Licensing & royalties
Stock Music vs Buyout
Stock music and buyout are two different transactions. A stock library sells access to a shared catalogue under a licence with defined scope and a term; a buyout transfers ownership of a single track to one buyer. The first optimises for low upfront cost and volume, the second for exclusivity, permanence and control.
In practice
Stock music makes sense for high-volume, low-stakes content where the same track appearing elsewhere costs nothing: social posts, internal video, drafts and tests. Its weaknesses show on assets that matter — a competitor can license the same music, the licence has a term and a media list, editing may be restricted, and content published under a lapsed subscription can become unlicensed. A buyout is the opposite profile: higher price per track, one track at a time, and no ongoing constraint. Many teams run both, using stock for volume and ownership for flagship assets and sonic identity.
How SoniBuyout® handles it
SoniBuyout is deliberately the second model: one payment, full ownership of the master and composition, the track delisted so nobody else can obtain it, and a certificate documenting the transfer.
Real questions
Is stock music ever exclusive?
Rarely. The economics depend on licensing the same track many times. Exclusivity, where offered, is priced closer to a buyout.
What happens to my videos if I cancel a stock subscription?
It depends on the post-termination clause. Some libraries keep published content licensed, others do not — and that clause decides whether your archive stays safe.
Related terms
Own the track instead of renting it
Sonify Music sells exclusive buyouts of catalogue tracks: one payment, full ownership, the track removed from sale and a named certificate of ownership.