Frequently Asked Questions

"Royalty-free music," also called "Stock music" or "Library music," represents music that you don't have to pay any licensing fees (i.e., royalties) for each time you use it. Instead, you can buy a single license to use it as many times as you want, for all audiences or copies of your project, according to the rights granted by the license you purchased.

For complete information, I invite you to visit the licensing page.

The music you find on StoryMusic should be suitable for various projects. However, as an independent producer, musical genres are a matter of personal affinity. Therefore, you'll mostly find electronic tracks, ranging from the downtempo, retro-wave, trip-hop, chill, and house genres or romantic and cinematic music tracks. Finally, I think the best music we produce is the one we enjoy creating and sharing. Browse the music genres.

Depending on the number of licenses you purchase together, you can qualify for a percentage discount on the order total, including taxes if applicable. The percentage calculation is as follows:

• 15% discount between 2 and 4 licenses purchased together
• 20% discount from 5 to 9 licenses
• 30% discount from 10 licenses

This discount policy is permanent and might still work with another scheduled discount.

That means that the website is currently launching, and there may still be improvements and additions coming shortly. The song library is also at its beginning stage. However, the website and essential functions are already fully secure and functional.

Depending on your license, you will get up to two versions of the audio master. The first is for streaming (K14), and the other is suitable for games, movies, and broadcasting (EBU R128, ITU 1770). You thus obtain a pre-calibrated audio file in terms of loudness ideal for your project.

• Audio files with the K14 label (Standard licenses and above) are mastered at -14 integrated LUFS, and the maximum peak is set to -1.3 dBTP to preserve all the dynamic range without peaking after file compression. The K14 standard is the loudness level required by the most popular streaming platforms.
• Audio files with the ITU label (Extended licenses and above) are mastered at -23 integrated LUFS, with a maximum true peak less than -2dBTP. Most often, the peaks stand between -6 and -12dBTP.

With these masters, you will always obtain audio files with optimal dynamics, free of unwanted distortion. Loudness standards being a vast and relatively complex subject, I invite you to google these terms "loudness standards LUFS" for more information.

Hey, I'm Didier Herisson (aka Hedd Lone), an indie electronic music composer and producer living in France. Want to know a little more?

Please visit the About page.

If you are looking for an answer not found in the FAQ pages, please use the Contact Support form.

No problem. Request a new password here. You will instantly get a link to recreate a new one.

The information stored with your account is only that which is strictly necessary for the use of the site. Here is the list :

• Your email address, your name, the country you live in, and your sign-up date.
• Your order history, dates, number, total amounts, and associated PDF invoice for each of them.
• Your address book used for billing information.
• The license granted, the audio files you purchased, your unique license ID, date "purchased," license type, and links to associated audio files.

You can find more information on the Privacy Policy page.

Long story short. Never, that's none of my business.
You can find more detailed information on the Privacy Policy page.

From your User account, you can edit the following personal information:

• Your email address
• Your password
• Your billing address
• Your YouTube Channel ID

However, you cannot change your username.

Yes, you are free to cancel your account at any time. Choose the "Edit" tab from your user account, then hit the link at the bottom right of the page. A brief message will invite you to confirm the action. In this same section, you should also be interested in the What about my data and content? question.

For your convenience and security purposes, your files, order details, invoices, and granted licenses still exist upon your account cancelation. To delete all of these data, you must use our contact form and select the "My Account" object. The operation usually takes less than 24 hours, working days, as confirmed by an email. By doing so, you agree that you may not demand the restoration of these files and data (entirely erased).

I invite you to add your YouTube Channel ID to your user account. By doing so, I can help you resolve possible copyright claims quickly from YouTube Content ID. To get your Channel ID on YouTube, log into your account associated with your channel. Next, go to "Settings" and then, in the "Your YouTube channel" section, click "View advanced settings." You can then click "COPY" next to the Channel ID field.

