Soundstripe and Musicbed alternatives for agencies: How to switch

If your agency licenses music through Soundstripe or Musicbed, the plan needs to keep pace with your clients as they grow. When it doesn’t, a campaign can outgrow its license mid-flight. Or you could find that a client’s ad might run in a market or on a channel the plan doesn’t cover, leaving you to relicense or re-score work that’s already live.

Soundstripe and Musicbed both limit how far an agency’s client work can reach: Soundstripe by market, Musicbed by client size. If a campaign goes beyond Soundstripe’s single market, you need its Enterprise plan. If you win a client above Musicbed’s size limit, you need a bigger plan, and your current one runs on a 12-month contract. On either platform, broadcast TV needs an upgrade.

Before you switch, check that any alternative covers every market and client size you work with, whether broadcast is included or quoted separately, how many people can use it, and what happens to client projects made with your current library once that contract ends. In this article, we’ll set out where each platform’s agency plan stops, match five alternatives (including Uppbeat) to those limits, and give you a five-step plan for switching.

In this article

• Quick guide: Soundstripe and Musicbed alternatives by reason for switching
• What is the best alternative to Soundstripe and Musicbed for agencies?
• Where Soundstripe’s Business plan stops for agencies
• Where Musicbed’s Business plan stops for agencies
• How we chose the Soundstripe and Musicbed alternatives
• Which alternative fixes each Soundstripe and Musicbed limit?
• 5 Soundstripe and Musicbed alternatives for agencies, compared
• Comparison table: Soundstripe, Musicbed and 5 alternatives for agencies
• What happens to existing Soundstripe and Musicbed projects when you switch?
• How to switch from Soundstripe or Musicbed in 5 steps
• Frequently asked questions about switching from Soundstripe or Musicbed

Quick guide: Soundstripe and Musicbed alternatives by reason for switching

1. Uppbeat: Best if you need worldwide coverage for clients of any size, plus stock video, motion graphics and LUTs in the same plan.
2. Epidemic Sound: Best for smaller agencies within its revenue caps that need music, sound effects and voiceovers for social and paid ads.
3. Artlist: Best if you’re leaving because you need broadcast, TV and out-of-home coverage on a plan with a published price.
4. Storyblocks: Best if you want to keep using downloaded assets after you cancel.
5. Audio Network: Best if your agency’s work is moving toward broadcast and long-form production.

What is the best alternative to Soundstripe and Musicbed for agencies?

The best alternative removes the limit that’s making you leave: Soundstripe’s single-market coverage, Musicbed’s client-size tiers, or broadcast use that neither covers on its Business plan. For online client work and paid digital ads, Uppbeat Business covers organizations of any size worldwide for $34.99/month, billed yearly, excl. Tax.

If broadcast TV is the gap, Artlist Max Business, Storyblocks for Business and Audio Network include broadcast use in their agency plans. Uppbeat covers broadcast, paid streaming, radio and cinema through custom licensing arranged per project.

All prices are in USD. Prices may differ in your region, so check the pricing page for local rates.

Where Soundstripe’s Business plan stops for agencies

Soundstripe’s Business plan covers client projects and paid ads, but only within one designated market area (DMA).

• Price and seats: $299/quarter or $999/year, according to Soundstripe’s pricing FAQ, with up to 3 seats and up to 5 YouTube channels.
• Territory: distribution is limited to one designated market area, such as Greater Los Angeles, Greater New York or Chicagoland.
• Broadcast: TV, radio, cinema and OTT aren’t covered on Business.
• What it takes to go further: multi-market distribution and broadcast need Soundstripe Enterprise, which is priced by quote.

Agencies usually hit this limit when a client’s campaign expands beyond one metro area or onto TV.

Where Musicbed’s Business plan stops for agencies

Musicbed’s Business plan is priced and capped by the size of the client brands you cover, and it runs on a 12-month contract.

