Pond5: Music Marketplace Review

In the world of stock media, Pond5 stands out as a top marketplace, offering various media assets such as stock video, photography, illustrations, music, sound effects, and more. For music producers and musicians, Pond5 offers a highly artist-friendly platform, making it a solid option for licensing and selling tracks. Here’s a detailed review based on years of experience selling music on Pond5.

Pros

1. Artist-Friendly Policies

One of Pond5’s strongest aspects is its contributor-friendly approach. Musicians can create customizable artist profiles, allowing them to present their music professionally. Additionally, they retain the ability to set their own prices for their tracks, offering control over pricing strategies that fit their goals and market positioning.

2. PRO Music Acceptance

Pond5 stands out by accepting PRO (Performance Rights Organization) registered music, a significant advantage for musicians. For those unfamiliar, PRO music refers to tracks registered with organizations like ASCAP, BMI, or PRS. These organizations ensure musicians receive royalties when their tracks are used in broadcasts, such as on television or radio.

The advantage for buyers is that no additional fee is required when purchasing PRO-registered tracks. The process ensures musicians get paid fairly when their music is broadcast. This feature adds credibility to Pond5’s music catalog, as many professional musicians working in the industry register their music with PROs.

3. Efficient Review Process

Pond5’s review process for uploaded music is relatively fast compared to other platforms. As a contributor, you won’t face long wait times to see your new music go live on the marketplace, allowing you to get your work in front of potential buyers quickly.

4. Comprehensive Search Features

Pond5’s search and categorization system is robust. Buyers can easily sort music by duration, upload date, artist, number of sales, page views, and price. The music preview function is fast, which makes it convenient for buyers to sample and test multiple tracks quickly. Additionally, watermarked previews can be downloaded, enabling clients to test tracks in their projects before making a final decision.

5. Solid Customer Service

Pond5’s customer service is highly responsive. As a contributor, whenever issues arise, support provides timely and effective responses. Another bonus is that customers can contact you directly through your artist page with specific licensing questions. This creates an open line of communication and can lead to personalized licensing deals.

Cons

1. Overcrowded Marketplace

Pond5 has a vast library of music, which is great for buyers but poses challenges for contributors. The vast amount of available music means that standing out in the crowd can be tough, especially for new contributors. To maintain visibility, consistent keywording and promotions are crucial.

2. Keyword Issues

One drawback to Pond5’s system is that contributors manually keyword their own music. This can lead to irrelevant search results as contributors may use keywords that aren’t entirely accurate or helpful. As a buyer, this means you might come across tracks that don’t fit your criteria. It would be helpful if Pond5 took a more active role in refining or moderating the keywording process for better search accuracy.

Conclusion

Pond5 is an excellent platform for both contributors and buyers in the media production space, particularly for stock music licensing. Its artist-friendly policies, ability to set your own prices, and acceptance of PRO music make it a strong choice for musicians looking to monetize their work. Despite some issues with oversaturation and keyword accuracy, Pond5 remains a highly recommended option for producers who want to expand their reach in the stock media market.