FM
FM is a Fort Worth-based holding company that operates five sub-brands (Musicbed, Filmsupply, Stills, Trust, Label) licensing premium music, footage, and photography to global brands, agencies, and studios, while also funding films and developing artists through a sync-first record label.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersFort Worth, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What FM does
FM is a privately held holding company headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, that operates a family of five wholly-owned sub-brands serving the global creative community through content licensing, production financing, and artist development. Its core business is the curation and licensing of premium creative assets — music through Musicbed (established 2015), cinematic footage through Filmsupply (2020), and photography through Stills (2023) — connecting an elite roster of artists, composers, and photographers with enterprise clients including Google, Netflix, Nike, Tesla, Audi, Sony, NBC, Hulu, Amazon Studios, Lionsgate, 20th Century Fox, and The North Face. The company has also extended upstream and downstream of pure licensing through Trust (2021), which provides film funding and distribution, and Label (2020-2021), a sync-first record label that enables musicians to monetize compositions while advancing their recording careers.
FM's technology platform consists of brand-specific e-commerce websites (Musicbed.com, Filmsupply.com, Stills.com, WithTrust.com, LabelMusicGroup.com) that allow creative professionals to discover and license content directly, supplemented by direct enterprise sales relationships for major accounts. The revenue model is licensing-royalty based across all five brands, with reportedly quote-based pricing for enterprise clients and self-serve discovery for the SMB and individual creator long tail. CEO Daniel McCarthy leads the company, supported by a VP of Sales and Services, and the company is structured as FM LLC with no disclosed venture funding, parent company, or public listing. Reported revenue was $18 million as cited in a Dallas Morning News profile of the CEO, with a headcount in the 101-250 range.
FM firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- FM
- Legal name
- FM LLC
- Website
- https://fm.co
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- FM is a Fort Worth-based holding company that operates five sub-brands (Musicbed, Filmsupply, Stills, Trust, Label) licensing premium music, footage, and photography to global brands, agencies, and studios, while also funding films and developing artists through a sync-first record label.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
FM industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Creative Content Licensing
- NAICS
- Music Publishers (512230), Record Production and Distribution (51225), Record Production and Distribution (512250), Motion Picture and Video Industries (5121)
- SIC
- Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sync Marketplaces & Licensing Platforms (MPAIALAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Custom Music & Original Score/Composition (MPAIALAD), Music & Audio Streaming Platforms (BPAMAJAC), Trailer Music & Promo Music Providers (MPAIALAH)
Keywords
Where FM is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Fort Worth
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
FM business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Music Licensing: Revenue from licensing music to filmmakers, advertisers, and creative professionals for use in their projects. The platform connects musicians with clients seeking premium music tracks.
- Footage Licensing: Revenue from licensing cinematic footage to advertising agencies, production companies, studios, and post-production houses globally.
- Photo Licensing: Revenue from licensing exceptional images curated for designers and shot by in-demand photographers.
- Film Funding & Distribution: Revenue generated through funding filmmakers and distributing their work, including commissioned projects and leveraging past work.
- Sync Licensing: Sync licensing deals that place music in visual media including films, TV shows, commercials, and video games.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
FM product offering
Product offeringCore offering
FM operates a portfolio of five creative-resource brands that license premium music, cinematic footage, and curated photography to filmmakers, advertising agencies, studios, and brands. Through its Musicbed, Filmsupply, Stills, Trust, and Label brands, FM aggregates an elite roster of musicians, photographers, and filmmakers, monetizing their work via sync and editorial licensing, film funding, and distribution support. The company also runs a sync-first record label (Label) that develops artist careers in tandem with licensing opportunities.
Product overview
FM is a portfolio company comprising five distinct sub-brands that collectively serve the global creative community. The platform operates as a multi-brand ecosystem offering music licensing (Musicbed), photo licensing (Stills), footage licensing (Filmsupply), film funding and distribution (Trust), and a sync-first record label (Label). FM connects musicians, filmmakers, and photographers with creative clients including brands, agencies, and studios who use their licensed content to tell stories.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Musicbed: The filmmaking industry's premium music licensing platform, representing an elite roster of artists and composers.
- Stills
- Filmsupply
- Trust
- Label
Products and services
- Musicbed The filmmaking industry's premium music licensing platform, representing an elite roster of artists and composers and serving filmmakers, advertisers, and creative professionals seeking high-quality music for their projects.
