De Wolfe Music
De Wolfe Music is a London-based, family-owned production music library founded in 1909, licensing over 80,000 tracks across 12 labels to broadcasters, advertisers, film/TV producers, and game developers in 40+ countries, with in-house recording studios.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1909
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What De Wolfe Music does
De Wolfe Music is a London-headquartered production music library founded in 1909 by Meyer de Wolfe, making it the longest-running independent film and television music library in the world. The company curates and licenses a catalogue of over 80,000 tracks across twelve specialized labels — including the core De Wolfe Music label (850+ albums), De Wolfe Vinyl, Widescreen (trailer music), Bite Hard (hip-hop/EDM), RPO Classical Moods, De Wolfe Jazz, De Wolfe Classical, 20th Century Archive, Hudson Music, Rouge Music, Solid State Music, Commercial Breaks, and Sylvester Music — covering most genres from orchestral to advertising jingles. Customers include television broadcasters, film and advertising producers, video game developers, corporate communications teams, and music artists who sample catalogue tracks, with notable placements in The Simpsons Movie, Breaking Bad, and campaigns for Ralph Lauren, Mercedes-Benz, McDonald's, Uber, Tinder, and Velveeta.
The business operates a digital self-serve licensing platform offering keyword search, playlist curation, preview, and direct download functionality, supplemented by the wholly-owned Angel Recording Studios complex in Islington — a three-studio facility used by Grammy-winning artists including Adele and Sam Smith. Distribution is delivered through a global affiliate network spanning 40+ countries, with Sony Music Publishing representing the catalogue in seven countries and Extreme Music handling Australia, New Zealand, and several other territories. A dedicated De Wolfe Music USA office in Midtown Manhattan (opened 2013) serves North American clients.
Revenue is generated through four streams: music licensing (broadcast and online), synchronization licensing for commercials, films, and TV, downloadable sound effects libraries for film/TV/games, and professional recording studio services. Pricing is quote-based, varying by usage type, territory, duration, and media category. The company is privately held by the third generation of the de Wolfe family, registered in England as a private limited company (Co. No. 351692), with no external institutional investment or public listing.
De Wolfe Music firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- De Wolfe Music
- Legal name
- De Wolfe Music
- Website
- https://dewolfemusic.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1909
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- De Wolfe Music is a London-based, family-owned production music library founded in 1909, licensing over 80,000 tracks across 12 labels to broadcasters, advertisers, film/TV producers, and game developers in 40+ countries, with in-house recording studios.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
De Wolfe Music industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Production Music Library
- NAICS
- Music Publishers (512230), Music Publishers (51223)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Production Music Libraries (Library Music, Trailer Music, Stock Cues) (MPAIABAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Production Music Libraries (Catalogs) (MPAIALAC), Sample Library & Sound Design Creation (for production use) (MPAIAHAM), Music Producers & Production Teams (MPAIAHAB)
Keywords
Where De Wolfe Music is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
De Wolfe Music business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Music Licensing: Licensing of production music for use in broadcast, media, online productions worldwide. Available for licensing in most territories.
- Sync Licensing: Synchronization licensing for commercials, films, TV shows, and advertising campaigns.
- Sound Effects: Downloadable sound effects libraries and collections for film, TV, and game productions.
- Recording Services: Recording studio services at Angel Studios for composers and artists including world-class orchestral sessions.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
De Wolfe Music product offering
Product offeringCore offering
De Wolfe Music licenses over 80,000 production music tracks from 12 specialized labels for use in film, television, advertising, video games, and corporate media worldwide. The company also supplies sound effects libraries and operates Angel Recording Studios, a three-studio complex in London used for orchestral and commercial recording sessions. Its digital platform enables search, preview, and direct licensing download of music to media production clients globally.
