Storyblocks Audio Review (Audioblocks): Is It Worth It In 2024?
Now that there are so many choices for royalty free music subscription websites, it can be time-consuming to decide which one you would like to be a part of. In this article, we will outline the features, cost, licensing, advantages, and disadvantages of Storyblocks Audio to help you make the most informed decision about whether or not it is the best royalty-free music subscription website for your needs and goals.
What is Storyblocks Audio (EX Audioblocks)?
Storyblocks was born from two websites that were created in 2009, later branching into Audioblocks, which provides royalty-free music, and then merging to create the single website we call Storyblocks today. Storyblocks Audio is a subscription-based website that provides unlimited licenses for more than 100,000 songs, sound effects, and loops.
Storyblocks Audio works well for podcasts, as the website provides users with playlists just for podcasts and allows them to even use “podcasts” as a search term to find the perfect background music. Additionally, Storyblocks offers blogs on how to find the best intros, outros, loops and sound effects for your podcast.
Video creators can also search with the term “video” to find background music and sound effects for their project. With an unlimited all-access subscription to Storyblocks, video makers can also receive video footage and photos as well as royalty free music.
Storyblocks Audio music library
Storyblocks updates their content frequently based on what users are searching for. Their library of more than 112,000 tracks also includes sound effects and loops. Users can even search with the term “best songs.” Storyblocks Audio also created 24 curated lists of music, loops, and sound effects organized by theme and mood.
Songs will appear as audio waveforms, making it easy for video creators to see how long a song builds before getting to the climax.
As of 2024, I recommend using Envato Elements instead of Storyblocks because it has a more extensive library and more types of assets, and it is much more affordable.
How Storyblocks Audio Works
Once you sign up for an account and choose a subscription, you can organize your music by saving tracks that you like and creating folders. To download music, simply fill out a bit of paperwork to finalize your license coverage, and then you are free to put music in as many projects as you would like.
Any content that users download will be theirs to keep and use forever. Users can search by moods, instruments, genres, tempo, duration and vocals (lyrical or instrumental). The moods include happy, dark, inspiring, epic, love, playful, sad, relaxing and serious. The instruments include guitar, brass, percussion, orchestra, piano, vocals, woodwind and synth. The 30 genres are extensive, with music in the categories of blues, cinematic, ambient, classical, country, electronic, folk, hip hop, holidays, horror, jazz, corporate, kids and family, pop, R&B, rock, religious and more. Users can also download an MP3 or a WAV file, which makes the editing process easier.
Storyblocks Audio dedicates an entire section of the website to tips and tutorials, helping users develop their YouTube and podcast skills. The tutorials cover topics such as monetizing your YouTube channel and choosing a podcast intro.
Storyblocks Audio pricing
Storyblocks has a wide range of subscription cost options. For individuals, there are three different subscriptions: basic audio, unlimited audio, and unlimited all access. All of these options come with the standard license, which means that the content is yours to use forever and there are no restrictions on distribution and production budget. It covers one person up to $20,000 in indemnity. For the basic audio subscription, users get three music downloads each month for $99 a year. The unlimited audio includes sound effects and costs $149 a year. The unlimited all-access subscription costs $349 a year and includes sound effects as well as video footage and photos.
You can also choose to pay a monthly subscription price, but it is more expensive than paying for a whole year at once. The basic audio plan costs $9 a month, the unlimited audio plan costs $15 a month and the unlimited all access costs $65 a month.
There are no free trials to join Storyblocks Audio, but occasionally, you might be able to find a Storyblocks Audio promo code or coupons that will give you a discount by taking a percentage off of the price. Storyblocks Audio is a much more convenient option than most royalty-free music websites if you are frequently creating content, as you do not need to buy one song at a time—subscribing to everything at once instead.
Storyblocks Audio Licensing
All of the content on Storyblocks can be used multiple times for personal and commercial projects, and the music does not contain watermarks. It is especially suitable for companies, as Storyblocks Audio can cover up to $1 million indemnification, organization-wide licensing, and perpetual worldwide license services. The indemnification coverage means that Storyblocks Audio is giving you a legal guarantee that the content will not infringe someone’s intellectual property rights.