• Client size: Musicbed’s support center explains that a Business plan for clients with up to 100 employees doesn’t cover a brand with 150.
• Reach and ad spend: its Standard Use terms cover web and social accounts under 1M followers, podcasts under 10K downloads a month and ad spend up to $25K.
• Broadcast: broadcast, OTT, CTV, VOD, radio and film need an Extended Use license.
• Contract: subscriptions are 12-month contracts, and canceling early voids the licenses created under the plan unless you take down every video using the music or buy single-song licenses for the videos that stay up.

Agencies usually hit these limits when they win a larger client, run a campaign with more than $25K in ad spend, or want to leave before the contract ends.

How we chose the Soundstripe and Musicbed alternatives

We chose alternatives whose agency plans remove at least one Soundstripe or Musicbed limit, using each provider’s own pricing, license and help pages.

• Territory: worldwide, one market or set per license
• Eligibility: caps on agency revenue, client size, follower counts or ad spend
• Broadcast: whether TV, OTT, radio and cinema are included
• Contract and cancellation: billing terms, and what happens to published work and unused downloads
• Team access and asset types: seats or login rules, and what the plan includes

We left out PremiumBeat, because its Premium and Business licenses are sold only as single-track purchases rather than as a subscription. Storyblocks and Artlist are included through their business plans only, because Storyblocks’ Small Business plan excludes agencies and Artlist’s Teams plans are only for companies under 50 employees that aren’t creative agencies.

Which alternative fixes each Soundstripe and Musicbed limit?

Each alternative removes a different limit, so start from the reason you’re switching.

Checked in November 2026. Plans and terms change often, so always confirm on the provider’s site.

Scroll sideways to see all three columns.

Checked in November 2026. Plans and terms change often, so always confirm on the provider’s site.

5 Soundstripe and Musicbed alternatives for agencies, compared

1. Uppbeat: Best for worldwide coverage with no client-size cap

Uppbeat is a library of human-made music, sound effects, stock video, motion graphics and LUTs, run by Music Vine Limited in Leeds, UK. Its catalog is hand-picked by an in-house team, and its music comes from the same artist roster as Music Vine, whose music is licensed for TV, film and advertising. Its pricing page says companies, brands, agencies, teams and organizations of any size need the Business plan for client work or paid ads, and Business downloads are licensed under the Uppbeat Business & Team License.

The license is worldwide and lets you, your client or your organization publish the work, on open platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, owned websites, podcasts and e-courses, livestreams, web-based games and apps, paid advertising, and public events where performance rights are obtained. It sets no threshold for agency revenue, client size, follower count or ad spend. Broadcast TV, video-on-demand streaming platforms, radio and cinema are excluded and handled through Uppbeat custom licensing.

Features:

• Unlimited downloads of music, sound effects, stock video up to 4K, motion graphics and LUTs
• Uncompressed WAV files for music and sound effects
• Channel Safelist for up to 10 YouTube channels, so there’s no code or credit to generate for each video
• Boards to organize music, sound effects, motion graphics and LUTs by client or campaign
• A human support team on every plan
• One account login that the user agreement lets you share with members of your organization
• A human-made catalog of over 200,000 assets, with more than $10M paid to artists – learn more on the About page

Best for: Agencies leaving Soundstripe’s single market or Musicbed’s client tiers for online and paid digital work.

Price: Business, $34.99/month, billed yearly, excl. tax.

Pros:

• Worldwide coverage, with no client-size, follower or ad-spend threshold in the license
• Music, sound effects, stock video, motion graphics and LUTs in one subscription
• Work first distributed during your subscription stays licensed after you cancel

Cons:

• Broadcast TV, video-on-demand platforms, radio and cinema need a custom license
• Channel Safelist covers up to 10 YouTube channels
• Team access is one shared organization login rather than named seats, and it can’t be shared with external freelancers

2. Epidemic Sound: Best for smaller agencies within its revenue caps

Epidemic Sound’s Business plan covers marketing content, influencer campaigns, paid ads, social posts, corporate videos, internal communications, client work and work with external production partners, for up to two users. It includes music, sound effects and AI voiceovers.

