Third Side Music
Third Side Music is an independent music publishing company representing 70,000+ titles and 35+ artists, providing sync licensing, copyright administration, creative services, and royalty accounting to film, TV, advertising, video game, and recording artist clients from Montreal and Los Angeles.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersMontréal, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Third Side Music does
Third Side Music Inc. is a fully independent music publishing company founded in 2005 and headquartered in Montreal with a second office in Los Angeles. The company represents approximately 70,000 music titles spanning contemporary artists and legacy catalogs across multiple genres and territories, and serves recording artists and songwriters alongside buyers of music for film, television, advertising, and video games.
The firm's core offerings are organized around four service lines: Sync Licensing (pitching and placing music in film, TV, ads, and games, with fees negotiated per placement), Rights Management and Publishing Administration (copyright registration, royalty collection, transparent accounting for represented writers), Creative Services (co-writes, work-for-hire, sampling, scoring, and A&R direction), and an Artist Roster plus catalog partnerships (e.g., Clyde Otis Music Group, Ninja Tune, Studio One/Jam Rec, Tru Thoughts, UFC). Named placements cover Nike, Adidas, Apple, Netflix, Chevrolet, Nissan, Dior, Balmain, EA Sports, and Ubisoft, indicating enterprise demand-side traction.
The technology layer is built on third-party infrastructure: Music Maestro powers royalty accounting, a Vistex-powered Royalties Portal provides artist-facing access to royalty statements, and Campaign Monitor handles client email communications. The business operates on a 100% independent ownership basis with no third-party investors, generating revenue primarily through negotiated sync licensing fees and recurring publishing administration commissions.
Third Side Music firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Third Side Music
- Legal name
- Third Side Music Inc.
- Website
- https://thirdsidemusic.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Third Side Music is an independent music publishing company representing 70,000+ titles and 35+ artists, providing sync licensing, copyright administration, creative services, and royalty accounting to film, TV, advertising, video game, and recording artist clients from Montreal and Los Angeles.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Third Side Music industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Music Publishing & Sync Licensing
- NAICS
- Music Publishers (512230), Music Publishers (51223)
- SIC
- Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Brand Partnerships & Music Placement Services (Non-Exclusive Brand Deals) (MPAIALAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Songwriting & Composition (Topliners, Co-writers, Camps) (MPAIABAA), Custom Music & Original Score/Composition (MPAIALAD), Game Music Licensing & Interactive/Adaptive Music Providers (MPAIALAI), Music Legal Services (Artist/Label/Publishing) (MPAIAGAE)
Keywords
Where Third Side Music is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Montréal
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Third Side Music business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Sync Licensing: Primary revenue stream from licensing music for use in film, TV, advertising, video games, and other media. Fees are negotiated per placement with the company focusing on maximizing fees and securing favorable terms.
- Publishing Administration: Rights management and copyright administration for artists, including detailed royalty accounting and transparent reporting to represented writers.
- Creative Services: Services including co-writes, work-for-hire placements, sampling opportunities, scoring deals, and A&R direction that generate additional revenue streams.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Custom negotiated sync licensing fees |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Third Side Music product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Third Side Music is an independent global music publisher that licenses music from its roster of contemporary artists and legacy catalogs for placement in film, television, advertising, and video games. The company also provides rights management, copyright administration, and creative services such as co-writes, work-for-hire placements, sampling opportunities, scoring, and A&R direction for represented artists and songwriters.
Product overview
Third Side Music is a fully independent global music publishing company offering a unified suite of services centered on sync licensing, rights management, creative services, and publishing administration. The core offerings include Sync Licensing (placing music in film, TV, advertising, and video games), Rights Management (copyright administration), Creative Services (co-writes, work-for-hire, sampling, scoring, A&R), and Publishing Administration with transparent royalty accounting. Supporting these are the Royalties Portal (artist-facing platform for accessing statements), the Artist Roster (representation of contemporary and legacy artists), and Represented Catalogs (extensive catalog partnerships with various territorial scopes). The company represents over 70,000 titles across multiple catalog partnerships.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Sync Licensing Music synchronization licensing service enabling placement of music in film, television, advertising, and video games for music supervisors, brands, agencies, and game developers.
- Rights Management Copyright administration and rights management service for music catalogs, handling registration, tracking, and enforcement on behalf of represented artists and songwriters.
- Creative Services Creative support including co-writes, work-for-hire placements, sampling opportunities, scoring projects, and A&R direction for represented artists.
- Publishing Administration Comprehensive music publishing administration with detailed and transparent royalty accounting for over 70,000 represented titles across contemporary artists and legacy catalogs.
