Sync is when music is licensed to play with picture. The written song and the recording are separate rights, while a performing-rights organization (PRO) can issue blanket licenses covering its repertory (ASCAP film-music checklist).
This comparison uses each company’s own published terms as checked on September 3, 2026. Those pages describe the companies’ positions; inclusion here is not an endorsement, and terms can change. Recheck the current agreement before signing or uploading music.
The short answer is that the models are different. Epidemic Sound says its model does not work with a collecting-society affiliation. Artlist’s customer license says PRO royalties are outside that license. Track Club/Marmoset publishes a submission route without stating a PRO-resignation requirement on that page—but that absence is not a guarantee about the contract you might later receive.
The absence of a rule on a public page is not a promise in a contract.
Epidemic Sound’s own FAQ says its model requires no PRO affiliation
Epidemic Sound says it is the sole owner of the financial rights to its music. Its artist FAQ also says the model would not work if an artist were affiliated with a collecting society because of exclusive affiliation agreements (Epidemic Sound artist FAQ).
The company describes its artist agreements as non-exclusive and flexible in relation to outside writing and publishing, but conditions that outside work on the artist not being affiliated with a PRO, neighboring-rights organization, or collecting society (Epidemic Sound artist FAQ).
Those two uses of “non-exclusive” can confuse a quick reader. The FAQ is not saying an affiliated ASCAP or BMI writer may simply keep the affiliation while delivering separate tracks. It says the business model and collecting-society affiliation do not work together under its terms.
The company also states its economics: a fixed fee of $2,000–$8,000 per track, a 50/50 split of streaming revenue, and a $4.2 million annual Soundtrack Bonus (Epidemic Sound artist FAQ). Those are Epidemic Sound’s published figures, not a projection of what any individual artist will earn.
As of September 3, 2026, the same FAQ said Epidemic Sound was not accepting new artist applications (Epidemic Sound artist FAQ). If the status later changes, the PRO condition still deserves a separate review; an open application would not make that rights tradeoff disappear.
Artlist’s customer license leaves PRO royalties outside the license
Artlist’s published customer license takes a different approach. It says the license permits customers to reproduce songs and perform projects publicly, but does not cover payments to performing-rights organizations or other collecting societies (Artlist license).
The license further warns that a customer may receive requests for mechanical-reproduction or public-performance payments to the relevant organization (Artlist license). That language is evidence that those payments remain within the collective-rights system under the customer license rather than being erased by it.
This makes Artlist a useful model comparison, but not an automatic artist opportunity. The cited document is a customer license, not a promise that a particular artist can submit, retain every right, or receive a particular agreement. If you reach an artist-contract stage, compare that agreement with the customer-facing license instead of assuming they say the same thing.
The practical benefit is a cleaner question: “Does my artist agreement require me to resign from or avoid a PRO?” Ask it in writing, and ask the company to point to the exact clause.
Track Club and Marmoset publish an open route without stating a PRO-resignation rule there
Track Club says it welcomes new music and accepts submissions during a one-week window each month. Its page says one form can submit music for consideration by both Track Club and Marmoset (Track Club submissions).
That submission page does not state that an artist must resign from a PRO. Report that fact narrowly: no requirement is stated on that page. It is not proof that every later contract preserves every royalty stream or accepts every society affiliation.
Use the public route to begin due diligence, not end it. If a contract follows, search for clauses about performance rights, publishing, administration, assignment, exclusivity, retitling, and direct licensing. A missing sentence on a marketing page cannot override a signed grant.
Keeping your PRO matters because blanket licensing and single-song sync are different jobs
ASCAP explains that it grants blanket licenses covering its repertory and does not issue single-song licenses (ASCAP film-music checklist). The sync permission for a particular visual use is handled separately from that blanket public-performance system.
That separation is why “royalty-free for the customer” does not always mean “no PRO exists for the writer.” A customer license can simplify some permissions while leaving public-performance royalties outside the license, as Artlist’s own terms state (Artlist license).
The money consequence depends on the agreement and actual performances, so no article can calculate it for you. The decision is still concrete: compare the guaranteed or stated compensation in the offered deal with the rights and affiliations you would have to surrender or restrict.
The best alternative is the contract that matches the rights you want to keep
Before choosing a library or representative, ask six questions:
- May I remain affiliated with my PRO? Get the answer in the contract, not only in an FAQ.
- Who owns the composition after delivery? “Administration” and “ownership” are not interchangeable.
- Who owns the recording? Check whether the company receives a license or the copyright itself.
- Is the grant exclusive? Identify the songs, rights, territory, and term.
- What happens to public-performance royalties? Ask who registers the work and which share each party receives.
- What happens when the deal ends? Look for renewal, notice, continuing licenses, and post-term collection.
If you do not know whether an earlier agreement already granted one of these rights, do not guess. Read how the main sync deal structures differ, then list every company connected to each composition and master.
You can also review the six clearance checks that stop a song. PRO affiliation is one part of the rights picture; co-writers, publishers, labels, and samples can still require separate answers.
When you are ready for the practical check, use the one-stop self-audit. It helps identify who must approve each side of a song before you trade time—or rights—for an application.