Sorry, not at the moment. The site, by design, only works to post my titles. Also, I didn't set aside time for artist selection and administration. But that may change in the future. If so, I will announce it on this site.

Sincerely glad to hear from you. But that's not the concept here. Writing music for a specific project is impossible due to the time spent creating new tracks and managing the entire production. Maybe you could always ask if it's for the next blockbuster :).

The plan is to create a limited library of around 300 songs over the next ten years. Of course, publishing such an amount of music can depend on many factors. In the future, it is also possible that carefully picked artists will be involved with the development of the musical offer.

You will receive the following notifications.

• Last title releases.
• Possible anecdotes about the making of these titles.
• Notification about special offers.
• Things I haven't thought of yet.

Sending frequency is on about a monthly basis. And you can, of course, unsubscribe at any time.

Your data does not concern me. The website operates without third-party cookies because StoryMusic.io does not use any external service (except the payment gateways). On top of that, a private analytics system works alongside the website and follows the requirements of European GDPR. Thus, the site is not eligible for the cookie policy warning.

Please refer to the Privacy Policy page for more information.

After your successful purchase, you will instantly receive an email with a link to activate your account (if this is your first order). Once connected, you will find your files in your user account's "My files" tab. You get the following files with your purchase:

You get the following files with your purchase:

• The title's PDF license agreement.
• A unique license ID for each of your orders.
• The uncompressed PCM/AIFF 24bit/48Khz audio file(s)
• The complementary audio stems or alternative versions (if any) to the main track, in the same formats as the main files.
• A 16bit/44Khz AAC/M4A compressed version of the main track.
• Some useful information for quality control, such as a spectrogram and audio statistics.

These files come in a zip container (which does not affect the final audio quality), except for your license ID provided separately.

The licenses are granted lifetime for three main usage types, depending on your project's nature and scale. There is no limit to use and reuse. As a license owner, you will never pay additional fees (royalties) for using the music or audio tracks you have purchased. The primary intended use is for synchronized audio, incorporated in a finished project, meaning the music should always be associated with other media.

For detailed informations about the licenses, please visit the Licensing page.

Please note that only the Extended and Premium licenses grant you this right. You must provide your client with a copy of your license agreement and the associated license ID. In case they have to establish the origin of the audio.

However, as mentioned in your license agreement, you cannot transfer, lease or sub-lease your license to your client.

Sorry, this shouldn't happen since I do not register my music tracks with YouTube's Content ID system. However, if this happens, please use the Contact Support form and choose the subject "Copyright claims." Then follow the instructions provided.

In addition, I also invite you to fill in the "Your YouTube channel ID" field in your user account. See the related FAQ.

The International Standard Recording Code (ISRC) establishes the identity and origin of individual audio recordings.

For example, this code can be helpful if you, or one of your clients, need to prove the origin of a music track you use in your video. You will end the discussion by providing it along with your license agreement.

Yes absolutely. The site uses PayPal and Stripe payment gateways, which offer a fast and secure process. In addition, these platforms conform with 3D Secure and comply with the PCI data security standard.

StoryMusic.io offers two main secure payment methods, which are Paypal and Stripe. So, the website accepts any major credit cards.

Sales are every day on StoryMusic.io. The more you buy, the less you pay for your licenses. Thus, you benefit from a percentage discount on the quantity starting at two licenses purchased. Please see the question How does the quantity-based discount work? for more information.

Other one-offs and scheduled deals are also possible.

After your successful payment, do not forget to check (twice) your spam email folder. In the unlikely event that you have not received the email after one hour, don't hesitate to get in touch by using the contact form and selecting "Sales & payment" for the subject.

You will find the invoices corresponding to your orders in your user account. First, choose the "My orders" tab. From there, you can download the invoices for each of your orders.

Not at the moment. But, if the demand for this payment method becomes recurrent and the volume of songs published becomes sufficient, I will consider the question. So, in the future, we can imagine an annual subscription offer that would allow unlimited access to the entire catalog.

