Audiocrowd is a marketplace for music, sound effects, and voice services based in Potsdam, Germany. Our music catalog (royalty-free and also P.R.O. music) includes more than 20,000 high-quality music tracks and variations that can be easily and affordably licensed by businesses, content creators, and individuals. Our customers have the option to license individual tracks or access the entire catalog through a music subscription. Following our motto "Music for creators," we help agencies, in-house marketing teams, and social media teams quickly and securely find the right music for their content.

The main uses for our music are: 1. Background music for videos, social media, podcasts, or other media projects. 2. Background music for events and trade fairs. 3. Background music for soundscaping in business premises and retail stores. If you need information on other use cases, please contact us through the contact form.

Royalty-free music refers to music that is not protected by a performing rights organization like GEMA, or where the composer has explicitly exempted some of their works from GEMA protection (in the context of audiovisual productions). However, this does not automatically mean that you can use the music commercially without restrictions. Once a work has been registered with a collecting society such as GEMA, it is considered P.R.O. (Performance Rights Organization) music. Audiocrowd offers both royalty-free music and P.R.O. music, allowing you to make the best music selection for your specific use case. You can also use our license assistant to help you make the right choice.

The royalty-free music on audiocrowd is often more cost-effective than using GEMA-licensed music, depending on the intended use of the music. With our license assistant, you can easily determine whether you should use royalty-free music or consider P.R.O. music. Additionally, there are no further follow-up costs after acquiring a royalty-free music track, making the expenses transparent and easily manageable.

Royalty-free music is sometimes perceived as "elevator music" or background filler. However, nowadays, royalty-free music is produced professionally and to high standards, comparable to the quality of GEMA-protected music. The music available on audiocrowd undergoes strict quality control and is produced by experienced composers and producers according to modern standards. Royalty-free music is now commonly used in various creative and diverse ways by many well-known companies.

Audiocrowd primarily offers royalty-free music, but since 2022, we also include P.R.O. music in our catalog. You can easily find out through our license assistant whether you need only royalty-free music or whether you can also use P.R.O. music for your project. Each track on audiocrowd is labeled as either royalty-free or registered with a collecting society. You can also use the filter function to access only royalty-free music or the entire catalog including P.R.O. music. The usage rights for the music on audiocrowd are provided directly by the author/rights holder.

"Lizenzfreie Musik" is a misleading term that suggests completely free use of music. However, all music is protected by copyright, meaning that the composer of the work has sole control over its use and distribution. As a result, there is no such thing as "lizenzfreie Musik" (royalty-free music) in the sense of being completely free to use without any restrictions. In this context, what is often meant is "kostenlose GEMAfreie Musik" (free royalty-free music).

When a composer registers their works with a collecting society like GEMA, the music is no longer royalty-free but becomes P.R.O. music, as the usage rights are then managed by a Performing Rights Organization. On audiocrowd, you can find both royalty-free music and P.R.O. music. You can easily determine which type of music is suitable for your project using our license assistant. For YouTube videos, social media, and many other use cases, you can use our entire music catalog, which includes both royalty-free and P.R.O. music, giving you the best of both worlds on one music platform.

GEMA stands for "Gesellschaft für musikalische Aufführungs- und mechanische Vervielfältigungsrechte" (Society for musical performing and mechanical reproduction rights). It is a collecting society that enters into contracts (known as performance or authorization contracts) with artists. With such a contract, a composer authorizes GEMA to monitor the public use of their works.

Once a work by a composer who has a performance contract with GEMA is used, GEMA is authorized to collect license fees (also known as royalties) from the user (e.g., a radio station, restaurant, concert organizer, or retailer) for the public broadcast and performance of the music of the registered composer. The collected fees are distributed back to the GEMA members after deducting administrative costs according to a specific formula.

If it is an editorial video (not an advertisement or promotional film), the standard license covers multiple uses on your YouTube channel (or that of a client), but it does not cover multiple YouTube channels. You can use the music as an intro, outro, and background music.

After purchase, you will receive the music track in WAV, AIFF, and MP3 formats. Additionally, formats for telephone systems (A-LAW and MU-LAW / 8 Bit) are available. If your track has variants, these variants are also available for download, at least in MP3 format.

