Soundwave Art ™

What Soundwave Art ™ does

Soundwave Art™ is a privately held, bootstrapped e-commerce business founded in 2012 in Saint Peters (Cottleville), Missouri, that converts customer-uploaded audio — voices, song clips, laughter, memorial messages — into visual waveform art rendered onto physical media. The company has produced over 20,000 individualized pieces since inception and serves customers in 50+ countries, with a social media following of nearly 78,000. The CEO and co-founder, Mike LaTour, remains actively involved in handcrafting the products, and the company operates with 1–10 employees.

The core product portfolio spans prints ($29.99+), canvas ($79.99+), aluminum ($79.99+), and wood substrates (basswood, maple, walnut) at $32.99–$84.99, plus a Layered Wood Cutout at $299.99. The company has extended into interactive "playable" keepsakes — ironwood necklaces ($89.99) and rings ($599.99+) — that embed a hidden NFC chip enabling tap-to-play audio on a smartphone. A mobile app launched in 2021 uses image recognition (without QR codes) and AR to retrieve and play the original recording associated with any Soundwave Art piece. The product line has also expanded to Star Map Art, Lyric Record Art, and Photo Soundwave products, broadening the gifting occasions addressed.

The business model is direct-to-consumer e-commerce anchored on the company's own website, with Amazon and Etsy as secondary channels. Pricing is per-order high-margin customized product; introduction of a $9.99/year or $22.99/3-year app playback subscription marks a shift from pure transactional revenue toward a hybrid recurring model. The company offers free shipping to the US and 50+ countries, has been featured by NBC, CBS, MSN, Entrepreneur, Microsoft, and NewsWatch TV, and has received celebrity endorsements from Howie Mandel and James Murray. It was a 2019 finalist for the Digital Innovation in Art Award (.Art / Investor Allstars) and was featured at CES 2018.

Name

Soundwave Art ™

Legal name

Soundwave Art™

Website

https://soundwaveart.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Soundwave Art™ converts customer-uploaded audio recordings into personalized visual waveform art and interactive NFC-enabled jewelry, serving individual gift-buyers and keepsake buyers directly online across 50+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Peters

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Personalized Soundwave Artwork Sales: One-time purchase of customized soundwave artwork including prints, canvas, aluminum, and framed options. Customers upload audio/video recordings and customize design before purchase. Production time varies by product type.
2. Playable Jewelry (Ironwood Necklaces): Handcrafted ironwood playable necklaces with embedded NFC technology. Includes heart, circle, and teardrop pendant shapes. Optional text engraving available. One-time purchase.
3. Solid Wood Keepsakes: Walnut and maple shelf displays with NFC tap-to-play technology. Basswood live edge options also available. Laser-engraved soundwave patterns with optional inscriptions.
4. App Playback Subscription Add-on: Optional augmented reality app feature for eligible artwork. Available as 1-year or 3-year activation. The Soundwave Art app is free to download, with playback activation available as a subscription.
5. Gift Cards: Digital gift cards available in denominations from $25 to $500. Valid for 5 years. Can be used in multiple orders until fully redeemed.
6. Photo Art Products: Photo soundwave products combining customer photos with soundwave patterns. Available as prints, aluminum, or canvas with optional app playback. Free downloadable greeting cards also available.
7. Soundwave Rings: Premium soundwave jewelry rings starting at $599.99. Visual-only keepsakes preserving the soundwave pattern without audio playback capability.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Soundwave Art ™ transforms customer-uploaded audio and video recordings into personalized, playable artwork and jewelry. The company produces physical keepsakes — prints, canvas, aluminum panels, wood blocks, ironwood necklaces, and rings — with laser-engraved soundwave patterns derived directly from the customer's audio file. Select products include embedded NFC chips for tap-to-play audio on compatible smartphones, and compatible artwork can be scanned with the Soundwave Art mobile app to play back associated audio or video via augmented reality.

