Audio files should be cleanly recorded and professionally prepared in the highest quality possible.
Moderate distortion or creative tinkering is okay. However, please remember that many buyers will modify the sound of the audio after purchase and will, therefore, desire a high-quality, minimally manipulated file to work with.
Sound effects can be as short as half a second but all your SFX MUST be under 10 minutes in length.
The file size limit is 1GB; however, 100Mb for a music file is acceptable.
We are no longer accepting MP3 or FLAC files.
SFX files may be prepared as 16, 24, or 32 bit, 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz or 96 kHz, WAV or AIFF.
Note: If your audio file is in a different format, please convert it to WAV or AIFF before uploading. Another option is to export it natively from your audio-editing program as a high-quality WAV. Avoid compression as much as you can and always export as close to native quality as possible.
Please check your files before uploading to make sure they are broadcast ready.
Once all versions of your file are approved and online, contact us with a list of the clip IDs you would like associated and we will group them as multiple versions of the same file.
Please use this format when requesting association, using your clip IDs:
item: 1234567:1234577
We suggest only associating time edits of the same track (:15, :30, :60 version), as they’ll appear on the Edit Item page when the master track is opened.
Alternate versions should be submitted separately (you can use the same keywords and track name, with something like “loop” or “alternate version” at the end). That way, they will appear in search results.
Please be sure your file names do not contain any special characters or accents.
Examples: &, å, ñ, é, ß, ®, ©, §, ç, ä, ø, ü, quote marks (“ ” or ‘ ’), or commas (,)
Spaces and dashes are not allowed.
Please note that Pond5 no longer accepts tags and keywords that reference popular musicians, performers, composers or films/television shows.
When you upload a clip to Pond5, you are offering it for licensing to Pond5’s end-users, who will be able to use your work according to the terms of our Royalty-Free License.
You must be the copyright owner or authorized representative of the owner for any audio you make available for licensing on Pond5. Generally, if you created the file, you are the copyright owner and are free to upload and market your work. If you are unsure whether you are the legal copyright-holder of a clip, don’t upload it.
Audio files must be wholly the work of the person submitting the file.
In the case of third-party sound effects or loops incorporated into a larger work, the seller must ensure that all elements of their composition are cleared for resale and for use in a commercial project.
If you’re using third-party loops, make sure that you know your rights and whether or not you can incorporate the work into your stock files before you upload.
For royalty-free loops available through audio-manipulation programs, as long as the loops are overlaid with other content and there’s a majority of original content in the track, there should be no problem incorporating them into your files.
If you’re interested in finding out more about copyright, or in registering your work with the US copyright office (this is not necessary, but it can afford you additional legal protections), you can take a look at their website at www.copyright.gov.
Note: We do not accept any content which has been submitted to digital rights management services such as GoDigital. These services block distribution via online platforms like YouTube, and therefore conflict with our end-user License Agreement.
For more information, contact our Customer Support at support@pond5.com.