The GEMA exemption document (license document) serves as proof to GEMA and other verification mechanisms (e.g., ContentID on YouTube) that you are authorized to use the music track and that no further costs are incurred for you.

All track variants included with a track are provided to you for download at no extra cost after purchase.

According to our terms and conditions, you are allowed to cut, extend, fade in and out, and adjust the music track to the technical requirements of your project, such as format conversion. For any other modifications, it is best to contact us directly beforehand.

If, for example, you want to use a track as an intro for your social media videos or podcast, please purchase a Standard License. It includes multiple uses within a series or podcast.

You will receive the music in WAV, AIFF, MP3, WAV A-LAW, and WAV MU-LAW formats.

Yes, all tracks also come in WAV A-LAW and WAV MU-LAW formats. Additionally, an MP3 format is included. One of these formats should be compatible with your telephone system.

Each license includes usage in up to 3 languages. If you need 4 or more languages, please purchase an additional license of the same level.

You can download each music track as a layout version or demo version for free and without registration. Simply click on the demo download symbol for the respective track.

You can download your track files immediately after purchase when paying by credit card and SEPA direct debit. For SEPA payments, the license document will be created after receipt of payment (approximately 2-3 working days) and will then be available for download in your account under 'My Purchases'.

You can pay through our payment service provider Stripe using the following payment methods: PayPal, credit card, Klarna, Giropay, SEPA direct debit, Google Pay, or Apple Pay. Payment by invoice is also possible upon request. Simply contact us by email or through the contact form.

The multi-use of tracks is covered if you choose a higher license tier for each additional project. For example, if you want to use a track multiple times with a Mini License, you should purchase a Standard License, which includes multi-use from the lower license tier.

Please use our license assistant or contact us directly through the contact form. We will get back to you promptly.

If you can't find a suitable track, please contact us through the contact form. We will get back to you promptly.

The composer of the track has registered their works with YouTube's fingerprinting service (ContentID). When a ContentID-protected track is used in a YouTube video, YouTube identifies the track and requires proof that the title has been acquired legally. The composer can decide what happens to the video in the meantime while waiting for proof. Typically, during this period, the monetization of the video is disabled, but the video remains visible and accessible. Once you submit all the necessary information to YouTube, the video is usually quickly reinstated. Further information can always be found on your respective license document after purchase.

No, in addition to royalty-free music, we also offer P.R.O. music. If you exclusively need royalty-free music, please use our search page for royalty-free music.

If you have purchased a track, you do not need to provide a source credit. However, we appreciate every recommendation.

Yes, we offer subscription plans for agencies and content creators with increased music needs.

Yes, we are always looking for good music. Please refer to our page for composers for further information.

Yes, you are welcome to include the projects in your portfolio.

No, registering with ContentID or Facebook Rights Manager is not allowed. Registering through other service providers (e.g., AdRev, Haawk, Believe, Feiyr, iMusician, Distrokid, TuneCore, Audiam, CD Baby, Indiefy, Identifyy) is also prohibited.

Yes, after purchase, you can upgrade any purchased license in your account. You will only need to pay the difference.

No, you can use the same license for your project in different image formats and file formats.

Yes, you can specify a different licensee during the purchasing process. However, please note that only the licensee is authorized to use the music.

No, you need a customer account to place an order. However, registration takes only 2 minutes, and then you can permanently download your documents and tracks.

You can access all files and documents in your account on the My Purchases page.

No, the watermark is no longer present in the purchased version.

Precise attribution to your project is necessary for any checks by GEMA or other verification mechanisms like ContentID. Therefore, when providing project details during the purchasing process, don't simply write 'Podcast,' but mention the name and, if applicable, the episode of the podcast for easy identification of the project.

After purchase, you will have continuous access to your purchases through your customer account.

All projects that you created and completed during the term of your subscription remain valid even after the subscription has expired. However, licensing for 'stockpiling' with a project completion after the subscription has expired is not permitted. This would make it impossible to provide fair compensation to our composers.

If you have an unanswered question, please contact us through the contact form. We will get back to you promptly.