Track Adaptation vs Custom Music: Which One Do You Actually Need?

Two products on Vicate Music sound similar and aren’t: Track Adaptation and Custom Music. Both are quoted individually, both start with a brief, and both end with something no one else has used exactly like you’re using it. Where they differ is the starting point.

Track Adaptation: you found the track, it just doesn’t quite fit

This is for when a track in the library is almost right — the mood, the instrumentation, the feel are all there, but the length doesn’t match your edit, the energy needs to build differently, or you need a version without the drop for a quieter section. Adaptation starts from an existing track and reworks it around your project: re-cutting the arrangement, adjusting the length, changing the intensity curve, sometimes swapping instrumentation.

It’s faster and usually cheaper than starting from nothing, because the composition, the sound design and the mix decisions already exist — the work is fitting them to your specific edit.

Custom Music: nothing in the catalog is the answer

This is for when you need something built for the project from the ground up — a brand’s sonic identity, a specific emotional arc no existing track hits, an exact tempo and instrumentation brief for a campaign. Custom Music starts with your brief, not with a track that already exists, so it can go anywhere the project actually needs.

It’s the most flexible option and, understandably, the most involved — there’s no shortcut through an existing arrangement.

How to know which one to ask for

A rough test: can you point at a specific track and say “like this, but…”? If yes, that’s an adaptation brief — bring the track and describe the “but.” If there’s nothing in the library that’s the right starting point, or the project needs something distinct enough that adapting an existing track would be lipstick on the wrong composition, that’s a custom brief.

If you’re not sure, it’s fine to say so in the brief — describing the project honestly gets you a straighter answer than guessing which product name to use.

Pricing and process

Both are custom-priced and handled manually — there’s no fixed rate like the €29 Commercial Online license, because scope varies too much project to project. The process starts the same way for both: send a brief with your name, email, any reference tracks, and a description of the project. From there it’s a direct back-and-forth with the composer, not an automated quote.

Licensing terms for the finished adaptation or custom piece are set as part of that quote, scoped to your actual use — the same logic as an Extended license: negotiated for what you’re actually doing with it, not a one-size template.

FAQ

Can an adapted track include stems?

Ask in the brief — it depends on the specific track and what the adaptation involves.

Do I still need to buy a separate license after commissioning custom music?

No — licensing terms for custom and adapted work are set as part of the quote itself, not bolted on afterward.

What if I only have a rough idea, not a full brief?

That’s fine to send as-is — a short description and a couple of reference tracks is enough to start a conversation.

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On Vicate Music: both start the same way — describe the project, and the composer takes it from there.