Secret Road Music Services
Secret Road Music Services is a Los Angeles-based independent music licensing, artist management, and publishing company that connects music supervisors and advertising agencies with its roster of artists for sync placements in film, television, advertising, and video games.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Secret Road Music Services does
Secret Road Music Services, Inc. is a privately held, Los Angeles-based music licensing, artist management, and publishing company founded in 2006-2007. It operates as an intermediary connecting independent artists on its roster with music supervisors at television networks, streaming platforms, film studios, advertising agencies, and video game companies to secure synchronization (sync) placements. The company is not a software platform; it is a relationship-driven service business that provides catalog curation, licensing administration, publishing rights management, and creative matchmaking as human-mediated services.
The company's core offering is sync licensing — placing songs from its represented artists in film, television, advertising campaigns, and video games — supplemented by artist management and publishing administration. Its go-to-market is sales-led and direct, relying on established relationships with enterprise buyers rather than self-serve software or marketplaces. Revenue is generated through licensing fees and royalties collected as the intermediary between artists and media/advertising clients, with deal terms negotiated on a quote-based, project-by-project basis. Pricing is not publicly disclosed.
Secret Road serves two primary customer segments: music supervisors at major networks and streaming platforms (the demand side) and independent artists seeking professional representation and high-profile placements (the supply side). The company has built a broad enterprise client roster spanning streaming (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video), broadcast (ABC, NBC, HBO, FOX, The CW, CMT, Freeform), advertising (Honda, Hyundai, Samsung, Google, Meta, Pepsi, American Express, Fiji Water, Lexus), gaming (Epic Games, Activision Blizzard), and film (Sony Pictures). The company has been continuously operating for 18+ years with no disclosed funding rounds, parent company, or institutional ownership.
Secret Road Music Services firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Secret Road Music Services
- Legal name
- Secret Road Music Services, Inc.
- Website
- https://secretroad.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Secret Road Music Services is a Los Angeles-based independent music licensing, artist management, and publishing company that connects music supervisors and advertising agencies with its roster of artists for sync placements in film, television, advertising, and video games.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Secret Road Music Services industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Music Licensing Services
- NAICS
- Music Publishers (51223), Music Publishers (512230)
- SIC
- Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sync Clearance & Rights Management (One-Stop, Negotiation, Documentation) (MPAIALAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Sync Rights Representation (Pitching, Clearance, Negotiation) (MPAIABAF), Music & Audio Rights for Broadcast (Sync/Master/Library) (MPABANAF), Music Legal Services (Artist/Label/Publishing) (MPAIAGAE)
Keywords
Where Secret Road Music Services is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Secret Road Music Services business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Music Licensing: Revenue is generated through licensing songs from their artist roster for use in film, television, advertising campaigns, and video games. The company serves as an intermediary between artists and media/advertising clients, facilitating placements and collecting licensing fees.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Secret Road Music Services product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Secret Road Music Services is a music licensing, artist management, and publishing company that connects music supervisors at TV networks, streaming platforms, and film studios, as well as advertising agencies, with a curated roster of independent artists to license songs for use in film, television, advertising campaigns, and video games. The company operates as a one-stop, concierge-style sync licensing partner while also supporting artists in building lasting careers through high-profile placements.
Product overview
Secret Road Music Services is an artist and business-friendly music licensing, artist management, and publishing company. The company's core offering is synchronization licensing — connecting music supervisors and advertising agencies with a curated roster of artists to place songs in film, television, advertising campaigns, and video games. Secret Road acts as a one-stop shop and concierge-style partner for music supervisors and ad agencies seeking to license music for their productions. The company supports its roster of artists in building lasting careers through high-profile placements, while providing the administrative and creative infrastructure (licensing administration, publishing rights management, and sync placement) necessary to facilitate those placements. There is no modular software product architecture — the company operates as a service-based business rather than a software-as-a-service platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Music Licensing (Sync Licensing)
Companies that use Secret Road Music Services
Customer profileNamed customers20 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Secret Road Music Services technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Secret Road Music Services partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Secret Road Music Services competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Position Music: Independent sync and publishing company specializing in trailer music, promos, and advertising placements. Comparable boutique footprint with a heavier tilt toward trailer/promo than Secret Road's broader TV/streaming focus.
- Marmoset: Portland-based independent music licensing agency focused on sync placements for film, TV, and advertising. Closest direct comparable to Secret Road — similar boutique concierge model, indie artist roster, and Fortune 500 brand clients.
- Musicbed: Subscription-based sync licensing platform for film, TV, and advertising. Operates a curated roster of indie artists and serves filmmakers/agencies with a tech-enabled discovery experience. Overlaps Secret Road's core sync market with a more productized delivery model.
- Songtradr: Global B2B music licensing marketplace connecting artists, brands, and media. Operates in the same sync licensing category as Secret Road but with a technology-platform-first approach and broader catalog. Direct competitor for agency and brand briefs.
- Fintage House: Independent music rights administration and licensing company. Comparable in size and service orientation to Secret Road, offering rights management and sync representation for film/TV/advertising clients.
- The Royalty Network: Independent music publisher and licensing administrator offering sync representation for film, TV, and advertising. Similar boutique profile to Secret Road with a long-standing roster of songwriters and composers.
Emerging players
- Artlist: Subscription-based sync licensing platform serving filmmakers, content creators, and brands. Initially focused on YouTube creators, expanding into advertising and film. Competes for the same end-buyers as Secret Road with a self-serve tech model.
Broad incumbents
- APM Music (Associated Production Music): One of the largest production music libraries globally, owned by Sony Music. Serves film, TV, advertising, and gaming with a much larger catalog and broader client base than Secret Road. Established incumbent in the same sync licensing space.
- Kobalt Music Group: Global music publisher and rights administrator representing songwriters and catalogs. Operates a sync licensing arm serving major brands and media. Much larger scale than Secret Road but competes in the same sync rights representation space.
- BMG Rights Management: Major global music publisher and rights administrator with a significant sync licensing business for film, TV, advertising, and gaming. Overlaps Secret Road's value proposition at scale with both indie and major catalog representation.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Secret Road Music Services social profiles
Digital presenceSecret Road Music Services financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Secret Road Music Services leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Secret Road Music Services funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Secret Road Music Services 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 Secret Road Music Services
What does Secret Road Music Services do?
Secret Road Music Services is a music licensing, artist management, and publishing company that connects music supervisors at TV networks, streaming platforms, and film studios, as well as advertising agencies, with a curated roster of independent artists to license songs for use in film, television, advertising campaigns, and video games. The company operates as a one-stop, concierge-style sync licensing partner while also supporting artists in building lasting careers through high-profile placements.
Is Secret Road Music Services a public or private company?
Secret Road Music Services is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Secret Road Music Services founded?
Secret Road Music Services was founded in 2006. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Secret Road Music Services based?
Secret Road Music Services is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does Secret Road Music Services make money?
One revenue line is on record: music Licensing.
Who are Secret Road Music Services's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Position Music, Marmoset, Musicbed, Songtradr, Fintage House and The Royalty Network. Artlist is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are APM Music (Associated Production Music), Kobalt Music Group and BMG Rights Management.
Does Secret Road Music Services have an API?
No public API is recorded for Secret Road Music Services.
What industry is Secret Road Music Services in?
Secret Road Music Services's product category is Music Licensing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIALAF, Sync Clearance & Rights Management (One-Stop, Negotiation, Documentation), with a secondary code of MPAIABAF, Sync Rights Representation (Pitching, Clearance, Negotiation). Its NAICS code is 51223 and its SIC code is 7819.