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.
The actual difference: catalogue access vs owning a licence
Epidemic Sound and Artlist are subscription libraries. You pay to access a catalogue for as long as your plan is active. That works well if you publish constantly and want a fresh track every time. It also means the licence you are relying on is tied to a recurring payment, which is worth understanding clearly before you build a channel around it, read the specific plan's terms rather than assuming.
cadential. sells a licence to one track, for one project, for a one-off fee. There is no plan to keep paying and nothing to check before you renew, because there is no renewal. See royalty-free music vs a sync licence for the longer version of this distinction.
Real artists, not a commissioned catalogue
Subscription libraries commission music at volume to keep their catalogues large, which is a reasonable way to run a library business. cadential. does the opposite: it lists real, commercially released tracks by named independent artists, 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.
Where AI generation fits in
Artlist added an AI music generator built on Google's Lyria models in 2025, alongside its existing catalogue. Every track listed on cadential. is a real, commercially released recording by a named artist, not a generated track. 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.
What it costs
These are the one-off ranges on cadential., in AUD, per track per project:
| Use type | Typical range (AUD) | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Social media | $8–$35 | Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X |
| YouTube & online video | $18–$59 | YouTube and equivalent platforms |
| Podcast & audio | $11–$35 | Audio-only shows |
| Film & documentary | $55–$199 | Short film, doc, student work |
| Brand / commercial | $89–$399 | Paid advertising and brand content |
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. For a channel publishing every day, a subscription can work out cheaper per video. For a single project, or a specific track you actually want, a one-off licence is usually the cheaper and simpler option, and it is the only one that survives you stopping payment. That trade-off is covered in more detail in what music licensing actually costs on YouTube.
How payment works right now
cadential. is in early access, so licences are arranged by invoice rather than card payment at checkout. You confirm the licence you want, we contact you to finalise payment, and the licence is confirmed from there. No card details are collected through the site.