Collide Magazine

Stock Audio Websites

COLLIDE Staff - Originally posted Monday, May 11, 2009 -

If you’re a video producer in the church, chances are you don’t create your own music nor do you own a massive library of audio tracks. Enter the world of stock audio. Whether you’re looking for a simple electronic beat or a complex orchestral arrangement, stock audio has you covered. With the help of stock audio websites, finding that perfect audio track for your video couldn’t be easier. So we’ve compiled a list of some of the top stock audio sites for you to utilize.

Audiojungle.net
AudioJungle is one of the newest stock audio sites out there. This uncomplicated Web 2.0-looking site allows you to browse by category or use their simple search to find what you’re looking/listening for. Listening to audio samples is quick and easy, as long as you don’t mind hearing the word “envato” said every 5 seconds (as an audio watermark). However, being that AudioJungle is still new, its library isn’t the most extensive.

Average Song Cost: $8
Audio Quality: Mp3 and Wav – varies per song
100% royalty free

Firstcom.com
Firstcom has been in the stock audio scene since 1980 and was the first company to provide music downloading via the Internet. Basically, Firstcom is the industry standard when it comes to stock audio. While their Flash-based site creates an attractive interface, first-time users may find the site a little hard to navigate. Because the site contains an extensive library of more than 140,000 tracks, the search function is powerful and, at time, confusing. Overall, Firstcom has the best selection of music but not the most user-friendly interface.

Average Song Cost: subscription based – contact Firstcom for details
Audio Quality: Wav
100% royalty free

Ibaudio.com
While ibaudio.com may not be the prettiest site out there, it does offer a quality selection of music at a decent price. What really sets them apart, though, is the fact that they write and produce all of the audio themselves. Simply browse the music by category or use their search to find the perfect song. Song previews open up in separate windows making it easy to continue searching while demoing a particular song. The smaller library may be a set back, but the quality makes up for this shortcoming.

Average Song Cost: $27.25 or unlimited downloads $195/yr
Audio Quality: WAV – 16bit, 44.1khz
100% royalty free

Istockaudio.com
Istockphoto.com is most likely the first place you look when in need to stock photos, but did you know they now sell stock audio? In fact, istockphoto.com has an extensive selection of stock audio and music to choose from. Each song has detailed information including key and bpm for those that need this info. However, being that the two sites integrate with each other, searching for audio clips can be a little frustrating. Unfortunately, even the categorical search only brings up photos and not actual audio tracks.

Average Song Cost: $22 (15 credits)
Audio Quality: WAV – 16bit, 44.1khz
100% royalty free

Revostock.com
Revostock.com is full of profession stock media including video, motions, and After Effects files, but it also has a large stock audio library as well. While the simple search function may not produce the best answers, the category search and advanced search should help you find what you’re looking for. Simple mouse over a song and it begins to play a short demo. Like most of the stock audio sites, you have to put up with an annoying audio watermark, but thus is life in such a computer literate age.

Average Song Cost: $10-$50 (depending on popularity and license)
Audio Quality: WAV – 16bit, 44.1khz
100% royalty free

Stockmusic.net
Stockmusic.net happens to be one of the most balanced stock audio sites out there. Their intuitive navigation system and simple search functions make it easy to find that perfect song. Search by collections, genres, moods, and instruments and simply roll over songs to play a sample. The site will even let you download a full demo of the song, of course with an audio watermark strategically placed through it. Over all, stockmusic.net is one of the easiest stock music websites to navigate with a quality library.

Average Song Cost: $29.95
Audio Quality: Mp3, aiff, or wav
100% royalty free

Read Tiffani Barns article on Stock Photos and Videos.