A Sound Effect
A Sound Effect is a digital marketplace aggregating 7,000+ sound effects libraries from 600+ independent creators, serving film/TV post-production, game audio, content creators, and music producers with royalty-free downloads, plug-ins, instruments, and team licensing via asoundeffect.com.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersArcadia, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What A Sound Effect does
A Sound Effect operates a digital marketplace that aggregates 7,000+ sound effects libraries from 600+ independent sound creators and recordists, presenting them through a self-serve e-commerce storefront at asoundeffect.com with search, preview, compare, and instant-download functionality. The platform's core technology is a catalog-and-transaction system organizing content across 30+ categories (animals, creatures, cinematic/trailer, destruction, drones, environments, foley, vehicles, weapons, and more) plus adjacent lines in audio plug-ins, virtual instruments, licensed music, and curated SFX bundles. All goods are sold as royalty-free one-time/perpetual licenses, with prices ranging roughly from $5 per library to over $5,500 for premium bundles, and a tiered free-bonus mechanic plus promotional sales (e.g., the Indie Summer SFX Sale with discounts up to 89% off).
The company monetizes via marketplace revenue share with featured creators (Mindful Audio, Pole Position Production, Quiet Planet, Rock The Speakerbox, SoundBits, SoundMorph, Thomas Rex Beverly among others), multi-user team licensing with automatic volume discounts, and enterprise/custom licensing for studios. Its go-to-market motion is hybrid: product-led self-serve e-commerce combined with content marketing through an active blog, podcast, RSS feeds, and a broad social presence; community-led growth through the AirCon conference series and an Audio Community resource hub (job board, event calendar, professional finder); and event-driven demand spikes through recurring sales and bundle promotions. The company markets itself as 'The World's Largest Indie Sound Effects Site' and uses endorsements from elite film and television sound designers (Paula Fairfield, Randy Thom, Jamey Scott, Nia Hansen, James Harrison, Luke Gentry) who cite the platform for major productions across film, television, animation, and games.
Founded in 2013 (per company-history data; firmographics list 2014) by Asbjoern Andersen and headquartered in Arcadia, California, A Sound Effect is a privately held, founder-operated business with 1-10 employees, no disclosed institutional funding, and no subsidiaries or parent entities. It serves a global customer base across primary segments of film/TV post-production, game audio developers, content creators, and audio engineers/producers, with distribution via its own e-commerce storefront and direct enterprise licensing.
A Sound Effect firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- A Sound Effect
- Legal name
- A Sound Effect
- Website
- https://asoundeffect.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- A Sound Effect is a digital marketplace aggregating 7,000+ sound effects libraries from 600+ independent creators, serving film/TV post-production, game audio, content creators, and music producers with royalty-free downloads, plug-ins, instruments, and team licensing via asoundeffect.com.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
A Sound Effect industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sound Effects Marketplace
- NAICS
- Sound Recording Industries (5122), Record Production and Distribution (51225)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sample Libraries, Loops & Sound Content Platforms (MPAIAIAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Sound Effects (SFX) Editorial & Library Services (MPAHAEAD), Creator Tools & Monetization Platforms (Podcasts/Audio) (MPAIADAG)
Keywords
Where A Sound Effect is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Arcadia
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
A Sound Effect business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Personnel
Revenue model
- Sound Effects Library Sales: One-time purchase model for individual sound effects libraries. Multi-user licenses available with automatic team discounts applied at checkout.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free bonus sounds with any order |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individual sound effects libraries |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Premium bundle collections |
| Subscription | Monthly | Team multi-user licensing |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
A Sound Effect product offering
Product offeringCore offering
A Sound Effect operates a global digital marketplace that aggregates 7,000+ royalty-free sound effects libraries from 600+ independent sound creators and recordists, organized across categories such as animals, creatures, cinematic, destruction, drones, environments, foley, vehicles, weapons, and game audio. In addition to sound libraries, the platform resells audio plug-ins, virtual instruments, and licensed music, with built-in preview, compare, and instant download functionality plus multi-user team licensing.
Product overview
A Sound Effect is a digital marketplace platform offering sound effects libraries, plug-ins, instruments, and music from 7000+ independent sound creators. The core product is the Sound Effects Libraries marketplace, supplemented by Plug-Ins and Instruments modules. Additional services include Music tracks, SFX Bundles for discounted comprehensive collections, and an Audio Community section with educational resources. The platform organizes content across 30+ categories including Animals, Creatures, Cinematic & Trailer, Destruction & Impact, Drones & Moods, Environments & Ambiences, Foley, Vehicles, Weapons, and Genre-specific effects. The company also maintains a Blog for industry content and community engagement.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Sound Effects Libraries Royalty-free digital sound effects libraries aggregated from 600+ independent sound creators across categories including animals, creatures, cinematic & trailer, destruction & impact, drones & moods, environments & ambiences, foley, formats (Ambisonic, IR, Surround, UCS), genres (game audio, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, comedy), materials & textures, mechanical, UI, vehicles, and weapons. Sold as one-time licenses with instant digital download.
- Plug-Ins Audio processing plug-ins available through the marketplace across categories such as reverb, dynamics, delay, modulation, channel strip, equalizer & filter, mastering, pitch & time, multi-effect, distortion, repair & denoise, bundles, stand-alone, instrument, presets, and special purpose plug-ins.
