Musicbed

What Musicbed does

Musicbed is a music licensing platform founded in 2011 and headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, operating under the legal entity FM LLC. The company connects filmmakers, video creators, agencies, and production companies with curated music from 1,500+ represented artists and composers, offering a catalog of 70,000+ songs and 150,000+ premium sound effects maintained through an in-house curation process that accepts less than 1% of artist submissions. Musicbed is part of the FM family of creative brands alongside FilmSupply (footage licensing) and Stills (image licensing), which together form an integrated ecosystem for licensing media assets used in video production.

The platform's technology stack centers on proprietary search and clearance tools: Search by Song™ enables reference-based music matching against any artist or song, SyncID™ provides copyright claim clearing for monetized video content, and additional features allow filtering by musical key, BPM, mood, and multiple song versions (instrumentals, vocals, alternative mixes). Musicbed distributes its platform through a self-serve website (musicbed.com), an iOS mobile app, and a dedicated enterprise sales motion, serving a horizontal mix of SMB/individual creators, agencies and brands, film/TV professionals, and large organizations with custom licensing needs.

The company operates a multi-stream revenue model: subscription-based licensing with monthly billing for standard users, annual enterprise contracts with custom pricing and unwatermarked deliverables, per-track licensing for projects outside subscription coverage, and professional services for custom music composition. Artists receive a 50/50 revenue split on licensing fees. Musicbed operates in a global stock music market valued at $1.45 billion in 2024, projected to reach $2.40 billion by 2030 at an 8.76% CAGR, where it is identified as one of the leading platforms alongside competitors such as Epidemic Sound, Artlist, and Shutterstock. The company is privately held, founder-led by CEO Daniel McCarthy, and operates with 11–50 employees.

Name

Musicbed

Legal name

FM LLC

Website

https://musicbed.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Musicbed is a curated music licensing platform serving filmmakers, agencies, brands, and content creators with 70,000+ songs and 150,000+ sound effects from 1,500+ artists, monetizing through subscriptions, per-track licenses, and enterprise agreements under FM LLC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Licensing

NAICS

Record Production and Distribution (51225), Record Production and Distribution (512250)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822)

akta.pro primary industry

Sync Marketplaces & Licensing Platforms (MPAIALAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Creator Music/SFX Asset Libraries & Licensing Platforms (MPACABAM), Brand Partnerships & Music Placement Services (Non-Exclusive Brand Deals) (MPAIALAM)

Keywords

• Music licensing platform
• Stock music library
• Royalty free music
• Sound effects library
• Sync licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Worth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Music Licensing Subscriptions: Platform operates on subscription-based licensing model where content creators pay for access to licensed music. Artists receive 50/50 revenue split from licensing fees collected by the platform.
2. Per-Track Licensing: Individual track licensing available for specific projects outside of subscription coverage. Some premium content (like classical works by London Symphony Orchestra) is not covered by standard subscription and requires separate licensing.
3. Custom Music Services: Enterprise clients can commission custom music composed specifically for their projects by Musicbed's represented artists and composers
4. Enterprise Licensing: Tailored pricing and custom licensing agreements for large organizations, agencies, and media productions with specific rights and clearances needs

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Musicbed operates a curated music and sound effects licensing platform that connects filmmakers, agencies, brands, and content creators with 70,000+ songs and 150,000+ premium sound effects from 1,500+ hand-picked artists and composers. The platform offers subscription-based and per-track licensing for film, TV, advertising, and digital content use, supplemented by custom music composition, expert song search, and comprehensive rights and clearances services for any platform.

Product overview

Musicbed operates as a music licensing platform within the FM family of creative brands (alongside FilmSupply for footage and Stills for images), offering a curated catalog of 70,000+ songs and 150,000+ premium sound effects from 1,500+ hand-picked artists and composers. The platform provides core licensing for film, TV, and advertising, supplemented by add-on services including Song Search (expert music supervisor curation delivered in 1 business day), Custom Music (collaboration with composers), Rights & Clearances (licensing any song for all platforms), and Covers. The Enterprise tier offers tailored solutions for large organizations with custom pricing, unwatermarked downloads, and custom music options. Additional features include SyncID for copyright claim clearing and Search by Song for reference-based music discovery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Musicbed

Quantifiable outcome

• Less than 1% of artist submissions accepted, ensuring curated quality
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• FilmsupplycoreOthersFilmsupply is a sister brand under FM family of brands, dedicated to footage licensing for productions. Part of the integrated creative ecosystem offering video, music, and image licensing.
• StillscoreOthersStills is a sister brand under FM family of brands, focused on image licensing for creatives. Complements the music and footage offerings within the FM creative ecosystem.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Artlist: Subscription music and SFX licensing platform targeting video creators, agencies, and filmmakers. Competes head-to-head with Musicbed on catalog breadth, transparent pricing, and platform-style licensing for YouTubers and brands.
• Epidemic Sound: Subscription-based music licensing platform providing royalty-free music for video creators, filmmakers, and brands. Direct competitor to Musicbed with a similar self-serve GTM and a large curated catalog, backed by significant venture capital.
• Audio Network: Rights-managed music licensing company supplying original music to film, TV, advertising, and broadcast. Comparable to Musicbed in serving production-grade sync needs with curated catalogs and enterprise licensing.
• Soundstripe: Subscription music and SFX licensing platform built for content creators, agencies, and brands. Direct overlap with Musicbed in self-serve licensing for YouTubers and ad agencies.
• PremiumBeat: Curated royalty-free music library owned by Shutterstock, targeting filmmakers, agencies, and video producers. Overlaps Musicbed on the premium sync-licensing segment with similar per-track and subscription options.

Broad incumbents

• Pond5: Large stock media marketplace offering music, footage, and SFX with broad, long-tail catalog versus Musicbed's curated approach. Competes for the same production licensing budgets at the SMB and mid-market segments.
• Shutterstock Music: Music licensing offering within Shutterstock's broader stock media platform. Comparable buyer (filmmakers, agencies, brands) and overlapping sync-licensing use cases, but sold as part of a wider images/footage portfolio rather than a stand-alone music brand.
• Storyblocks: Unlimited subscription platform for stock footage, audio, and images serving video creators and agencies. Comparable self-serve, subscription-based GTM targeting YouTubers and small production teams.
• Envato Elements: Subscription-based creative asset platform including music, video, and templates. Comparable as a horizontal subscription licensing alternative for SMB content creators, though broader and less curated than Musicbed.

Emerging players

• Splice: Music creation and licensing platform for producers and creators offering royalty-free samples and tracks. Adjacent rather than direct, but increasingly intersects with Musicbed's creator-side customer base as AI and sample-based production grows.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/themusicbed
• Instagraminstagram.com/musicbed
• Facebookfacebook.com/musicbed
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/musicbed

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Musicbed