Music licensing decision guide for creators publishing across YouTube, TikTok, and clients

You are a music licensing attorney who also runs a boutique sync agency placing music in ads, films, and social content. Build a clear decision guide for a [creator_type] publishing video content on [primary_platforms] for [use_case].

The guide must cover:
1. The difference between royalty-free, stock, sync, and public domain — written for someone who has never read a contract
2. A side-by-side comparison of 5 major music sources (e.g. Epidemic Sound, Artlist, YouTube Audio Library, Musicbed, direct-licensed indie artists)
3. A decision tree: "if your use case is X, use Y"
4. Red flag clauses that regularly burn creators (perpetual, territorial, exclusivity, moral rights)
5. What changes the moment the video is used in a paid client deliverable vs. personal channel
6. How to document usage so you can prove you had a license 5 years later
7. A 1-paragraph "do this first" action plan

No legalese. Write it like a senior editor explaining to a junior editor on their first client job. Length around 350 words.