If you are searching for an Epidemic Sound alternative or an Artlist alternative, you are probably trying to solve one of two problems: you do not want to pay for a subscription you barely use, or you want music you can point to and say a real person made this. cadential. is built around a different model entirely, not a bigger catalogue, a different transaction: one track, one fee, no plan.
Is there a free alternative to Epidemic Sound?
Yes, but free music always comes with limits. YouTube's Audio Library is free on YouTube only. TikTok's Commercial Music Library and Instagram's Sound Collection are free inside those apps. Creative Commons music is free if you meet its conditions. None of them gives you one licence that covers a video everywhere you post it.
- YouTube's Audio Library. Free, but the permission is scoped to YouTube. Take the video anywhere else and you need another licence. See do you need a sync licence for a YouTube video.
- TikTok's Commercial Music Library. Free for organic and paid TikTok content from a business account. TikTok's user terms say commercial use outside TikTok is not permitted. See do you need a music licence for TikTok.
- Instagram's Sound Collection. Meta describes it as royalty-free songs and sounds for Reels and Stories, including commercial use such as ads. You are choosing from a stock library, not the song you had in mind. See using a copyrighted song on Instagram or Facebook for a business.
- Creative Commons and public domain. Free when your use fits the terms. CC BY allows commercial use with credit; any NonCommercial licence rules out monetised use, NoDerivatives bars edits, and a public domain composition does not make a modern recording of it free. See Creative Commons vs royalty-free vs public domain.
- Epidemic Sound's own free trial. Epidemic Sound says content published during a free trial stays licensed after it ends, provided your channels were safelisted. New projects after that need a plan. See is Epidemic Sound worth it for what the plans cost.
If none of those fit, because you want a specific song, need it on more than one platform, or would rather not keep a plan running, the paid choice is between a subscription library and a one-off licence for one track.
How is a subscription different from a per-track licence?
A subscription gives you access to a whole catalogue while your plan is active. Epidemic Sound and Artlist both say published work stays covered after you cancel, but new projects need an active plan. A per-track licence covers one song in one project for a one-off fee, with nothing to renew.
That works well if you publish constantly and want a fresh track every time. The catch is new use: a project you finish or re-edit after cancelling is not covered, so read the specific plan's terms rather than assuming. cadential. sells a licence to one track, for one project, for a one-off fee. See royalty-free music vs a sync licence for the longer version of this distinction.
Named artists, a smaller catalogue
Subscription libraries are built to offer a very large catalogue, much of it made for the library itself. That is a reasonable way to run a library business. cadential. does the opposite: it lists released tracks by named independent artists, who stay non-exclusive, and licensing one supports that specific artist directly. 80% of every licence fee goes to the artist; cadential. keeps 20% as the platform fee.
It also means the catalogue is smaller. That is the trade-off, real records instead of a bigger library, not a hidden gap.
Does Artlist use AI-generated music?
Partly. Artlist's own blog announces AI music generation alongside its human-made catalogue (see Sources), so check how any track you pick was made. On cadential. every track is by a named artist who warrants it is not wholly or substantially AI-generated, and our licence terms do not allow AI training use.
If AI-generated music specifically is the thing you are trying to avoid, see is royalty-free music AI-generated? for how to tell the difference on any platform, not just this one.
Is a per-track licence cheaper than a subscription?
It depends on volume. For a channel publishing every day, a subscription can work out cheaper per video. For a single project, or a specific song you actually want, a one-off licence is usually the cheaper and simpler option, and you never need to keep a plan active to use it in new work.
On cadential. you pay once, per track, per project, and each song is priced individually for each use type:
| Use type | One licence covers | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Social media | Organic posts | Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X |
| YouTube & online video | One video or series | YouTube and equivalent platforms |
| Podcast & audio | Episodes or a season | Audio-only shows |
| Film & documentary | One film or project | Short film, doc, student work |
| Brand / commercial | One campaign | Paid advertising and brand content |
Each song is priced individually for each use type, in AUD. The exact price is on the track page before you start checkout, and every card in the catalogue shows where that song starts.
There is no plan tier to compare this against directly: a subscription is priced for ongoing access to a whole catalogue, this is priced for one use of one track. That trade-off is covered in more detail in what music licensing actually costs on YouTube.
How does payment work?
You pay by card at checkout, processed by Stripe so cadential. never sees your card details, or ask for an invoice payable by bank transfer within 7 days, which suits agencies. The licence PDF is issued straight away and takes effect once payment is received. If the artist reviews your content category and declines, you are refunded.
Related guides:
- Royalty-free music vs a sync licence
- Is royalty-free music AI-generated?
- Join the waitlist for early access.
Questions, answered
Is there a free alternative to Epidemic Sound?
Yes, with limits. YouTube's Audio Library is free for YouTube videos, TikTok's Commercial Music Library and Instagram's Sound Collection are free inside those apps, and Creative Commons or public domain music is free when your use fits its terms. None of them covers every platform at once, so check the licence before you publish.
Is there a subscription-free alternative to Epidemic Sound or Artlist?
Yes. cadential. licenses one track at a time from independent artists for a fixed, one-off fee. There is no plan to join and no catalogue-wide access to pay for, so nothing depends on you continuing to pay.
What happens to my videos if I cancel an Epidemic Sound or Artlist subscription?
Both say content you published while subscribed stays covered after you cancel. What you lose is new use: you cannot use their music in new projects, including a later re-edit, without an active plan. Check the current terms for your plan before relying on this. A one-off licence has no plan to lapse.
Do Epidemic Sound and Artlist use AI-generated music?
Artlist's own blog announces AI music generation alongside its human-recorded catalogue (see Sources). Whether a specific track you are considering is AI-generated or human-made is not always obvious from the track page; see the AI vs human breakdown linked below.
Why does cadential. only have a small catalogue compared to Epidemic Sound or Artlist?
Because it only lists music by named independent artists rather than building a library catalogue at volume. That is a smaller library by design in exchange for real records and 80% of every fee going to the artist who made them, not a sourcing gap to be embarrassed about.
Sources
- Which Epidemic Sound plan is right for you?, Epidemic Sound
- Understanding Artlist's license, Artlist Help Center
- AI Music on Artlist, Artlist Blog
- Pricing & Licensing, Epidemic Sound
- Commercial Music Library: User Terms, TikTok
- Access to the licensed music library on Instagram, Instagram Help Centre (Meta)
- About CC Licenses, Creative Commons
This guide is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own project, talk to a lawyer. Licence details on cadential. are set out in the licence terms.