Meet Art-list, the Company Changing the Way Filmmakers License Music

Have you ever noticed how complex music licensing can be, even when working with today’s online licensing companies? Art-list aims to change that.

We all know just how important music is when it comes to the emotional impact of your films. So it’s no surprise that new music licensing companies are springing up everywhere these days, trying to meet the needs of this new generation of filmmakers. And while there are several platforms that offer incredible music and great features, most of them pigeonhole you into complex terms and conditions based on the nature and scope of your project. Not to mention prices that may seem low at first, but when you dig into the details, are far higher than you’d like.

It’s enough to make any filmmaker’s head spin.

That’s where Art-list comes in. As a subscription-based platform designed by filmmakers, for filmmakers, the folks at Art-list have one goal: to make the entire licensing process simpler and more affordable without sacrificing on quality of music.

Before we get into it in-depth, here are a few of the key features of Art-list:

• Full access to a curated catalog of music
• Unlimited downloads for a full year
• Pre-licensed for personal, commercial, & broadcast use
• New music added every week
• All for a flat yearly subscription of $199
• No additional charges or hidden fees of any kind

Instead of having to license songs one by one as you need them, Art-list works a little differently. Once subscribed, you’re free to download as many songs as you want, and then use them however you’d like, regardless of the size of your project. 

All of the songs on Art-list are pre-licensed. In fact, the $199/yr. fee includes their universal license, which covers personal, commercial, and even broadcast uses. Considering it can often cost hundreds, if not thousands of dollars to license one song for commercial or broadcast projects, the value of Art-list is unparalleled, especially as you use it more and more.

And best of all, once you’ve downloaded songs from Art-list, they’re yours forever, even if you decide to cancel your subscription.

This takes one of the most complicated facets of music licensing out of the equation—having to navigate the often complex terms of licensing a piece of music. You don't have to know the difference between a single use and perpetual license, nor do you have to pay more for the option, because Art-List charges a flat yearly fee for unlimited and unrestricted access to their extensive library of music. 

Apart from providing universal licensing, Art-List has already populated their catalog with over 1300 curated tracks (and growing) from independent artists all over the world. With a wide array of different styles and genres, there’s high quality music for any type of project you can imagine.

They've also made finding the right music for your project easier by including a sidebar that sorts tracks based on mood, instrument, or even the theme of your video. There’s also a Spotlight section, which highlights the new artists who are constantly being added to the platform.

Not only that, but Art-list has just released the newest version of their site, which includes a personal playlist feature, a new main-player, and faster performance.

Filmmaker and co-founder Ira Belsky explains his reasoning for creating a music licensing platform like Art-List:

I was always so frustrated with licensing. It can be really expensive and time consuming, especially for the good songs, which takes away time that I could be spending on things I actually enjoy, like editing. So we decided to create a platform that would make it dead simple to license good music, which then allows you to spend more time focusing on creating.

All in all, Art-List is a welcomed change to the way business is done in the world of music licensing. 

It's kind of like asking someone if they'd rather pay for a Netflix subscription or pay to rent movies off of Amazon. With one you get unlimited access to everything in their library, and with the other you have to pay every time you want to watch something. Being able to browse freely—without having to think about how much the tracks you want cost, what kind of license you need to choose, or how many downloads you have left—is definitely appealing. And for people who create work in high volume, say production company owners or YouTube creators, a subscription to Art-list is a no-brainer.

Art-list is currently in a public beta, but if you're ready to sign up, or if you're just interested in learning more about how it all works, head on over to their website, where you can listen to all of the tracks in full without any obnoxious waterma