It can evoke emotions and influence actions. It can elevate happiness, or help to release sadness. It can even make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. To put it simply, music is powerful. 

The modern music industry began life in the early to mid twentieth century and has evolved considerably in that time. It has delivered countless culture and era-defining moments, but it is arguably geared to support only a select few artists, leaving talented musicians underserved.

In response to this, Epidemic Sound has cultivated an innovative music licensing system that benefits both artists and content creators. The company, formed in Stockholm in 2009, has created a system with fewer intermediaries and an artist remuneration model that is fit for the digital age.

It marks the culmination of work that began when Epidemic Sound’s five founders identified two main cross-industry challenges to solve: complex and time-consuming music licensing for content creators, and little financial stability for artists.

The company has since created solutions aimed at tackling these challenges. 

Epidemic Sound’s system gives artists stability by paying them upfront for each track, as well as sharing future success through a 50/50 split of music streaming royalties and a proportion of the company’s $2.5 million Soundtrack Bonus, which is split based on which artists tracks are proving the most popular among Epidemic Sound’s creator community.

One of the many artists to have benefited from Epidemic Sound’s pioneering work is King Sis. “Music is everything to me. It is my peace and safest space and allows me to be as completely honest and expressive as possible. My music is being introduced to people who would not normally find it and because there is such a great connection with content creators, it makes it easier for my music to be introduced to a wider audience.”

Content creators also benefit from a simple way to license music for their productions.

Lila, an Epidemic Sound Ambassador and content creator, is enthused by the platform and what it helps her achieve. “I found Epidemic Sound very early on in my career. I decided to go for an Epidemic Sound subscription because, not only did my favorite YouTubers talk about Epidemic Sound, but you had access to so many songs, you get over 90,000 sound effects that is very helpful for any starting creator, but also a seasoned creator.” 

But it doesn’t stop at simple music licensing. The company’s huge reach on platforms such as YouTube, where it soundtracks content from some of today’s biggest creators, offers insight on musical trends which, in turn, helps to guide music creation and ultimately ensure the catalog is dialed into creator needs.

This focus on user needs is also behind innovative tools to make soundtracking content as smooth as possible. For example, Soundmatch leverages a combination of AI and data insight to deliver better music search results, while the audio-based search tool, EAR (Epidemic Audio Reference), helps content creators quickly and easily find the music they need.

The company is driven by a desire to bring one of the world’s oldest traditions - storytelling, onto an online platform as they look to make a lasting contribution in the age of the internet.