The plan is for brands and agencies under Epidemic’s revenue limits. Business excludes out-of-home advertising, livestreams and radio. Business Plus, from $100/month billed annually, adds up to 10 seats and 10 channels, plus apps, games, OTT, local broadcast and live events.

Best for: Smaller agencies within Epidemic’s revenue limits producing social and paid online content.

Price: Business, billed monthly or yearly. Business Plus from $100/month, billed annually.

Pros:

• Includes AI voiceovers alongside music and sound effects
• Content published during an active subscription stays cleared permanently
• Business Plus adds local broadcast and live events

Cons:

• Eligibility is capped by agency and client revenue
• Business includes up to two users
• Business excludes out-of-home advertising, livestreams and radio

3. Artlist: Best for broadcast, TV and out-of-home on a published price

Artlist directs agencies of any size to its Business plans, because its pricing page limits Teams plans to companies with fewer than 50 employees and its plans guide says they’re for organizations that aren’t creative agencies. Artlist Max Business includes 7 seats and covers paid ads, client work, broadcast, TV and out-of-home advertising, with legal indemnification for licensed usage.

The plans guide lists Max Business at $399/month billed annually, with 180,000 AI credits. It combines music, stems, sound effects, footage and templates with Artlist’s AI image, video and voice tools. Agencies that need more than 7 seats or a customized license move to Artlist Enterprise.

Best for: Agencies switching because client work now runs on TV or out-of-home.

Price: Max Business, $399/month, billed annually. Enterprise by quote.

Pros:

• Broadcast, TV and out-of-home advertising covered on Max Business
• Legal indemnification for licensed usage
• Stock footage and templates included

Cons:

• Creative agencies can’t use the lower-priced Teams plans
• Max Business includes 7 seats; more requires Enterprise
• Assets can’t be used in new projects once the subscription expires

4. Storyblocks: Best for keeping downloads usable after you cancel

Storyblocks’ Small Business plan excludes agencies, production companies and broadcast companies, so agencies need Storyblocks for Business, which is priced by quote. Assets are licensed to the organization, so coverage continues if an employee leaves, and the license includes up to $1 million in indemnification.

Storyblocks says Business assets are covered for global distribution in perpetuity for most use cases, and its plan comparison states that Business adds broadcast. Business subscribers can keep using downloaded assets after the subscription ends.

Best for: Agencies that want to re-edit past client work after canceling.

Price: Storyblocks for Business, by quote.

Pros:

• Downloaded assets stay usable after the subscription ends
• Up to $1 million in indemnification
• Global distribution, including broadcast

Cons:

• No published price for the Business plan
• Agencies can’t use the Small Business plan

5. Audio Network: Best for agencies moving into broadcast and long-form

Audio Network is a production music library with more than 308,000 tracks across 158 genres. Its unlimited subscription is one annual license covering a whole team’s content for a year, and per-project licenses cover ad campaigns or TV series. Licenses are valid worldwide across broadcast, digital and online platforms, and cover synchronization and master rights; performing rights are generally paid by broadcasters or platforms.

Best for: Agencies producing TV spots and branded series alongside online work.

Price: Unlimited subscription, by quote.

Pros:

• Broadcast, digital and online use worldwide
• One annual license for the whole team
• Per-project licensing for one-off campaigns or series

Cons:

• No published subscription price
• Sound effects are a separately licensed add-on
• Performing rights aren’t included in the license

Comparison table: Soundstripe, Musicbed and 5 alternatives for agencies

Checked in November 2026. All prices are in USD and may differ in your region. Plans, prices and terms change often, so always confirm on the provider’s site.

Scroll sideways to see all eight columns.

Checked in November 2026. All prices are in USD and may differ in your region. Plans, prices and terms change often, so always confirm on the provider’s site.

