Magnatune
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersBerkeley, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
Magnatune firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Magnatune
- Legal name
- Magnatune
- Website
- https://magnatune.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Magnatune industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Independent Music Label and Licensing
- NAICS
- Music Publishers (51223)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Recorded Music Retail & D2C Merch Bundles (MPAIAAAF)
Keywords
Where Magnatune is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berkeley
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Magnatune business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Music Licensing (iLicenseMusic): Commercial users such as filmmakers, video producers, and web developers subscribe to iLicenseMusic for $89/month and receive the right to use any music from the catalog in their projects. This is sold as a subscription licensing service covering all use types. The company has sold over 7,000 licenses and served 4,000 films.
- Background Music Licensing (MoodMixes): MoodMixes provides background music licensing for businesses (restaurants, stores, offices, public spaces). Pricing starts at $15/month depending on the size of the space. Businesses receive ongoing rights to play the music in their premises.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Consumer membership - unlimited streaming and downloads |
| Subscription | Monthly | iLicenseMusic - commercial music licensing subscription |
| Subscription | Monthly | MoodMixes - background music for business premises |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels4 records
Magnatune product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Magnatune is an independent online music label that curates a catalog of approximately 25,000 songs from independent artists (selecting the best 3% of 300 monthly submissions). It sells unlimited streaming and downloads to consumer members and provides subscription-based commercial music licensing through its iLicenseMusic and MoodMixes properties to filmmakers, game developers, and businesses.
Product overview
Magnatune is an independent record label and music streaming platform operating a multi-product portfolio. The core offering is the Magnatune Music Catalog, a curated collection of approximately 25,000 songs from independent artists across diverse genres including classical, world, jazz, new age, electronica, ambient, folk, and rock. The company differentiates itself through two specialized licensing brands: iLicenseMusic (a $89/month subscription service for commercial media licensing) and MoodMixes (a $15+/month background music service for businesses). Additional products include a podcast program with 50+ genre-specific shows, an Android mobile app, and various genre-based album collections. The membership program ($15/month trial) provides unlimited downloads and streaming without commercials.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Magnatune Music Catalog A curated music collection of approximately 25,000 songs from independent artists, spanning classical, world, jazz, new age, electronica, ambient, folk, and rock. Every month 300 musicians submit music and Magnatune selects the best 3% for inclusion.
- iLicenseMusic Subscription-based commercial music licensing service at $89/month granting the right to use any music from the Magnatune catalog for any commercial purpose including film, video, web, presentations, DVDs, Netflix, YouTube, and advertisements, with no additional per-use fees.
- MoodMixes Background music licensing service for businesses such as restaurants, stores, offices, hotels, and spas. Pricing starts at $15/month depending on the size of the space, providing ongoing rights to play the music in commercial premises.
- Magnatune Membership Consumer subscription offering unlimited downloads in multiple formats (mp3, wav, and more), unlimited streaming without commercials, and legal sharing with friends and family. Free trial at $15 per month; $299 one-time payment grants lifetime download access to the full catalog of 25,000 songs.
- Magnatune Android App Native Android application for accessing Magnatune music. Available as APK download from the website or through APK Pure app store, allowing streaming and downloading of the full catalog on mobile devices.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 7,000 licenses sold in 12 years of business
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Magnatune
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Magnatune technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Magnatune partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- iLicenseMusiccoreiLicenseMusic is Magnatune's own subscription music licensing service for commercial users. It is a separate web property fully owned and operated by Magnatune, providing filmmakers, video producers, and other commercial users with instant licensing for any song in the Magnatune catalog for a flat $89/month fee.
- MoodMixescoreMoodMixes is Magnatune's own background music for business service, providing restaurants, stores, offices, and other public spaces with complete licensing for background music starting at $15/month. Both iLicenseMusic and MoodMixes are integral to Magnatune's commercial revenue strategy.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Magnatune competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Audio Network: Production music library licensing music for film, TV, advertising, and digital media — comparable target customers and licensing workflow to Magnatune's commercial tier.
- PremiumBeat: Curated royalty-free music library owned by Shutterstock, licensing tracks to filmmakers and video producers. Comparable in target customer (commercial media creators) and licensing model.
- Bandcamp: Independent artist D2C music marketplace offering downloads and streaming. Comparable to Magnatune's consumer membership model and shared focus on artist-friendly economics and independent catalog curation.
- Musicbed: Music licensing platform serving filmmakers, brands, and agencies with curated independent music, very similar positioning to Magnatune's commercial licensing offering.
- Epidemic Sound: Subscription-based royalty-free music licensing service for video creators, filmmakers, and brands. Closely comparable to Magnatune's iLicenseMusic offering but at significantly larger scale with VC backing.
- Songtradr: B2B music licensing marketplace connecting independent artists and catalogs with brands, filmmakers, and platforms. Comparable to Magnatune's commercial licensing business with global reach.
- Awal: Music distribution and services platform for independent artists that handles licensing, distribution, and royalty splits — overlapping with Magnatune's artist-friendly 50/50 revenue model and rights retention approach.
- Soundstripe: Subscription music licensing service for video creators and businesses with unlimited downloads, directly overlapping Magnatune's iLicenseMusic and MoodMixes use cases.
- Artlist: Subscription music and SFX licensing platform for filmmakers and content creators, with a flat-fee unlimited-use model nearly identical to Magnatune's iLicenseMusic tier.
- Pond5: Stock media marketplace with a large royalty-free music catalog licensed for film, TV, and online video. Comparable to Magnatune in serving commercial licensing demand for media producers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Magnatune social profiles
Digital presenceMagnatune financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Magnatune leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Magnatune subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Magnatune funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Magnatune 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 Magnatune
What does Magnatune do?
Magnatune is an independent online music label that curates a catalog of approximately 25,000 songs from independent artists (selecting the best 3% of 300 monthly submissions). It sells unlimited streaming and downloads to consumer members and provides subscription-based commercial music licensing through its iLicenseMusic and MoodMixes properties to filmmakers, game developers, and businesses.
Is Magnatune a public or private company?
Magnatune is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Magnatune founded?
Magnatune was founded in 1999. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Magnatune based?
Magnatune is headquartered in Berkeley, United States, in the North America region.
How does Magnatune make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Music Licensing (iLicenseMusic) is the primary driver. The others are background Music Licensing (MoodMixes).
Who are Magnatune's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Audio Network, PremiumBeat, Bandcamp, Musicbed, Epidemic Sound, Songtradr, Awal, Soundstripe, Artlist and Pond5.
Does Magnatune have an API?
No public API is recorded for Magnatune.
What industry is Magnatune in?
Magnatune's product category is Independent Music Label and Licensing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIAAAF, Recorded Music Retail & D2C Merch Bundles. Its NAICS code is 51223 and its SIC code is 2741.