tracklog.

Platforms

Pond5 for music producers

Pond5 is an open stock marketplace for footage, music and sound. Anyone can sign up and upload, and each file is reviewed. Here is how it works for music, as of October 2026.

By , a composer with 300+ tracks on audio stock and 12 years in production. Checked on Pond5's own pages on 26 October 2026.

Type
Stock music site
How to join
Open to everyoneFree account, ID check, each file reviewed
Exclusive
NoNon-exclusive. The exclusive program is for video only
AI-made music
Not acceptedNot accepted. Repeated uploads can close the account

From my catalog. 167 tracks are live on Pond5.

In short. Pond5 is open: you make a free account, verify your ID and upload. Every file is reviewed. Music is non-exclusive, because Pond5's exclusive program is for video only. AI-generated content is not accepted, and repeated AI uploads can get the account suspended or closed. Send WAV or AIFF only. Pond5 rejects MP3 and FLAC files.

How to join

You sign up for a free Pond5 account from the Sell Your Media page and agree to the Contributor Agreement. Pond5 asks every contributor to verify their identity with a passport, driver's license or other government ID. The name on the ID must match the account.

You upload on the Uploads page or by FTP to ftp.pond5.com. Files show "Processing" first. A file that fails shows "Processing Failed" with a reason. Then it waits in "Needs Edits" until you add a title, description and keywords and submit it. Pond5 says review times "vary by asset type, marketplace designation, and batch size". Smaller batches that meet every rule go faster.

Exclusive or not

Non-exclusive for music. Pond5's FAQ says: "Only video contributors are eligible to join the Pond5 Exclusivity Program at this time." Your music can be on other sites at the same time.

AI-generated music

Not accepted. Pond5's legal guidelines say it "cannot accept content generated by AI to be uploaded and licensed by contributors". The reason given: you must own what you upload, and the authorship of AI content "cannot be attributed to an individual person". "Repeated submission of AI-generated content will result in account suspension or termination."

Files and metadata

From Pond5's music guide and tagging guide, as of October 2026:

  • Format. WAV or AIFF, 16, 24 or 32-bit, 44.1, 48 or 96 kHz. Stereo only. "We are no longer accepting MP3 or FLAC files."
  • Length and size. Under 10 minutes. Up to 1 GB a file.
  • Versions. Pond5 suggests linking only time edits of one track (:15, :30, :60). Alternate versions go up as separate files. Once all of them are online, you send Pond5 the clip IDs and it groups them as versions of one file.
  • Titles. Unique, in English, not in all caps. Pond5 asks for 40 to 80 characters, with no number codes and no file extensions. Its music guide shows the style "Morning Sunrise (Uplifting Acoustic) – Sting – Bumper".
  • Keywords. Up to 50. Pond5 says the best results come from 10 to 20 precise ones.
  • No names of known artists, bands or brands in the metadata.

If the curator sends a file back as "Returned", the note says what is missing. Fix it and submit again. More on statuses: Why stock sites reject music.

Codes, Content ID and royalties

  • Content ID. Pond5's music guide says "You may submit your content to ContentID Distributors". But you may not take any action on YouTube or Vimeo that stops buyers from monetizing their videos.
  • Performing rights. Put your society in the "PRO" field. Your IPI number can go next to your name in the "Composer" field. With no publishing company, put your own name in "Publisher".
  • Pond5 Publishing. A "free, optional administrative service" that works with performing rights organizations. It collects performance royalties for music used on TV, in film and in broadcast ads. See Registering library music with your PRO.

How you are paid

You set your own prices for music. You can also pick "Let Pond5 set my price". Pond5 pays your balance automatically on the 15th of every month, once it is over $25. You choose the payout method in Payout Preferences.

What to keep in your catalog

  • The clip ID of each version. You need the list to ask Pond5 to group versions.
  • The title on Pond5, with its version part in Pond5's style. It often differs from your main title.
  • The PRO, Composer and Publisher fields you filled in, and whether the track is in Pond5 Publishing.
  • Content ID: registered or not, and with which company.
  • The status and its date: Needs Edits, Returned, rejected or live.

Sources