Product overview
De Wolfe Music is a production music library company offering over 80,000 tracks from 12 production music labels covering most genres of music. The portfolio includes the core De Wolfe Music library (850 albums), specialty labels like Widescreen (trailer music), De Wolfe Vinyl (remastered LP back-catalogue), Bite Hard (Beats/Hip Hop/EDM), RPO Classical Moods (Royal Philharmonic Orchestra recordings), and sub-brands such as De Wolfe Jazz, Solid State Music, Rouge Music, Hudson, Commercial Breaks (60/30/15 second cuts for radio), Sylvester Music (60s-70s experimental), and 20th Century Archive. Additional offerings include De Wolfe Sound Effects (SFX) for film/TV/games and Angel Recording Studios in London. Music is offered for download and licensing in broadcast, media, and online productions worldwide.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- De Wolfe Music (main label): The core production music label covering most musical genres with 850 albums and tens of thousands of tracks.
- De Wolfe Vinyl
- Widescreen
- Bite Hard
- RPO Classical Moods
- 20th Century Archive
- De Wolfe Jazz
- De Wolfe Classical
- Hudson Music
- Rouge Music
- Solid State Music
- Commercial Breaks
- Sylvester Music
- Angel Recording Studios
Products and services
- De Wolfe Music Production Music Library The main production music label covering most musical genres with 850 albums and tens of thousands of tracks for use in broadcast, media, and online productions worldwide.
- Widescreen Trailer music label specially produced for motion picture advertising, epic action promos and next-gen video games.
- De Wolfe Vinyl LP back-catalogue lovingly remastered, featuring old favourites, cult classics and music hard to find anywhere else.
- Bite Hard Bridges the gap between commercial music and the ease of licensing of production music, featuring Beats, Hip Hop and EDM.
- RPO Classical Moods Partnership with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra releasing recordings of the world's greatest classical music.
- 20th Century Archive Special collection of albums remastered from recordings made throughout the 20th century.
- De Wolfe Jazz Unique collection of the very best jazz available for licensing, from ragtime to jazz hop.
- De Wolfe Classical Classical music production library offering classical compositions for licensing in media productions.
- Hudson Music Quirky and fun production music library ranging from Easy Listening and Lounge to styles and musical cliches.
- Rouge Music Showcases dance music, sports promos and much more, with expanded Club Rouge and Jazz series.
- Solid State Music Production music ideal for rock, sports, news and business all with a North American focus.
- Commercial Breaks Made-to-measure music ideal for radio ads, jingles and voice-overs, all cut to handy 60, 30 and 15 second lengths.
- Sylvester Music Unique collection of 60s and 70s abstract and experimental music, cool jazz and easy listening tunes.
- De Wolfe Sound Effects (SFX) Sound effects library dedicated to designing and supplying effects for film, TV and games productions.
- Angel Recording Studios State-of-the-art three studio complex located in Islington, London, used by leading artists including Adele and Sam Smith for Grammy-winning recordings, with orchestral, mixing, and rhythm section recording capabilities.
Quantifiable outcome
- Used in major film productions including The Simpsons Movie, Brokeback Mountain, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, Boardwalk Empire
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use De Wolfe Music
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
De Wolfe Music technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
De Wolfe Music partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, key and standard.
- Sony Music PublishingcoreSony Music Publishing represents de Wolfe Music in seven countries, handling regional licensing and distribution.
- Angel Recording StudioscoreDe Wolfe operates Angel Recording Studios, a state-of-the-art three-studio complex in Islington, London. Used by world-renowned composers and recording artists including Adele, Sam Smith, George Fenton, Anne Dudley.
- Extreme MusiccoreExtreme Music handles de Wolfe Music licensing and representation in Australia, New Zealand, and various other territories including Netherlands, Spain, South Africa, Hong Kong, Mexico, Singapore.
- Royal Philharmonic OrchestrakeyDe Wolfe is proud to be working with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and releasing their recordings of the world's greatest classical music through the RPO Classical Moods series.