- Filmsupply The global leader in cinematic footage licensing, serving top advertising agencies, production companies, studios, and post-production houses seeking high-quality, production-free cinematic footage.
- Stills The new standard in photo licensing, offering exceptional images curated for designers and shot by in-demand photographers for use in commercial and creative projects.
- Trust The funding and distribution resource that gives filmmakers the flexibility to make their dreams a reality by offering capital, commissioning paid projects, and leveraging past work for distribution.
- Label The sync-first record label enabling musicians to advance their careers and develop as artists while maintaining focus on their craft, generating sync licensing placements in visual media including films, TV shows, commercials, and video games.
Quantifiable outcome
- Indie musicians can earn up to $700,000 a year through the platform
Companies that use FM
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
FM technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
FM partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Lottie WoadcoreFM announced a strategic partnership with LPGA Tour rising star Lottie Woad, making her a brand ambassador. The logo appears on her apparel starting at the Annika tournament. This partnership enhances FM's visibility in the sports and lifestyle segment while supporting an emerging creative professional.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
FM competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- APM Music: Long-standing production-music library serving advertising, broadcast, film and trailer markets — overlaps directly with Musicbed and Label across sync and original-score licensing.
- Epidemic Sound: Subscription-based music licensing platform for content creators, brands and filmmakers — the closest subscription competitor to Musicbed and the most direct peer for FM's music licensing offering.
- Artlist: Subscription music and (via Artgrid) stock footage licensing platform serving filmmakers, ad agencies and brands — a direct substitute across FM's Musicbed and Filmsupply brands.
- Pond5: Large stock footage and music marketplace acquired by Shutterstock — competes head-on with Filmsupply in cinematic footage and overlaps with Musicbed in royalty-free music for filmmakers.
- Musicbed: While it is actually a wholly-owned FM subsidiary, Musicbed itself is the direct reference peer for the premium sync-licensing category — comparable boutique players include Kerridge-Davies & Associates and bespoke sync agencies.
- Audio Network: Independent production-music and sync rights company licensing globally to film, TV, advertising and digital media — a comparable premium-sync competitor to Musicbed.
Broad incumbents
- Getty Images: Global incumbent in licensed still imagery and editorial footage, including iStock — directly comparable to FM's Stills and Filmsupply offerings at scale, with broader enterprise rights-management infrastructure.
- Shutterstock: Major stock photography, footage, and music (via Pond5) licensing marketplace — a broad incumbent covering all three of FM's content verticals at high volume, including SMB and prosumer segments FM does not prioritize.
Emerging players
- Storyblocks: Subscription stock footage and audio marketplace for SMB creators and agencies — overlaps with Filmsupply and Musicbed at the lower-priced, high-volume end of the market.
- Splice: Creator-economy music and sound platform bridging production samples with licensing — adjacent to FM's music stack and increasingly intersecting with sync through creator-content monetization.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
FM social profiles
Digital presenceFM financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
FM leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
FM subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
FM funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
FM M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about FM
What does FM do?
FM operates a portfolio of five creative-resource brands that license premium music, cinematic footage, and curated photography to filmmakers, advertising agencies, studios, and brands. Through its Musicbed, Filmsupply, Stills, Trust, and Label brands, FM aggregates an elite roster of musicians, photographers, and filmmakers, monetizing their work via sync and editorial licensing, film funding, and distribution support. The company also runs a sync-first record label (Label) that develops artist careers in tandem with licensing opportunities.
Is FM a public or private company?
FM is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was FM founded?
FM was founded in 2011. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is FM based?
FM is headquartered in Fort Worth, United States, in the North America region.
How does FM make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Music Licensing is the primary driver. The others are footage Licensing, photo Licensing, film Funding & Distribution and sync Licensing.
Who are FM's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are APM Music, Epidemic Sound, Artlist, Pond5, Musicbed and Audio Network. Broad incumbents are Getty Images and Shutterstock. Emerging players are Storyblocks and Splice.
Does FM have an API?
No public API is recorded for FM.
What industry is FM in?
FM's product category is Creative Content Licensing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIALAG, Sync Marketplaces & Licensing Platforms, with a secondary code of MPAIALAD, Custom Music & Original Score/Composition. Its NAICS code is 512230 and its SIC code is 7812.