If you’re a video game sound designer like I am, you no doubt have unused sound effects sitting on your computer that will probably never see the light of day. This is not because the sounds are bad or unusable. It could just be that your client didn’t need them or didn’t choose them as part of the game you were working on. Or, they are sounds you were creating when practicing sound design. Whatever the case may be, these sounds are idling on your computer. Why not bring these sounds new life by selling them online to people who could actually use and benefit from them?
If you want some side income to support yourself during months where projects are a little slow going, why not assemble your unused sound effects, add to them, and create a sound pack? If any of these ideas seem appealing to you, you will probably want to start selling your sound effects online.
Here is a list I compiled of online sites where you can sell your sound effects:
Website | Create an Account (yes/no) | Application (yes/no) | Profit Share (%) | Individual SFX/Sound Packs |
Unreal Engine Marketplace | yes | no | 88% | Sound Packs |
Unity Asset Store | yes | no | 70% | Sound Packs |
CryEngine | yes | no | 70% | Sound Packs |
Epic Stock Media | yes | yes | 70% | Sound Packs |
Sonniss | yes | yes | 60% | Sound Packs |
Game Dev Market | yes | no | 70% | Sound Packs |
ASoundEffect | yes | yes | ??? | Sound Packs |
ProSoundEffect | yes | yes | ??? | Sound Packs |
Pond5 | yes | no | 50% | Individual SFX |
AudioJungle – Exclusive | yes | no | 50% | Individual SFX |
AudioJungle – Non-Exclusive | yes | No | 30% | Individual SFX |
Audiomicro | yes | no | 50% | Individual SFX |
Fiverr | yes | no | 80% | Individual SFX/Sound Packs |
What Information Do I need For The Application?
Different websites will have different requirements for their application. Below is a list of common information companies will want to know before allowing you to sell on their site.
Bio
This is a short blurb about yourself, your work, and career that will usually be posted on your “about page” or “author page” on the company’s website. Keep it professional. Usually, only 1 or 2 paragraphs will be enough. If you want, you could highlight past work that you are proud of and/or highlight why you are a professional that buyers should purchase from.
Demo of your work
As part of your application, websites will want to know what kind of quality work you can create. This is quite normal. If you have nothing to show for yourself yet, you can easily create a 2-3 minute demo of your best sound design and upload it onto SoundCloud or YouTube. Probably the best proof of quality that you can provide is to be able to show a product that you are already selling on a competing website that doesn’t require an application.
Experience Level
Usually chosen from a drop-down menu, your experience level will give the website an idea of where you believe you are as a sound designer. Be honest when choosing your level as it could affect their choice to accept or reject you.
Gear
Providing the gear that you regularly work with will allow the company to not only verify your experience level but also get a general sense of your knowledge of the industry and of industry products.
Website
Having a website that is clean, professional, and well put together is not usually necessary for applications, but it will help differentiate you from other people selling online.
Basic Information
This will include items such as your name, email, business name, business email, display name, etc. You will often need to provide your PayPal email as most companies payout using PayPal.
This is just a shortlist that I compiled from my experience applying to sell online, but make sure to verify with individual vendors as each application will be unique.
Where Do I Find Applications To Sell Online?
Normally companies will have a “vendor login” or “apply to become a seller” in the footer of their websites. Many professional audio websites will often not have any application form on their website in order to deter amateurs from applying. In order to apply, you can simply contact them through their contact form.
How Long Does It Take For Revenue To Start Coming In?
This is highly dependent on which website you place your sound effects, the quality of your effects, and the category of the effect. On some websites, you will get nothing for months and months and then maybe 1 sale here and there. On other sites, you could start making money next month if you uploaded today.
Can I Make A Living Doing This?
Yes, you can, but you will need to spend your life studying, learning, and improving business, sales, marketing, and sound design as much as you would at any other job or when starting any other business. There are not many companies who do this for a living, but of the few that do, they have spent hours perfecting their craft and the art of selling online.
What Are Basic Audio Requirements To Sell Online?
File format
The standard WAV format is pretty much all you will need.
Sample Rate
You will be able to get away with 44.1k and 16bit and do quite well with those sample rates. Actually, some sites only allow those samples rates to be uploaded and nothing higher. But if you want to up your game, you will need to start providing audio at 96k and 24bit.
Top 3 Sites To Begin Selling Sound Effects Online
For those who are just starting out and have no idea which website to begin with, here is a list of my top 3 sites to begin selling sound effects online:
- Unreal Engine Marketplace
- Unity Asset Store
- Pond5/AudioJungle
WARNING!
I have to include this in here somewhere, but make sure you only sell sounds that you have the complete copyrights to. If you resell other companies’ sound effects, you will without a doubt get yourself into legal trouble as that is illegal regardless of where in the world you are. If you create sound design using third party sound effects, make sure to read their licensing policy about reselling their sounds whether in its exact form or in a changed and manipulated form. Some companies do allow it while others don’t. If you need further assistance, you should seek legal advice from a lawyer (as I am not a lawyer).
If you do want to be 100% certain that you own the copyrights, only create and sell sound effects using audio that you have personally recorded (assuming that that audio is not copyrighted).
Other Unmentioned Marketplaces
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Did I miss any online stores where you can sell sound effects?
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