No, sorry. Due to the reproducible and digital nature of audio files sold and downloaded from this site, orders are not eligible for a refund. However, before purchasing, you can carefully listen to the preview audio files or download them and ensure they correspond to your project.

StoryMusic.io provides only high-quality, uncompressed PCM audio files in AIFF format using 24-bit depth and 48 kHz sample rate, which is the digital standard for professional AV applications. During the mixing and mastering stages, particular attention is given to the preservation of dynamics, to the absence of clipping or undesirable distortion. And that until the output of the audio file in its delivery format.

Technically, there is no difference between the quality of AIFF and WAV audio files. Both support high-resolution audio and are in uncompressed format. On the other hand, in a professional context, AIFF supports embedded metadata, unlike WAV. AIFF is, therefore, more convenient for sorting and archiving purposes. AIFF, like WAV, is cross-platform and can be played natively on most devices.

These specifications based on the ITU-R BS 1770 accurately match the EBU R128 and fit perfectly within the tolerance range of ATSC A/85 or ARIB TR-B32. The chosen highest loudness value allows further normalization adjustments without affecting the audio quality (e.g., if you need to set precisely the loudness target at -24 or -27 LKFS).

• Integrated loudness: -23 LUFS (*)
• Average dynamic: ± 16 LU
• Short-term max.: ≤ -18 LUFS
• Momentary max.: ≤ -15 LUFS
• True peak max.: ≥ -12 dBTP and ≤ -6 dBTP

(*) One unit of LUFS is equal to 1 LKFS.

The integrated loudness target at -14 dB LKFS accurately matches the most recent YouTube volume normalization value and those from other popular streaming platforms. Therefore, any automatic normalization process will not impact the audio quality and prevent distortion or clipping. If necessary, you can also normalize your tracks for other lower values (e.g., if you need to set the target volume to -16 or -18 LKFS for a podcast).

• Integrated loudness = -14 LUFS
• Average dynamic = ±12.7 LU
• Short-term max.: N/A
• Momentary max.: ≤ -8 LUFS
• True peak max = ± 1.3 dBTP

You will find some additional information with the audio tracks.

• For example, a spectrogram, which somehow represents the music fingerprint, is created during the audio conversion. Helpful for getting an overview of the track, such as the distribution of dynamic or quiet movements or parts with dominant high or low frequencies.
• Similarly, you can find an accurate report with raw audio values, such as RMS levels, peaks, etc.

These pieces of information should satisfy quality control managers.

For your convenience, all the audio files follow a naming convention, applicable when you work in a professional AV environment.

Here is the scheme: STM_Title_48k_24b_2ch_K14.aiff

• STM is the abbreviation of StoryMusic.io, the publishing platform.
• Title, as the track title.
• 48k is the abbreviation of 48 kHz sample rate.
• 24b is the abbreviation of 24-bits depth.
• 2ch corresponds to the two channels of a stereo audio file.
• K14 (or ITU) corresponds to the loudness level of the mastered audio file.
• AIFF (and m4a) is the final file format of the audio track.

At a bit rate similar to MP3, M4A encoding (based on Advanced Audio Coding, AAC) provides superior sound quality. That's why I decided to use this audio format for the preview and free tracks delivered on this site. The audio quality is the same as what you find on iTunes. M4A format is also natively supported on Apple devices, any modern web browser, and popular video editing software but may require an app to play on specific mobile devices.

You will find more exhaustive information about the m4a format on the Wikipedia page dealing with this subject.

No. If you need a lightweight file for some reason, you can use the m4a file that came with your order. Note that the streaming platform will likely re-encode the file. The process will then lead to a loss of quality. Whenever possible, always use the uncompressed PCM AIFF files for your project. In this regard, here are the recommended encoding specifications for YouTube: Encoding specifications for music videos.