What Killer Tracks does

Killer Tracks operates under the legal name Universal Production Music and is the production music division of Universal Music Group N.V. The company maintains a catalog of over 240,000 original, pre-cleared tracks spanning every genre, plus a specialized 600+ track green production music catalog, and licenses this music for use in film, television, advertising, gaming, radio, podcasts, and digital media worldwide. Its platform combines a self-serve website where customers can browse, preview, and license music, an AI-powered similarity search that recommends tracks based on audio reference, a Similar Tracks feature for mood- and style-matched playlist recommendations, and a native Adobe Premiere Pro extension that surfaces the full catalog directly inside the editing workflow. Customers include BBC, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV, Prime Video, ESPN, FIFA, Warner Bros, Nike, and major agencies such as Wieden+Kennedy and Saatchi & Saatchi.

The company monetizes primarily through music licensing — ranging from single-track clearances to multi-channel worldwide licenses — with pricing handled on a quote basis rather than published rates. Beyond catalog licensing, it offers a complimentary Music Direction service where expert curators build custom playlists matched to client briefs, and a Custom Music composition service for bespoke scores, exemplified by a Ford Mother's Day campaign developed with VML. Sub-brands and initiatives include emPOWER (Black artist support), 100% HER (women and non-binary creator development), and SaraoMusic, a Barcelona-based acquired label shaping rhythmic, modern storytelling sound. The company is headquartered in Santa Monica, California, employs 51–100 people, and was founded in 1989; it operates as a division of the publicly traded Universal Music Group N.V., which provides distribution leverage, composer access, and enterprise brand credibility but also constrains it from operating as an independent high-growth entity.

Name

Killer Tracks

Legal name

Universal Production Music

Website

https://killertracks.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Killer Tracks (operating as Universal Production Music) licenses a 240,000+ track pre-cleared music catalog to film, TV, advertising, gaming, radio, and podcast producers worldwide, with AI-powered similarity search and an Adobe Premiere Pro integration.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Monica

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Music Licensing: Revenue generated from licensing original tracks for use in film, television, advertising, gaming, radio, podcasts, and digital media. Licensing covers single-track clearances to multi-channel worldwide licenses.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Killer Tracks (operating as Universal Production Music) licenses a pre-cleared catalog of more than 240,000 original production music tracks for use in film, television, advertising, gaming, radio, podcasts, and digital media. Licensing ranges from single-track clearances to multi-channel worldwide licenses, supplemented by a complimentary Music Direction service and bespoke Custom Music composition for enterprise clients.

Product overview

Universal Production Music is a unified production music platform offering access to over 240,000 original tracks. The core offering centers on a world-leading catalog available for music licensing across film, TV, advertising, gaming, radio, podcasts, and digital media. The platform integrates AI-powered discovery tools (Similarity Search, Similar Tracks) to help users find music faster. Additional services include Music Direction for custom playlist curation and Custom Music composition. The catalog includes specialized sub-brands like Green Production Music (600+ carbon-conscious tracks) and labels such as SaraoMusic. Users can access individual stems for custom mixing. The platform provides an Adobe Premiere Pro extension for seamless workflow integration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• emPOWER: Project dedicated to creating opportunities for Black artists, providing space for Black storytelling, and emphasizing representation.
• 100% HER
• SaraoMusic

Products and services

• Universal Production Music Catalog A comprehensive pre-cleared production music library offering 240,000+ original tracks across every genre for licensing in film, television, advertising, gaming, radio, podcasts, and digital media, served via a self-serve website at universalproductionmusic.com.
• Music Licensing Service

Quantifiable outcome

• 240,000+ tracks available for licensing
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• AdobecoreTechnology or IntegrationAdobe Premiere Pro extension integration allowing users to search, audition, and download tracks from the Universal Production Music catalog directly within the editing software workflow. Full catalog accessible through one integrated platform.
• Ford Motor CompanyflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCustom score collaboration for Ford's Mother's Day campaign created in partnership with VML advertising agency. The campaign centered on a real-life hospital journey story featuring a Ford ambulance, with Universal Production Music providing the custom music score.
• VMLcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvertising agency partner that collaborated with Universal Production Music on Ford's Mother's Day campaign, leaning on the company's custom scoring capabilities.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Warner Chappell Music: Major global music publisher within Warner Music Group; competes for sync licensing of underlying compositions and overlaps with Killer Tracks in advertising, film and TV placements.
• Sony Music Publishing: Major music publisher and parent of APM Music; broader incumbent that controls songwriting rights and competes indirectly for sync and publishing deals alongside catalog libraries like Killer Tracks.

Direct peers

• Audio Network: Global production music library licensing original music for film, TV, advertising and digital media; closely overlapping catalog and enterprise sync customer base.
• Musicbed: Premium curated music licensing platform for film, advertising and wedding filmmakers; directly competes in the higher-end, narrative-driven sync segment with a similar catalog-plus-services model.
• Getty Images Music: Royalty-free music library from Getty/iStock serving advertising, broadcast and corporate video; directly comparable pre-cleared sync licensing offering.
• Pond5: Stock media marketplace including a large royalty-free production music catalog for video, broadcast and advertising; competes on catalog breadth and marketplace-style licensing.
• Epidemic Sound: Subscription-based music licensing platform offering royalty-free music for YouTube creators, brands and agencies; a key direct competitor in SMB and digital video licensing.
• Artlist: Subscription-based music and SFX licensing platform for video creators, filmmakers and brands; directly competes for advertising, creator and SMB sync licensing with an AI-augmented catalog.
• Soundstripe: Subscription music, SFX and video library for content creators, brands and agencies; competing directly for self-serve advertising and digital video licensing.
• APM Music: Long-standing direct competitor in the production music library space, owned by Sony Music, offering pre-cleared music for film, TV, advertising and trailers — directly comparable catalog-licensing model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Killer Tracks