- Various Regional AffiliatesstandardNetwork of affiliates in 40+ countries including Westar Music (Canada), Musicraft (Japan), De Fwo Trading (Taiwan), Mars Music (Croatia, Slovenia), Euromusic (Romania), and many others handling local licensing inquiries.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
De Wolfe Music competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Pond5: Marketplace-style music licensing platform owned by Shutterstock. Competes in similar end-uses (video producers, agencies) but via a more transactional, lower-touch model than De Wolfe's curated library.
- Epidemic Sound: Subscription music licensing platform popular with YouTubers, podcasters, and digital brands. Competes at the high-volume, lower-price end of the licensing market and could pressure De Wolfe's standard-tier sync revenue.
- Artlist: Subscription-based music licensing platform targeting digital content creators and brands. Competes with De Wolfe on licensing simplicity and price, though less focused on high-end broadcast/film placements.
Direct peers
- APM Music: Long-established production music library competing head-to-head with De Wolfe in TV, advertising, and film placements. Comparable catalog scale, customer base, and licensing structure.
- Extreme Music: Sony-owned production music library that directly handles De Wolfe's licensing in ANZ, Netherlands, Spain, South Africa, and other territories — simultaneously a distribution partner and a competitor in overlapping markets.
- Audio Network (Warner Chappell Music): Major production music library serving film, TV, advertising, and brands; acquired by Warner Chappell. Closely comparable to De Wolfe in target customers (broadcasters, agencies, brands), catalog breadth, and B2B sync licensing model.
- Getty Images Music: Music licensing library bundled within the Getty Images ecosystem, serving advertising, broadcast, and editorial customers. Comparable B2B licensing and clearance model.
- Musicbed: Premium sync licensing platform focused on film, advertising, and brand storytelling. Directly comparable customer base (agencies, filmmakers, brands) and licensing model, though with a more curated, indie-leaning catalog.
Broad incumbents
- Universal Production Music: Universal Music Group's production music division; one of the largest global production music libraries. Direct overlap with De Wolfe across film, TV, and advertising sync licensing, but operates at significantly greater scale and broader portfolio depth.
- BMG Production Music: Production music arm of BMG (Bertelsmann); offers comparable sync licensing and catalog breadth for film, TV, and advertising. Broader corporate parent gives scale advantages versus De Wolfe's boutique footprint.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
De Wolfe Music social profiles
Digital presenceDe Wolfe Music financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
De Wolfe Music leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
De Wolfe Music subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
De Wolfe Music funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
De Wolfe Music 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 De Wolfe Music
What does De Wolfe Music do?
De Wolfe Music licenses over 80,000 production music tracks from 12 specialized labels for use in film, television, advertising, video games, and corporate media worldwide. The company also supplies sound effects libraries and operates Angel Recording Studios, a three-studio complex in London used for orchestral and commercial recording sessions. Its digital platform enables search, preview, and direct licensing download of music to media production clients globally.
Is De Wolfe Music a public or private company?
De Wolfe Music is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was De Wolfe Music founded?
De Wolfe Music was founded in 1909. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is De Wolfe Music based?
De Wolfe Music is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does De Wolfe Music make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Music Licensing is the primary driver. The others are sync Licensing, sound Effects and recording Services.
Who are De Wolfe Music's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Pond5, Epidemic Sound and Artlist. Direct peers are APM Music, Extreme Music, Audio Network (Warner Chappell Music), Getty Images Music and Musicbed. Broad incumbents are Universal Production Music and BMG Production Music.
Does De Wolfe Music have an API?
No public API is recorded for De Wolfe Music.
What industry is De Wolfe Music in?
De Wolfe Music's product category is Production Music Library. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIABAH, Production Music Libraries (Library Music, Trailer Music, Stock Cues), with a secondary code of MPAIALAC, Production Music Libraries (Catalogs). Its NAICS code is 512230 and its SIC code is 2741.