- Instruments Virtual instrument sound libraries including cinematic/trailer, ethno, orchestral, percussion, synth, vocal instruments, and instrument presets, available alongside sound effects on the marketplace.
- Music Licensed music tracks available for use alongside sound effects through the A Sound Effect marketplace.
- SFX Bundles Curated compilations of sound effects from multiple libraries offering discounted pricing on comprehensive sound collections, with examples including the Surround Sound LAB Complete Collection ($5,500 original), The Vault Ultimate RTSB Bundle ($2,360 original), and Just Sound Effects Everything Bundle ($1,821 original).
Quantifiable outcome
- 7000+ sound effects libraries from 600+ independent creators
Companies that use A Sound Effect
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
A Sound Effect technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
A Sound Effect partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered featured sound creator.
- Mindful Audiofeatured sound creatorFeatured independent sound creator on the platform, offering premium sound effects libraries including WILD LIFE Howler Monkeys and other nature/ambience recordings
- Pole Position Productionfeatured sound creatorFeatured sound effects creator with specialized libraries available exclusively through the A Sound Effect marketplace
- Quiet Planetfeatured sound creatorFeatured sound creator known for environmental and nature sound libraries, distributed through A Sound Effect
- Rock The Speakerboxfeatured sound creatorFeatured creator producing popular game audio packs including Sci-Fi Future Technologies, The Vault Ultimate RTSB Bundle with 44,541+ sounds
- SoundBitsfeatured sound creatorFeatured sound effects creator with popular libraries including Buttons & Switches, Just Gore, and Screams & Shouts series
- SoundMorphfeatured sound creatorFeatured creator of sound effects and plugins including Monster Within library
- Thomas Rex Beverlyfeatured sound creatorFeatured field recordist and sound designer offering nature recordings including High Desert Hummingbirds and Ribbit amphibian libraries
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
A Sound Effect competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- SoundSnap: Subscription sound effects library serving film, TV, game, and app developers. Direct competitor in the professional SFX licensing segment with a comparable catalog structure.
- Artlist: Subscription-based marketplace offering royalty-free music, sound effects, and stock footage to creators and filmmakers. Directly competes with A Sound Effect on SFX and music licensing for video and film production use cases.
- Pond5 (Shutterstock): Large-scale stock media marketplace including a deep catalog of sound effects, music, and video footage. Operates a creator-contributed model very similar to A Sound Effect, with the backing of Shutterstock distribution.
- Epidemic Sound: Subscription-based royalty-free music and sound effects platform targeting YouTubers, podcasters, and content creators. Competes with A Sound Effect on broad SFX and music licensing for digital creators.
- Sound Ideas: Long-established sound effects library publisher supplying royalty-free SFX bundles used across film, TV, and broadcast. Competes with A Sound Effect on traditional, professionally-produced SFX collections.
- Audio Network: Royalty-free music and sound effects licensing platform with a global catalog used in film, TV, and advertising. Sells to a similar professional sound designer and post-production customer base.
- Storyblocks: Subscription-based stock media platform offering video, audio, and image assets to creators and small production teams. Overlaps with A Sound Effect on SFX and music for digital content production.
- Sounds.com: Online sound effects marketplace with a large curated catalog and royalty-free licensing aimed at producers, sound designers, and filmmakers. Operates as a digital SFX retail store analogous to A Sound Effect.
Emerging players
- Sonniss: Independent publisher of game audio SFX bundles, well-known in the indie game developer community for its annual GameAudioGDC bundle. Aims at the same game-audio and indie creator niche served by A Sound Effect.
Broad incumbents
- Getty Images / iStock Audio: Broad incumbent stock media operator providing royalty-free music and sound effects alongside its dominant visual stock business. Overlaps with A Sound Effect in serving production teams needing licensed audio assets.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
A Sound Effect social profiles
Digital presenceA Sound Effect financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
A Sound Effect leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
A Sound Effect funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
A Sound Effect 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 A Sound Effect
What does A Sound Effect do?
A Sound Effect operates a global digital marketplace that aggregates 7,000+ royalty-free sound effects libraries from 600+ independent sound creators and recordists, organized across categories such as animals, creatures, cinematic, destruction, drones, environments, foley, vehicles, weapons, and game audio. In addition to sound libraries, the platform resells audio plug-ins, virtual instruments, and licensed music, with built-in preview, compare, and instant download functionality plus multi-user team licensing.
Is A Sound Effect a public or private company?
A Sound Effect is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was A Sound Effect founded?
A Sound Effect was founded in 2013. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is A Sound Effect based?
A Sound Effect is headquartered in Arcadia, United States, in the North America region.
How does A Sound Effect make money?
One revenue line is on record: sound Effects Library Sales.
Who are A Sound Effect's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are SoundSnap, Artlist, Pond5 (Shutterstock), Epidemic Sound, Sound Ideas, Audio Network, Storyblocks and Sounds.com. Sonniss is listed as an emerging player. Getty Images / iStock Audio is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does A Sound Effect have an API?
No public API is recorded for A Sound Effect.
What industry is A Sound Effect in?
A Sound Effect's product category is Sound Effects Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIAIAF, Sample Libraries, Loops & Sound Content Platforms, with a secondary code of MPAHAEAD, Sound Effects (SFX) Editorial & Library Services. Its NAICS code is 5122 and its SIC code is 7372.