practice often tiered licences ("Standard" vs. "Broadcast" vs. "Extended") that need upgrading as the production scales. Quality is highly variable, and the rights chain behind each track is rarely documented end-to-end.

3. Direct licence / buyout (Artyfile)

One-time payment per track, worldwide, permanent, all media covered. Sync rights are administered directly by Artyfile — meaning no additional collection-society fees pass on to you. Every track ships with a licence certificate that you can archive and present on request.

What "buying" actually means at Artyfile

Every track at Artyfile costs €29.90 as a one-time payment. That payment gives you:

• A worldwide, lifetime sync licence — valid for cinema, TV, streaming, YouTube, social media, advertising, internal communications, conference videos, podcasts, presentations, and live events.
• The master usage rights for the specific recording.
• A PDF licence certificate naming the track, the buyer, the usage rights, and the validity — for your project documentation.
• A WAV download at studio quality (44.1 kHz / 24-bit) — available at desktop, ready for the timeline.
• No recurring fees: no collection-society surcharges, no annual renewals, no re-licensing when you reuse the track on a follow-up project.

The production provenance is what makes the difference: Artyfile tracks are recorded at Abbey Road Studios with the London Symphony Orchestra and other internationally top-flight composers — no MIDI simulations, no AI-generated approximations, no home-studio captures. A €29.90 Artyfile track rests on the same acoustic foundation as a Hollywood score.

When Basic is enough — and when Limited Edition makes sense

Artyfile offers two tiers covering the same catalogue, differing in one central aspect: your relationship to the work.

Artyfile Basic (€29.90) is the professional standard licence. You use the music. You pay once. The licence is permanently yours — but you do not hold an economic stake in the master. For 95 per cent of film projects, corporate videos, YouTube content, and agency productions, Basic is the right choice.

Artyfile Limited Edition (€96.90) includes every Basic right plus fractional ownership of the track's master recording, secured as a Music NFT on the Ethereum blockchain. When the track generates revenue through other sync licences or on streaming platforms, you receive a quarterly share of the distribution.

Limited Edition is particularly relevant for music supervisors, long-term Artyfile collaborators, and investors who treat music rights as an asset class.

A concrete example: one corporate film, three ways

Consider a realistic scenario: you are producing a 90-second corporate film for an international client. The film will run for 24 months on the company website, on YouTube, and across social media campaigns. You need an emotional orchestral track.

Route A — Artlist subscription: €149/year on the commercial tier. After a year without renewal, the licence lapses and the film may need to be re-licensed. Two years of runtime = €298. Then the music has to come out of the timeline.

Route B — single track on AudioJungle: Standard licence ~€49, often not sufficient for social ads on a client channel. Upgrade to "Broadcast & Film" licence: ~€299. Collection-society position variable, depending on the composer some residual exposure.

Route C — Artyfile Basic: €29.90 once. Worldwide, all media, permanent. File the certificate in the project documentation. The track is available for any follow-up project at no extra cost. If the client commissions a second film, the soundtrack cost is already amortised.

Frequently asked questions

Paul Lorenz

CEO & Founder · 30 Years in the Music Industry · 500M+ Streams