Universal Production Music

What Universal Production Music does

Universal Production Music is the production music licensing arm of Universal Music Group N.V. (operating under Universal Music Publishing Group), headquartered in London. The company licenses a catalog of over 230,000 pre-cleared original tracks across every genre, mood, and style for use in film, television, advertising, gaming, radio, podcasts, corporate, and digital media. It also distributes a SoundFX collection and offers stems and alternate edit lengths (full, 60s, 30s, 15s) for production flexibility. The platform is delivered through a self-serve website with registration, native extensions for Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, Adobe Audition, and Avid, and an automated Cue Sheet Helper for copyright reporting compliance.

Revenue is generated through three primary streams: one-time single-track licenses, multi-year blanket subscriptions for organizations needing unlimited catalog access (typical for broadcasters and production companies), and bespoke/custom commissions created by the in-house Music Direction team. Local representatives in 33+ countries plus collection society partnerships in select territories handle enterprise licensing, while the website handles discovery and download access. The Music Direction team (35+ years combined experience) functions as a complimentary consultative sales motion, curating playlists against client briefs.

Customers include global broadcasters and streamers (Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV+, BBC, NBCUniversal, Hulu), sports media (ESPN, FIFA), major brands and agencies (Nike, Ford, Saatchi & Saatchi, Wieden+Kennedy), and entertainment studios (Warner Bros., Banijay). The company also operates branded initiatives including Green Production Music (sustainable, carbon-conscious catalog), 100% HER (women and non-binary talent development), and emPOWER / Power To The People (Black artist representation). Its UK office at 4 Pancras Square holds BREEAM 'Outstanding' accreditation. The firm is supported by 15 wholly-owned production music sub-labels including Atmosphere, Chappell, Killer Tracks, Berlin Production Music, Koka, Flexitracks, and SaraoMusic.

Name

Universal Production Music

Legal name

Universal Music Group N.V.

Website

https://universalproductionmusic.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Universal Production Music is a London-based production music licensing subsidiary of Universal Music Group N.V., offering a catalog of 230,000+ pre-cleared tracks for film, TV, advertising, gaming, and digital media, distributed via direct sales in 33+ countries, AI-powered discovery tools, and editing-software integrations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Production Music Licensing

NAICS

Music Publishers (512230)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Sync Marketplaces & Licensing Platforms (MPAIALAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sync Clearance & Rights Management (One-Stop, Negotiation, Documentation) (MPAIALAF), Music & Synchronization Rights for Film/TV (MPADALAC), Sync Rights Representation (Pitching, Clearance, Negotiation) (MPAIABAF)

Keywords

• Production music licensing
• Sync music catalog
• AI music discovery
• Music supervision services
• Film TV advertising music

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Single-Track Licensing: Customers license individual tracks for specific media projects. All tracks are pre-cleared for worldwide use in perpetuity across film, TV, advertising, and other media.
2. Blanket Licensing: Organizations receive unlimited access to the entire catalog for a set period. Ideal for broadcasters, production companies, and agencies requiring ongoing access to a wide variety of music.
3. Collection Society Licensing: In certain territories, licensing is handled through local collection societies, providing an additional revenue channel.
4. Custom/Bespoke Music: Music Direction team creates bespoke tracks for any media type upon request, offering premium custom music services.
5. Alternate Mixes and Stems: Additional revenue from alternate mixes, stems, and multiple edit lengths (full-length, 60-second, 30-second, 15-second variations) of tracks.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Universal Production Music licenses a catalog of over 230,000 pre-cleared production music tracks to media producers in film, television, advertising, gaming, radio, podcasts, and digital video. It provides single-track, blanket, and custom licensing backed by AI-powered search tools, editing software integrations, and an in-house Music Direction team for bespoke briefs.