What happens to existing Soundstripe and Musicbed projects when you switch?

Projects published while your subscription was active stay licensed, but you can’t use the downloaded tracks in anything new once it ends.

• Soundstripe: projects created during your subscription keep their license, but you can’t create new licensed projects after canceling. You also can’t register new YouTube channels once you’ve canceled, and Soundstripe may claim monetization on content it believes is unlicensed.
• Musicbed: none of the downloaded songs can be used in new videos after the contract ends, according to its cancellation policy. Canceling before the 12 months are up voids the licenses created under the plan unless you take the videos down or buy single-song licenses.

A new cutdown, re-edit or regional version of an old client ad usually counts as a new video. If a client asks for one after you’ve switched, replace the track with one from your new library or buy a single-track license from the original platform.

How to switch from Soundstripe or Musicbed in 5 steps

Switch in this order so that every client video is covered by one license or the other on the day it’s published.

1. Find your end date and contract terms. Musicbed contracts run for 12 months, and the option to turn off auto-renew appears when 30 days remain. Soundstripe Business bills quarterly or yearly.
2. List client projects that use the old library. Note anything unpublished, any planned cutdowns or regional versions, and which client channels each video runs on.
3. Publish or replace before the end date. Get unpublished projects live while the old subscription is active, or swap their tracks for ones from your new library.
4. Register channels while you still can. On Soundstripe, register any client YouTube channels before you cancel, because new channels can’t be added afterward.
5. Start the new plan before the old one ends. Check it against your largest client and every market you publish in, add client YouTube channels to the new provider’s safelist (up to 10 on Uppbeat Business), and brief your team on its login or seat rules.

Frequently asked questions about switching from Soundstripe or Musicbed

Can we cancel Musicbed before the 12-month term ends?

Only on Musicbed’s terms. Its cancellation policy treats early cancellation as a breach that voids licenses created under the plan, unless you take down every video using the music or buy single-song licenses for the videos that stay up.

Can we keep using Soundstripe tracks in client re-edits after we cancel?

No. Soundstripe says you can’t create new licensed projects after canceling, so a new edit needs a track from your new library or a Soundstripe single-use license.

Which Soundstripe alternatives cover campaigns in more than one country?

Uppbeat, Epidemic Sound, Storyblocks and Audio Network all license work worldwide, while Soundstripe Business covers one designated market area. On Uppbeat, the Business & Team License grants a worldwide license for open platforms, owned websites, podcasts, apps and paid advertising. Broadcast TV, video-on-demand platforms, radio and cinema need Uppbeat custom licensing.

Which Musicbed alternatives don’t limit how large your clients can be?

Uppbeat Business, Artlist Max Business and Storyblocks for Business don’t cap client size, while Musicbed Business covers clients with up to 250 employees. On Uppbeat, the pricing page says companies, brands, agencies, teams and organizations of any size need Business for client work or paid ads, and the license sets no client-size, follower or ad-spend threshold.

Can we run Uppbeat and our old subscription at the same time while we switch?

Yes. Videos made with your old library stay covered on that platform’s terms, so a month’s overlap lets you finish old projects while new ones start on Uppbeat. Tracks downloaded from Uppbeat must be used in your projects while your Uppbeat subscription is active.

Switch music licensing plans before your current contract ends

Choose the alternative that removes the limit that’s making you leave, publish or re-score unfinished client work before your end date, and start the new plan before the old one lapses.

For a wider comparison of agency subscriptions, including freelancer access, broadcast and AI music questions, read our guide to the best music licensing subscriptions for video agencies. For one-to-one comparisons, see Uppbeat vs Soundstripe, Uppbeat vs Epidemic Sound and Uppbeat vs Artlist.

Start with a free Uppbeat account, with 3 downloads (topped up by one each month) and access to 25% of every library, or compare the Business and Pro plans on the pricing page.