Music Alternatives

What Music Alternatives does

Music Alternatives is a privately held, founder-owned synchronization licensing and music publishing company headquartered in Los Angeles (1855 Industrial Street, Suite 604). It was founded by Scott Cresto, who built the business after senior roles at Chrysalis Music Group USA and Warner/Chappell Music, and it operates with a small named executive team of five (President, VP Licensing, Manager Creative, and two Music Coordinators). The company represents a roster of more than 100 artists and administers catalogs from independent label Ramseur Records and Swedish publisher Mars Music.

The firm's core offering is synchronization licensing — placing music from its roster into films, television shows, commercials, video games, trailers, and soundtracks — alongside publishing administration and royalty collection. Notable placements include Sleeping At Last's 'Turning Page' in Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 (which exceeded Gold Record status), Sleeping At Last and Other Lives in major films and prestige TV (Grey's Anatomy, The Blacklist, This Is Us, Vampire Diaries), and high-profile advertising including Budweiser Super Bowl, IKEA, Bonobos, and Nutella campaigns. Its go-to-market is direct sales: the team negotiates placement-by-placement with film studios, TV networks, advertising agencies, and production companies, supported by a website-based portfolio, an Instagram presence, and curated music samplers (e.g., Dreamchild, JulyMA).

The business model is project-based fee-for-service plus publishing royalties, with rates negotiated rather than publicly disclosed. End customers are media and entertainment companies, while the supply side is a horizontal roster of independent musicians and bands across multiple genres. There is no software-as-a-service component, no API, no disclosed funding, and no evidence of M&A activity.

Name

Music Alternatives

Legal name

Music Alternatives

Website

https://musicalternatives.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Music Alternatives is a Los Angeles–based synchronization licensing and music publishing company that places music from its 100+ artist roster into films, television, commercials, video games, trailers, and soundtracks for media buyers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Licensing Services

NAICS

Music Publishers (512230), Music Publishers (51223)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Sync Licensing Agencies & Representatives (MPAIALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sync Rights Representation (Pitching, Clearance, Negotiation) (MPAIABAF), Sync Clearance & Rights Management (One-Stop, Negotiation, Documentation) (MPAIALAF)

Keywords

• Music synchronization licensing
• Music publishing services
• Sync licensing agency
• Music rights management
• Artist roster representation

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Synchronization Licensing: Placing music from their artist roster in films, television shows, commercials, video games, trailers, and soundtracks. Revenue earned through licensing fees negotiated for sync placements.
2. Music Publishing: Publishing department works with a variety of catalogs and artists including Other Lives, Sleeping At Last, Towers Of London, Scars on 45. Revenue from publishing rights, royalties, and catalog management.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Music Alternatives is a synchronization (sync) licensing and music publishing company that places music from its roster of 100+ artists into films, television shows, commercials, video games, trailers, and soundtracks. The company also manages publishing rights and royalties for its catalog, curates music samplers, and provides creative support to media producers seeking music for visual projects.

Product overview

Music Alternatives is a synchronization agency and music publishing company. The core offering is synchronization licensing—placing music from their artist roster into films, television shows, commercials, video games, trailers, and soundtracks. The company maintains a diverse roster of artists and manages publishing rights. They offer music samplers for potential licensing clients to preview available tracks.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ramseur Records: Record label focused on artist development with a music-first approach
• Mars Music

Products and services

• Synchronization Licensing Services Licensing of music from the company's 100+ artist roster for use in films, television shows, commercials, video games, trailers, and soundtracks. Designed for music supervisors, advertising agencies, film studios, TV networks, and production companies seeking pre-cleared music for visual media.
• Music Publishing Services Publishing rights administration and royalty collection for the company's catalog of 100+ artists. Includes representation of songwriters and composers for sync placements and related income streams.
• Music Samplers Curated compilations of music from the company's artist roster, used to showcase available catalog to prospective licensees such as music supervisors, advertising agencies, and production companies.

Named customers19 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Mars Music SwedencoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership with Swedish music publishing company Mars Music, representing artists including Air Castles, Annielle, Arc North, Flora Cash, The Magnettes, and others in the sync licensing and publishing space.
• Ramseur RecordscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with Ramseur Records, an independent record label representing artists including Bombadil, David Childers, Samantha Crain, and Sammy Miller & The Congregation for sync and publishing services.
• Chrysalis Music Group USAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounder Scott Cresto previously served as Senior Vice President of Film & TV and A&R for Chrysalis Music Group USA, where he ran the synch department and discovered/signed Beach House, TV On The Radio, and Psapp.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Artlist: Subscription-based music licensing platform for filmmakers, video creators, and brands, offering pre-cleared music for sync use. Competes in the same end-market for synchronization music as Music Alternatives but via a tech-driven subscription model targeted at content creators rather than a boutique agency model.
• Songtradr: Technology-enabled music licensing marketplace connecting independent artists with brands, filmmakers, and content creators for sync placements. Represents an emerging platform-based alternative to traditional agencies like Music Alternatives, with adjacent offerings rather than direct boutique agency competition.

Direct peers

• Reservoir Media: Independent music publisher with active sync licensing division managing rights for catalogs and songwriters across film, television, and advertising. Directly comparable sync licensing and publishing operating model to Music Alternatives.
• Spirit Music Group: Independent music publishing and synchronization licensing company managing catalogs and actively pitching songs for sync placements in film, TV, and advertising. Highly comparable operating model and target customer base to Music Alternatives.
• Peermusic: One of the largest independent music publishers globally, with significant sync licensing operations placing independent artists' music in film, TV, advertising, and games. Comparable catalog representation and sync focus as Music Alternatives, though at materially larger scale.
• Primary Wave Music Publishing: Independent music publisher and sync licensing agency representing catalogs for placements across film, TV, advertising, and brand partnerships. Closely comparable to Music Alternatives in boutique sync agency model, with a similarly diverse roster and major placement history.
• Kobalt Music Group: Technology-forward music publisher and rights administrator with sync licensing capabilities spanning film, TV, advertising, and gaming. Comparable publishing and sync function to Music Alternatives, but with a larger technology infrastructure and global scale.
• Songs Music Publishing: Independent music publishing and sync licensing company representing writers and catalogs for placements across media. Boutique comparable to Music Alternatives in approach and segment, with overlap in indie roster representation.

Broad incumbents

• BMG Rights Management: Major music publisher and rights administrator with global sync licensing operations across film, TV, advertising, and games. Operates in the same sync licensing space as Music Alternatives but as a broad incumbent with significantly larger catalog and capital base.
• Concord Music Publishing: Large independent music publisher and recorded music company with active sync licensing team placing music across film, TV, and advertising. Overlaps significantly with Music Alternatives' sync agency function but operates at much larger scale across recorded and publishing.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/musicalternatives
• Xx.com/MusicAltSync
• Facebookfacebook.com/musicaltsync

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

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 Music Alternatives