Product overview

Universal Production Music is a production music platform operated by Universal Music Publishing Group, offering a catalog of 230,000+ original tracks across all genres for film, TV, advertising, gaming, radio, podcasts, and digital media. The platform consists of the core music library as the primary product, supplemented by AI-powered discovery tools (Similarity Search, Similar Tracks), professional services (Music Direction), and editing software integrations (plugins for Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Audition, and Final Cut Pro). Additional offerings include the Cue Sheet Helper automation tool, stems for track customization, and flexible licensing options. The company also operates branded initiatives including Green Production Music (sustainable music), 100% HER (women in music), and emPOWER (Black artist representation).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 100% HER: Initiative designed to provide long-term development and career opportunities for women and non-binary individuals working in production music.
• emPOWER
• Green Production Music
• Power To The People

Products and services

• Universal Production Music Catalog

Quantifiable outcome

• 400% increase in female composer representation since 100% HER initiative
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability3 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• WACLminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership to release the 100% HER album 'She, Her, Us' in celebration of WACL's 100th anniversary, a collection of pop songs celebrating women and female empowerment.
• She Said SocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partnership to release albums created by female writers, producers, and mixing/mastering engineers as part of the 100% HER initiative aimed at increasing gender diversity in production music.
• She Is The MusiccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partnership to release albums created by female writers, producers, and mixing/mastering engineers as part of the 100% HER initiative aimed at increasing gender diversity in production music.
• PiliocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Pilio, a leading energy and environmental innovation company, to establish Go Green Guidelines and create carbon-conscious music. The collection of Green Production Music is carefully crafted by composers who adhere to these guidelines.
• BAFTA albertcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial partner of BAFTA albert's Green Light Season, a series of exclusive events and masterclasses led by industry experts and sustainability activists, aimed at inspiring action and promoting more sustainable production practices in film and television.
• Virtual SoundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Virtual Sound to produce eco-friendly music by employing hybrid workflows to reduce travel and minimize unnecessary carbon emissions. The collaboration reduces expenses in areas such as merchandise production, gifts, and client events.
• EarthlyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEarthly partnership helps address emissions associated with production through their environmental platform, supporting sustainable music creation.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Musicbed: Musicbed is a sync licensing platform curating independent composer music for film, TV, advertising, and branded content. It is a direct peer in the high-end sync market, competing on quality of curation and direct composer relationships for premium productions.
• Epidemic Sound: Epidemic Sound is a subscription-based production music platform offering cleared music and sound effects for digital content, advertising, and film. It is a direct peer in the sync/music licensing space, particularly competing on subscription pricing and creator workflows.
• Music Vine: Music Vine is a curated sync licensing platform supplying hand-picked music for film, TV, advertising, and branded content. It is a direct peer targeting the same advertising, brand, and production segments with a curated approach.
• Artlist: Artlist is a subscription-based production music and SFX licensing platform serving video creators, filmmakers, and brands. It is a direct peer in sync and production music licensing with a self-serve, subscription-first model targeting digital content creators.
• BMG Production Music: BMG Production Music is the production music division of BMG Rights Management, one of the world's largest music companies. It is a direct peer offering sync-licensed production music as part of a major music group, with similar enterprise sales and global reach.
• Soundstripe: Soundstripe is a subscription-based production music and SFX platform serving video creators, agencies, and brands. It is a direct peer competing on subscription pricing, workflow integration, and ease of self-serve licensing.
• PremiumBeat (Shutterstock): PremiumBeat is a curated royalty-free music library owned by Shutterstock, supplying pre-cleared music for video, film, and advertising productions. It is a direct peer in the royalty-free/sync music segment, often bundled with stock media workflows.
• Warner Chappell Production Music: Warner Chappell Production Music is the production music arm of Warner Music Group, offering sync-licensed catalogs including 615 Music, APM (until 2022), and other sub-labels. It is a direct peer within the major-label production music segment.
• APM Music: APM Music (formerly Associated Production Music) is one of the largest independent production music libraries, supplying pre-cleared music to film, TV, advertising, and trailer markets. It is a direct peer in the traditional production music space with a strong Hollywood and trailer focus.
• Audio Network: Audio Network is an independent production music library supplying pre-cleared music to broadcasters, production companies, and brands globally. It is a direct peer in the traditional production music library business, offering similar blanket-license and per-track models.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@UniversalProductionMusicUS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/universal-production-music
• Instagraminstagram.com/universalpm_us/?hl=en
• Xx.com/universalpm_uk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries15 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 Universal Production Music