As a content-creator on YouTube and Twitter (especially YouTube), I needed to find some background music and sound effects for my videos, and Epidemic sound seems like a good place to find it. Or is it? In this article, I'm sharing everything I know about it - after more than a year of use.
What Is Epidemic Sound?
Epidemic Sound is a Swedish music licensing company that provides a subscription-based service offering royalty-free music and sound effects. Founded in 2009, the platform has become a go-to resource for YouTubers, podcasters, filmmakers, and other content creators seeking professional-grade audio content.
Pricing starts at $14 / month, with occasional deals on annual plans. BUT, there's a certain trick that I use to pay 6$/m, more on that later
Copyright Clearance
Unlike many other music platforms, Epidemic Sound owns all rights to their music library. This means:
- - No copyright claims on YouTube (I've never got striked even randomly, unlike EnvatoElements)
- - Clear licensing terms with no hidden fees
- - Freedom to use tracks across multiple platforms
- - No royalty payments or additional charges
- Epidemic Sound's music is safe to use, just make sure you've added your channel to the platform and you're all set.
High-Quality Music Library
The platform offers:
- - Over 35,000 premium music tracks
- - 90,000+ sound effects
- - Regular weekly updates with new content
- - Multiple track lengths and variations
- - Professional-grade audio quality
Music and SFX Search Features
You can use Epidemic sound seamlessly right inside your Adobe Premiere pro! Or, you can find the perfect track with:
- - Genre-based browsing
- - Mood-based filtering
- - Advanced search parameters
- - Similar song suggestions
- - Curated playlists for different content types
Flexible Licensing Options
Epidemic Sound offers several subscription tiers:
- Personal Plan: Perfect for individual content creators
- Relax: Recharge, Chill, Unwind, Destress
- Commercial Plan: Ideal for businesses and agencies
- Enterprise Solutions: Custom options for larger organizations
The tip to save money: you can start cancelling your subscription, and then they will offer you a huge discount for the next 3 months: 70% off!
My use case
I've been creating talking head videos on YouTube for almost 2 years now, and to increase the retention on my videos, and make them less boring, I use background music from Epidemic Sound. I've used Envato Elements and Artlist before, but ended up sticking with E/S. It's more convenient, and you don't get random copyright strikes you need to address like on Envato Elements.
Usually, I use ambient / classical / post rock selection, and use songs with no lyrics. I also add sound effects from their robust library
Where Epidemic sounds really shines for me is its Adobe Premiere Pro plugin: You can just drag the song on the timeline, and that's it. Saves a lot of time and is super-convenient.
When doing my research on music licensing subscriptions, I wanted to use the same thing the big creators like Iman Gadzhi, Alex Hormozi, Ryan Trahan and Ali Abdaal use. And they in fact are using Epidemic sound.
Even one of the greatest guitarists of all time, Johnny Marr from the Smiths, made a playlist for this website. What else can you wish for? :)
Potential Drawbacks
While Epidemic Sound offers numerous advantages, consider these factors:
1 - Subscription Requirement: No option to purchase individual tracks, must maintain subscription for continued usage rights, platform limitations, some plans restrict usage to specific platforms, higher tiers needed for multi-platform usage.
2 - Library Size: though extensive, the library is smaller than some competitors, style limitations in certain genres + they don't have really popular and iconic tracks, only music from unknown artists (even though it's good), and some classics that has no copyright, like Vivaldi. I really liked the SFX library though, the only thing's missing is meme sounds, but you can find them on YouTube.
Who Should Use Epidemic Sound?
The platform is ideal for:
- - YouTube content creators
- - Social media influencers
- - Podcast producers
- - Corporate video producers
- - Small to medium-sized businesses
- - Digital marketing agencies
The epidemic sound is ideal for people that work in a NEW CREATOR ECONOMY: be it your personal brand, or any project with content on the Internet.
I was using it for YouTube videos for my travel agency back in the day, and now I use it for my personal brand. It really makes a difference and makes your videos more engaging.
Conclusion
Epidemic Sound offers a robust solution for content creators seeking quality, copyright-free music.
Its clear licensing terms, professional-grade library, and user-friendly interface make it a valuable tool for content production. While the subscription model may not suit everyone, the platform's benefits often outweigh the costs for regular content creators.
Whether you're a YouTuber, podcaster, or business owner, Epidemic Sound provides a reliable, high-quality music licensing solution that can elevate your content while protecting you from copyright issues.
You can get 30-day free trial here: