Music Dealers places music for licensing in advertising campaigns and TV shows. Their open submission process means any independent artist has a shot at making it in their catalog. Music Dealers work with the biggest brands on the planet, trying to find unique tunes to give marketing campaigns a creative edge. Artists must agree to […]

Song Backer is a crowdfunding platform dedicated to the YouTube cover video. Fans can back musicians and request songs, with the goal of funding the production of a music video featuring those requests. When the pledge threshold is reached, the artist is paid immediately through PayPal, after Song Backer takes a 15% cut. The site […]

“Loudr empowers artists with tools that challenge the music industry. As a result, we’ve reinvented the way fans and artists interact.” Many companies profiled on this site make similar claim they are changing the face of the music industry. Most fall short. Loudr is not in that category. They’ve hit a home run. Loudr’s truly […]

Pump Audio is Getty Image’s music licensing catalog, and it’s wide open to independent musicians to join. The terms — 35% of licensing fees — aren’t the most favorable, but then again, it is free to submit music to the catalog. As long as your production quality is acceptable, each track will get a listen […]

MusicClout makes licensing opportunities available to musicians, who can apply for them for a fee. This puts MusicClout in the “pay to play” category, which is exploitative to most musicians. Seasoned pros may be able to navigate these waters and place winning bets on opportunities, but such business models prey on the naivete of aspiring […]

Indaba Music has a unique model in which they curate a selection of opportunities from brands, industry reps and even other, bigger bands and musicians. Each gig is run like a contest, and its sponsors award the winner with the opportunity they competed for. For professional remix artists it’s an essential service — Indaba caters […]

Rumblefish specializes in delivering music for licensing in video. The company works with partners such as CDBaby, Indaba Music and many others to source high-quality music for its catalog. It works with licensees as big as YouTube and as small as amateur filmmakers. You can submit your music to their catalog directly, or via one […]

Music Licensing Directory stands out from its pay-to-play competitors as a legitimate value for musicians who are serious about licensing their music. At $99/year (the current 50% off price) the service isn’t exactly ceap, but if you’re going to spend a good part of that year trying to license your music on a DIY basis, […]

Music Gorilla accepts music submissions from independent artists and offers opportunities for licensing and requests for talent. LIke other opportunity platforms, Music Gorilla charges you to submit to most opportunities (although you can bypass submission by paying the subscription fee for a Pro account). We don’t generally recommend musicians use pay-to-play services.