Custom music or off the shelf?

Once the picture is finished, the question arrives of what should play underneath it. There are two routes, and the decision usually isn't made by musical taste but by three practical considerations: what it costs, when it will be ready, and what you're allowed to do with it.

In this piece we go through all three, and we deal separately with what most people ask about in 2026: where AI-generated music stands.

The short version

• Off-the-shelf music is cheap and fast, but not exclusive: the same track can play under someone else's work too.
• The licence details have to be read. Television and cinema use requires a separate, more expensive tier at many providers.
• When a subscription ends, content already published typically stays covered, but you can no longer use the downloaded music for a new project.
• Custom music is more expensive and slower; in return it's made precisely for the picture, and you get the rights in writing.
• With AI-generated music the provider's terms decide. If exclusivity matters, this is the riskiest route.

The first route: off-the-shelf music

Off-the-shelf music, often going under the name royalty free, works by choosing from a provider's library and acquiring the right to use it through a subscription or a one-off fee.

What do you pay for it?

The large international providers sit roughly in this band in 2026. Epidemic Sound is around 16 dollars a month for personal use, with a better rate when paid annually, and around 25 dollars a month for business use. Artlist works on an annual basis: the personal tier is roughly 199 dollars a year, the business tier roughly 299.

There's a third model too: a licence bought per track, which covers one particular piece in perpetuity for a single fee. That's typically in the range of tens of thousands of forints per track, and it's worth it if you only need a few pieces of music a year.

These figures are indicative. Providers often change their packages, so it's worth checking the current price list and licence terms before deciding.

What you really have to read in the licence

This is where the trouble usually is, because everyone looks at the price and few at the terms.

How long does it cover? With most subscriptions, as long as the subscription runs you can download and use music for new projects. If you cancel, material already published typically stays covered, but you can no longer use the previously downloaded tracks for new work. This is the most common misunderstanding.

Where may it appear? Online use, meaning the website, social platforms and video hosts, is in almost every package. Television and cinema exposure, though, is a different category. There are providers where it's included in the higher business tier, and others that tie it to a separate, individually priced package. If there's any chance the commercial will end up on television, this has to be settled in advance.

Can you use it in paid advertising? Not self-evidently. Some tiers only cover organic, non-promoted content.

Is it exclusive? No. That's the essence of the model. Your competitor can buy the same track.

Who holds the licence? If the film is made on the agency's subscription, the right sits with the agency, not with you. That comes to light when you want to carry on with a different partner.

The second route: custom music

Custom music means the music is made for the picture, not the other way around.

What do you get for it?

A precise fit. The accents land where the cuts are. The length of the music is exactly the length of the film; nothing has to be cut in half or faded out.

Exclusivity. By agreement, the track is yours alone. That matters for a brand sound: if you build a recognisable musical motif, it's worth something only if it doesn't play under anyone else.

Rights in order. You set out the scope of the licence in writing: where, for how long and in what form you may use it.

Versions. From the same material you can have a thirty-, fifteen- and six-second cut, plus a version without vocals. These come from one recording; nothing has to be recorded again.

How long and how much?

The time is typically one to two weeks from the briefing, depending on the length and the arrangement. The process has four steps: briefing, a short demo, production, handover. The demo matters because while there's only a sketch, changing direction is cheap.

The price depends on the length, the number of instruments, the scope of use and the exclusivity. Which is why no list price can be given for it: a concrete quote follows the assessment.

There's one consideration that rarely comes up: if the music can be used across several campaigns, the one-off cost spreads over several productions. A well-written brand motif lasts for years.

The third route: AI-generated music

In 2026 this question comes up in every conversation, so it's worth being clear about it.

What it's good at. It's fast, cheap, and genuinely useful as a sketch or a mood reference. If you want to show which direction you're thinking in, a generated sample explains it faster than three paragraphs of text.

Where you have to be careful. The legal position is still forming. The practical question isn't abstract: what do the provider's terms allow, and do you get exclusivity? At many providers the output isn't exclusive, and there's no guarantee that a similar input won't give someone else a very similar result.

On top of that, the question of copyright protection varies by country, and for works produced purely by machine that protection isn't self-evident. This matters if you want to act against someone who takes your music.

The practical recommendation. Usable for internal material, sketches and quick social content. For a brand sound, a television campaign and any situation where exclusivity or a clean rights position has to be demonstrable, we don't currently recommend it.

How to decide

Four questions, and the answer usually presents itself.

Where will it appear? If only online, off-the-shelf music is more than enough. If on television or in cinema too, the licence tier has to be settled in advance, and at that point the price of custom music often becomes competitive.

Does exclusivity matter? If the music will be part of the brand, yes. If it's a one-off campaign, typically not.

How much time is there? If it's needed tomorrow, off-the-shelf is the only realistic route.

How many productions will come out of it? For one, stock is cheaper. For five or ten videos with a consistent sound, custom music spreads better.

What to ask for in either case

Whichever route you choose, have these three things in writing:

• What the rights cover. Platforms, countries, duration, and whether it can be used in paid advertising.
• Whose name it's in. Your company's, not the agency's that helped.
• What files you get. The finished master in the formats you need, and ideally the raw material too, so a shorter cut can be made later.

Frequently asked questions

What does properly licensed music for a commercial cost?

• In 2026 an off-the-shelf subscription typically runs between 200 and 300 dollars a year for business use, and a per-track licence a few tens of thousands of forints per piece. The price of custom music depends on the length, the arrangement and the scope of use, so an individual quote is prepared for it.

Can I use downloaded music after I've cancelled the subscription?

• Content already published typically stays covered, but you can't use it for a new project. The exact condition differs by provider, so this has to be checked in the licence.

Is a stock subscription enough if the ad goes on television?

• Not necessarily. At several providers television and cinema use requires a separate, higher tier, in some cases with individual pricing. This is worth settling before the shoot.

Can I use AI-generated music in an ad?

• As a sketch and for internal material, yes. For a brand sound or a television campaign we don't currently recommend it, because the question of exclusivity and copyright protection isn't settled and it also depends on the provider's terms.

How long does custom music take to make?

• Typically one to two weeks from the briefing. That includes a short demo, on the basis of which direction can still be changed cheaply.

Can I get versions of different lengths from the same piece?

• Yes. Shorter cuts and a version without vocals can be made from the raw material, with nothing needing to be recorded again.

In summary

There's no generally better answer. For a social video, off-the-shelf music is the rational choice; for a sound that accompanies a brand for years, custom is.

The mistake isn't choosing stock. The mistake is nobody reading the licence, and finding out mid-campaign that it doesn't cover the platform in question.

Sources

• Stock music providers' 2026 fees and licence tiers: epidemicsound.com, artlist.io, plus independent comparisons (thepostflow.com, fluxnote.io, 2026)
• The prices are indicative international list prices. The exact terms are in the provider's current licence text.
• This piece does not constitute legal advice. On copyright questions a lawyer can give a formal opinion.