Product overview

Soundwave Art™ is a personalization company founded in 2012 that transforms meaningful audio and video recordings into playable artwork and jewelry. The core product portfolio includes Soundwave Art Prints, Canvas, Aluminum, Wood (Walnut, Maple, Basswood, Layered Wood), and Framed variations—all created from customer-uploaded audio/video files with optional NFC tap-to-play or augmented reality app playback. The jewelry line features handcrafted ironwood Playable Soundwave Necklaces and Playable Message Necklaces with concealed NFC technology, plus Soundwave Rings. Additional offerings include Photo Soundwave products combining images with soundwave patterns, Personalized Album Art, Star Map Art, and interactive greeting cards (Mother's Day, Valentine's). The platform includes online Design Software for customizing artwork and a Mobile App (iOS/Android) enabling augmented reality scanning of compatible products. Customers can purchase directly via the Soundwave Art website, with select items available through Amazon and Etsy marketplaces.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Soundwave Art Prints

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 20,000 meaningful moments created since 2012
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• AmazonminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSoundwave Art operates a curated Amazon Storefront offering a limited selection of playable art products. The storefront is operated directly by Soundwave Art. Customers are directed to the main website for full catalog access, customization options, and support.
• Etsy (Soundwave Art Co.)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSoundwave Art operates an Etsy store called 'Soundwave Art Co.' offering a limited selection of Soundwave Jewelry products. The store is operated directly by Soundwave Art. Customers are directed to the main website for full catalog and support.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Shutterfly: Shutterfly is a large personalized photo-products company (prints, canvas, books, cards). Comparable to Soundwave Art's canvas/print/aluminum product lines and Photo Soundwave category, though it does not play audio from artwork.
• Uncommon Goods: Uncommon Goods is a curated marketplace for personalized and unconventional gifts, with a strong emphasis on story and maker-driven products. Comparable to Soundwave Art's positioning in meaningful, high-emotion gifts, but sells across many categories rather than specializing in audio keepsakes.
• Minted: Minted is a marketplace and design brand for personalized stationery, art prints, and gifts. Comparable to Soundwave Art's premium art positioning and gift-occasion shopping experience, though it focuses on visual designer-led products rather than audio-tied keepsakes.
• Artifact Uprising: Artifact Uprising is a premium brand for personalized photo prints, books, and gifts, with strong brand identity similar to Soundwave Art. It overlaps on occasion-driven products (weddings, gifts, memory preservation) but is not audio-driven.
• CanvasPop: CanvasPop is a custom canvas and wall-art company that lets customers upload photos and artwork. It overlaps with Soundwave Art's Canvas and Aluminum soundwave product lines in product format and personalization workflow.
• Personalization Mall: Personalization Mall is a long-standing e-commerce retailer focused on personalized gifts across many categories (engraved, embroidered, photo, name-based). It overlaps with Soundwave Art's occasion-driven gifting positioning but does not specialize in audio-driven artwork.

Emerging players

• Lovepop: Lovepop makes 3D laser-cut pop-up cards and personalized gifts, with a strong D2C and retail presence. Comparable to Soundwave Art as a primarily gift-occasion brand with playful, personalized product storytelling, though it does not focus on audio.

Direct peers

• MyHappy: MyHappy sells soundwave-engraved jewelry and personalized audio keepsakes (necklaces, bracelets, vinyl prints) directly to consumers. It is the most direct competitor, serving the same emotional-gift occasion with the same audio-to-visual product concept.

Others

• Etsy: Etsy is the largest global marketplace for handmade and personalized goods, where Soundwave Art itself operates a storefront. Many competing soundwave-art sellers operate on Etsy, making it both a channel and a competitive surface for the category.

Regional players

• Not On The High Street: Not On The High Street is a UK-based curated marketplace for personalized and handmade gifts from independent makers. Comparable to Soundwave Art's personalized-gift positioning and small-maker brand voice, but geographically focused on the UK.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/soundwaveart
• Facebookfacebook.com/SoundwaveArt

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Soundwave Art ™