Lickd — the bottom line
"The best solution for YouTube creators who want popular mainstream music in their videos — Lickd licenses chart music at accessible prices, replacing the risky royalty-free workaround with actual legal licenses for recognized songs."
What is Lickd and how does it work?
Lickd licenses commercial music for use in YouTube videos. Creators browse a catalog of mainstream and popular music, purchase licenses for specific tracks or access through a subscription, and use that music in their videos without Content ID claims or copyright strikes. The license is specific to YouTube monetization contexts. Lickd has licensing agreements with major music companies including Sony, Warner, and Universal for many of their catalog artists.
Lickd standout strengths
Lickd solves the specific pain point of using recognizable music in YouTube videos. Royalty-free libraries (Artlist, Epidemic Sound) are good but can't offer The Weeknd, Harry Styles, or popular chart songs — those are under major label deals. Lickd negotiated access to this music specifically for YouTube creators. For vloggers, travel creators, challenge videos, and reaction content where the music itself is integral to the video's appeal, Lickd's catalog is genuinely transformative.
Lickd weaknesses and drawbacks
The licensing is YouTube-specific — if you want to use the same track on Instagram Reels or TikTok, you need separate licensing for those platforms. Artlist and Epidemic Sound grant multi-platform licenses with a single subscription, making them better for multi-platform creators who don't specifically need chart music. Lickd is worth the additional cost only if mainstream recognizable music is important to your specific content.
Lickd pricing & plans (2026)
Monthly subscription with included track credits plus per-track purchases for premium tracks. Best for: YouTube creators whose content specifically benefits from using mainstream chart music — vloggers, lifestyle creators, and challenge/reaction creators where music recognition matters.
Who is Lickd best for?
| User type |
Why it fits |
Considerations |
| YouTube creators needing chart music |
Only viable option for legally using mainstream tracks |
More expensive than royalty-free for same volume |
| Multi-platform creators |
Artlist or Epidemic Sound give better multi-platform licensing |
Lickd is YouTube-specific |
| Gaming/educational creators |
Royalty-free libraries likely sufficient |
Chart music is less critical for these content types |
Lickd review: final verdict
Lickd is essential for YouTube creators who specifically need recognizable chart music. For everyone else, Artlist or Epidemic Sound are better value. Know which camp you're in before subscribing.