The individual license covers one person and gives that person the usage rights for the content, meaning only that person can use the music he or she downloads. That person can share the finished project, but he or she cannot distribute the original media file. A business license gives usage rights to all of the team members, meaning that the content can be shared throughout the whole company as long as the business purchased the right number of seats.
The Storybooks Audio license is vastly preferable to the Creative Commons license, which is one of the most common licenses for the free public distribution of copyrighted music. The Creative Commons license mandates that users release their projects under the same license as the music they used, meaning that if you use free music for your movie, you would have to release your movie free of charge and permit everyone to reuse your movie for no cost, making it difficult to generate a profit.
All of the music on Storyblocks Audio is cleared for use in YouTube videos, but if you receive a YouTube claim, the customer service team will help you through each part of the resolution process.
Storyblocks Audio Customer Service
The Storyblocks Audio customer service team is highly recommended in online ratings, and many current members mentioned that they respond very quickly. The only downside is that users can only contact Storyblocks Audio between the hours of 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., which is inconvenient for many freelancers who complete their work outside of normal office hours and might not have anyone to help them if technical issues arise.
What People Like About Storyblocks Audio
Storyblocks Audio has high online ratings, and users appreciate the reasonable price of the platform compared to other royalty-free music subscription websites and the wide variety of quality music that has helped them create compelling and professional projects. Members also like the friendly and excellent service of the customer support team and mentioned that the customer support team resolved copyright issues very quickly. Users appreciate how large the music library of Storyblocks Audio is and that it is frequently updated, making it easy to find the music they are looking for. Members also value that the licensing is straightforward and comprehensive, making it easy to resolve any YouTube claims that come up with the help of the efficient process that Storyblocks Audio uses. Lastly, users mentioned that the Storyblocks Audio interface is visually aesthetic and easy to navigate.
What People Do Not Like About Storyblocks Audio
Some users have mentioned that they had trouble downloading files or tried to cancel their account and that the customer support team would not issue them a refund when they requested one. Other members lamented that they did not realize there was an auto-renewal setting turned on and were charged for a second year of membership. Some people mentioned that they would really like a free trial option so that they can try Storyblocks Audio before committing to a subscription. When the website underwent a major change several months ago, many users regrettably lost their portfolio and saved content because of a technical glitch and were not able to recover their materials.
Is Storyblocks Audio Legitimate?
Because Storyblocks Audio has been around in one form or another since 2009 and has grown to be a fairly large royalty-free music subscription website, you can be confident that it is perfectly legitimate and not a scam. One of the telltale signs of a scam is a short history and a low number of social media followers; however, Storyblocks Audio has a reputable history of 11 years and a large following on social media, with roughly 16,600 followers on YouTube, more than 1,600 followers on Facebook, more than 2,600 followers on Twitter and approximately 10,200 followers on Instagram.
Advantages and Disadvantages Of Storyblocks Audio
Pros:
Most subscription options include an unlimited number of downloads.
You can continue to use your downloads even if your subscription expires or is canceled.
Storyblocks Audio licenses can be used worldwide and include unlimited usage for individual or commercial projects.
The platform covers up to $20,000 in indemnification.
Storyblocks Audio is not expensive compared to other royalty-free music websites, and there are several subscription options.
The extensive number of genres and search terms makes it convenient for content creators to find exactly what they need.
There are no hidden or additional fees.
The music library is frequently updated.
Cons:
Unless you are already familiar with After Effects templates, it can be a little time-consuming to figure out how to integrate your download from Storyblocks Audio the first time you do it.
Is Storyblocks Audio | Audioblocks Worth It In 2024?
Storyblocks is a well-laid-out, user-friendly website, and the licensing is straightforward and comprehensive, making it easier for video makers and podcast creators. It is reasonably priced, and it has a large and frequently updated music library. The wide range of genres and search terms make it easy for content creators to find exactly what they are looking for, saving them time and effort. All in all, Storyblocks Audio is an excellent royalty-free music subscription website.