- Royalties Portal Artist-facing web portal for accessing royalty statements and related information, powered by Vistex technology, enabling transparent client access to royalty data.
Quantifiable outcome
- 124% increase in streams for Angine de Poitrine the week their second album dropped
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Third Side Music
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Third Side Music technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Third Side Music partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Atlantic OutpostminorWar and Treaty has entered into a pact with Atlantic Outpost. While not directly a TSM partnership, this indicates industry relationships in the publishing space.
- Trust RecordsminorPartnership with Trust Records for Bad Brains catalog and other rights administration. Bad Brains entered into a partnership with Trust Records covering their catalog and other rights, with Third Side Music involved in the publishing administration.
- VistexcoreVistex powers the Third Side Music Portal for artist royalty management and client access. The portal is powered by Vistex Inc. and serves as the primary interface for artists to access their royalty information.
- Music MaestrocoreRoyalty system database used for royalty statements and related information. Music Maestro is the backend system for copyright administration and royalty tracking.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Third Side Music competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Round Hill Music:
- Kobalt Music Group: Kobalt is a leading independent music publisher and rights management company focused on technology-enabled royalty collection and transparent reporting for artists. It directly competes with Third Side Music in publishing administration and sync licensing, with overlapping target customers (mid-career artists and songwriters seeking alternatives to major publishers).
- Primary Wave Music Publishing: Primary Wave is an independent music publisher and talent management company that acquires and administers catalogs of legacy and contemporary artists, with significant sync licensing operations. It directly competes with TSM for both artist signings and sync placements, particularly in advertising and film/TV.
- Spirit Music Group: Spirit Music Group is an independent music publishing company focused on managing and acquiring rights to high-value song catalogs, with active sync licensing operations across film, TV, and advertising. It competes with Third Side Music for premium sync placements and represents a similar profile of legacy and contemporary catalog assets.
- APM Music: APM Music is a leading independent music library representing over one million tracks for licensing in film, TV, advertising, and digital media. While focused on production music rather than contemporary songwriter representation, APM competes with Third Side Music in the same sync licensing market for advertising and entertainment placements.
- Position Music: Position Music is an independent music publishing and sync licensing company representing over 100,000 songs and master recordings for placement in film, TV, advertising, and video games. It is highly comparable to Third Side Music given the overlapping focus on sync licensing across the same end markets and similar boutique operating model.
- The Royalty Network:
Broad incumbents
- Concord Music Publishing: Concord is a large independent music publisher owning or administering rights to over one million copyrighted compositions across a wide range of genres and historical periods. It competes with TSM in sync licensing for film, TV, and advertising, with significantly greater catalog scale and back-catalog depth.
- peermusic: peermusic is one of the largest independently owned music publishers in the world, representing over 500,000 titles with global operations across 30+ countries. It competes with TSM in sync licensing and publishing administration, with materially greater international infrastructure and a longer operating history.
- BMG Rights Management: BMG is one of the world's largest independent music publishers representing millions of songs across thousands of artists. It competes directly with Third Side Music in sync licensing and publishing administration but operates at materially greater scale with global offices, broader catalog depth, and significant capital for catalog acquisitions.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Third Side Music social profiles
Digital presenceThird Side Music financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Third Side Music leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Third Side Music funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Third Side 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 Third Side Music
What does Third Side Music do?
Third Side Music is an independent global music publisher that licenses music from its roster of contemporary artists and legacy catalogs for placement in film, television, advertising, and video games. The company also provides rights management, copyright administration, and creative services such as co-writes, work-for-hire placements, sampling opportunities, scoring, and A&R direction for represented artists and songwriters.
Is Third Side Music a public or private company?
Third Side Music is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Third Side Music founded?
Third Side Music was founded in 2005. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Third Side Music based?
Third Side Music is headquartered in Montréal, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Third Side Music make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Sync Licensing is the primary driver. The others are publishing Administration and creative Services.
Who are Third Side Music's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Round Hill Music, Kobalt Music Group, Primary Wave Music Publishing, Spirit Music Group, APM Music, Position Music and The Royalty Network. Broad incumbents are Concord Music Publishing, peermusic and BMG Rights Management.
Does Third Side Music have an API?
No public API is recorded for Third Side Music.
What industry is Third Side Music in?
Third Side Music's product category is Music Publishing & Sync Licensing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIALAM, Brand Partnerships & Music Placement Services (Non-Exclusive Brand Deals), with a secondary code of MPAIABAA, Songwriting & Composition (Topliners, Co-writers, Camps). Its NAICS code is 512230 and its SIC code is 7822.