As you advance on your journey as a creator, you might find that you want to start diversifying your content. Many individuals start a YouTube channel to share their knowledge and show off their work, while others go down the podcasting route.
When you produce more interactive content, you’ll need to think about how to keep your audience engaged for extended periods. Music is one of the best ways to do so, and you’ll find several places with amazing tracks online.
Epidemic Sound is one of the most popular destinations for royalty-free music. But how much does it cost, where can you use these sounds, and why should creators subscribe? Let’s dig in.
What Is Epidemic Sound?
Epidemic Sound provides royalty-free music and sound effects to creators. The company is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden—but you can use the service in multiple continents.
When you subscribe to Epidemic Sound, you’ll find more than 35,000 songs to use in your content. You can also use 90,000 sound effects. At the time of writing in March 2022, well over 100,000 people used Epidemic Sound worldwide.
How Much Does Epidemic Sound Cost?
You’ll need to choose a subscription plan before you can use Epidemic Sound, and each tier costs less if you pay annually.
Epidemic Sound costs $15 per month if you choose a monthly Personal Plan subscription and $144 per year if you’d rather pay a single annual fee. Meanwhile, Commercial—the next level up—costs $49 per month and $299 for the year.
Epidemic Sound also offers an Enterprise plan, but you’ll need to contact them for a price.
What Music Genres Can You Find on Epidemic Sound?
You’ll need to get plenty of basics right when starting a YouTube channel, and determining the mood you want your videos to portray is one of the most important things. Regardless of the genre you choose, Epidemic Sound probably has you covered.
Epidemic Sound has a large and diverse music catalog. Genres you can find include:
- Hip-hop
- Acoustic
- Electronic
To search through music by type, sign in to your account and click on Music > Genres. If you’re looking for a specific mood or theme, but you’re not overly bothered about the genre, you can select the Moods or Themes tabs to fine-tune your search.
Which Platforms Can You Use Epidemic Sound On?
You can use your music on multiple platforms when you sign up for Epidemic Sound. However, you’ll need to add your accounts to your profile before doing so.
With the Personal plan, you can use Epidemic Sound’s music and sound effects in most places that you’ll need to. In addition to YouTube and TikTok, you can add tracks from the supplier to content on the following platforms:
- Twitch
- Podcasts
- Instagram (including Instagram Reels)
If you’ve got a Commercial plan, you can use Epidemic Sound on every platform mentioned above. You can also incorporate music and sound effects into the content you create for clients. And lastly, you can continue monetizing any content you made during your Epidemic Sound subscription if you choose to cancel.
What Are the Benefits of Using Epidemic Sound?
Now that we’ve introduced you to what Epidemic Sound is, you’re ready to discover the primary benefits you’ll receive after subscribing. Below, we’ve outlined four reasons that you’ll love Epidemic Sound as a creator.
1. Tell Better Stories
Every successful content creator does well because they’re good at telling stories. Words and visuals are important, but sound is particularly crucial in videos and podcasts.
When you use sounds and music in your content, you can clearly convey what you’re trying to say by how the video’s mood changes. For example, you might choose suspenseful music when talking about a particular challenge you’ve dealt with.
Once you’ve subscribed to Epidemic Sound, you’ll have access to a huge library with sound effects and music that can help move your story along. As a result, you’ll keep your audience engaged and more likely to come back for future content you post.
2. Evoke Emotions in Your Audience
If you can evoke emotions from the people that consume your content, you’re almost guaranteed to remain in their memories for longer. If you’ve ever watched a movie or TV series, you’ll know all too well how music can alter your mood.
Thanks to Epidemic Sound’s extensive catalog, you can dictate what you want your audience to feel. If you’re telling a sad story, you can use melancholic tunes. On the flip side, you can find music that incites euphoria for monumental achievements—such as reaching the top of a mountain.
You’ll probably need to play around with a few videos or podcasts before you hit a sweet spot with capturing the right emotions, but you will naturally improve over time.
3. Create More Authentic Content
You’ll find countless videos and podcasts online, regardless of the niche you choose. As such, you must find a way to stand out. If you’ve found that your content feels a little bland, using Epidemic Sound’s music might help you shake things up.
Epidemic Sound features music from real-life artists, meaning the tracks that you use are less generic than copyright-free music you’ll find elsewhere. Your content will feel more authentic as a result, so you’re less likely to put off your viewers or listeners.
4. Boost Other Artists’ Exposure
It’s easy to think of other creators as competition, and that one person doing well takes an opportunity away from you. But in reality, every creative field has plenty of opportunities for success—and if one person does well, we all benefit.
Epidemic Sound uses music from artists in multiple genres and from several countries. If you use someone’s music, you’ll boost their exposure and help that person to fulfill their dreams. Eventually, your good karma can come full circle, and you’ll reap the benefits.
Epidemic Sound Is a Great Tool for Every Creator
Epidemic Sound is one of the world’s most popular royalty-free music providers for a reason. The subscription is well worth the money; you’ll get a vast catalog of unique tracks, plus plenty of sound effects and the ability to use the music on multiple platforms.
When you use Epidemic Sound, you’ll improve your storytelling and make your content feel less generic. Over time, your channels will grow as a result—and you’ll also help boost other creators’ careers.