What Countdown Media GmbH does

Countdown Media GmbH is a Hamburg-based business-to-business music licensing company founded in 1978 and operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of BMG, which is itself part of the Bertelsmann group. The company licenses a catalog of more than 100,000 master recordings, organized across multiple historic sub-labels including Alshire/Somerset, Azteca Records, Countdown Kids, Everest Records, Mediaphon, Dobre Records, and Scorpio-Alto, as well as the Countdown Hit Cover Library. Its primary customers are film, television, and advertising producers; named deployments include the Louis Vuitton Men's Fall/Winter 2022 Show soundtrack and music placements in the film "Queer."

The core product surface is the DISCO online platform, which provides catalog search and self-service licensing, complemented by the Easy Synch synchronization service and packaged offerings such as Curated Classical Cues. The company is led by Managing Directors Helge Jürgens, Thomas Coesfeld, and Mathis Wolter, and operates across Germany, the United States, Mexico, and the United Kingdom, supporting international media buyers and rights administration.

Countdown Media generates revenue through four primary channels: synchronization (sync) licensing for visual media, digital distribution of recordings, physical product sales, and cover version licensing. As a subsidiary of BMG within the Bertelsmann group, standalone financial information is not publicly disclosed, limiting visibility into unit economics, contract values, and customer concentration.

Name

Countdown Media GmbH

Legal name

Countdown Media GmbH

Website

https://countdownmedia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Countdown Media GmbH is a Hamburg-based B2B music licensing company and BMG subsidiary that licenses its 100,000+ recording catalog via synchronization, digital distribution, physical sales, and cover rights to film, television, and advertising producers across Germany, the USA, Mexico, and the UK.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Licensing / Synchronization Rights

NAICS

Music Publishers (512230), Music Publishers (51223), Record Production and Distribution (51225), Record Production and Distribution (512250)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822)

akta.pro primary industry

Sync Marketplaces & Licensing Platforms (MPAIALAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sync Clearance & Rights Management (One-Stop, Negotiation, Documentation) (MPAIALAF), Sync Licensing Agencies & Representatives (MPAIALAA), Music & Audio Rights for Broadcast (Sync/Master/Library) (MPABANAF)

Keywords

• Music synchronization licensing
• Production music catalog
• Film tv advertising music
• Pre-cleared music licensing
• Classical cover jazz recordings

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Music Synchronization Licensing: Licensing of music recordings for use in film, television, advertising, and other media productions. Revenue generated through synch licensing fees charged to media producers.
2. Digital Distribution: Distribution of music content for playlists and digital compilations through online platforms.
3. Physical Products: Sales of physical music products including vinyl, CD, and special products.
4. Cover Version Licensing: Licensing of cover recordings of major chart successes across all genres, available in full vocal, backing tracks, acapellas and stems formats.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Countdown Media GmbH licenses music recordings from a 100,000+ recording catalog for use in film, television, advertising, digital compilations, and physical products. The company operates a self-serve online client platform (DISCO) that lets media producers search the catalog, listen to samples, download tracks for production evaluation, and manage licensing histories, supplemented by direct enterprise sales. The catalog spans Classical, Rock'n Roll, Soundtracks, Children's Music, Latin, Jazz, Country, Cover Versions, and World Music via sub-brands such as Alshire/Somerset, Everest, Azteca, Countdown Kids, Mediaphon, Dobre Records, and Scorpio-Alto.

Product overview

Countdown Media GmbH operates as a music licensing company built on a unified catalog platform supplemented by multiple sub-brands. The core offering is the Countdown Media Catalog with over 100,000 recordings, complemented by specialized labels including Alshire/Somerset (easy listening/101 Strings Orchestra), Azteca Records (Mexican music), Countdown Kids (children's music), Countdown Hit Cover Library (cover versions), Everest Records (audiophile classical), Mediaphon (classical), Dobre Records (West Coast Jazz), and Scorpio-Alto (Latino/Norteño/Tejano). The company provides licensing services through Easy Synch for Film, TV & Advertising, along with Digital, Physical, and Background Music licensing options. All catalog access and licensing is managed through an online client platform with DISCO technology, enabling producers to search, sample, download, and manage their licensed products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Alshire/Somerset: Labels featuring the renowned 101 Strings Orchestra with 10,000 recordings of classic pop songs, soundtracks, latin, classical and world music.
• Azteca Records
• Countdown Kids
• Everest
• Mediaphon
• Dobre Records
• Scorpio-Alto
• Countdown Hit Cover Library

Products and services

• Countdown Media Catalog The core music licensing catalog of over 100,000 recordings spanning Classical, Rock'n Roll, Soundtracks, Children's Music, Latin, Jazz, Country, World Music, and Cover Versions, with new recordings added monthly. Sold/licensed to media producers for synch use in Film, TV & Advertising.
• Easy Synch Synchronization licensing service for Film, TV & Advertising, offering original recordings from the 60s and 70s, Classical Music, Cover Versions, Kids, Christmas, Jazz, Musical, Latin, Country, and World Music.
• Classical Cues Curated archive of classical music edits designed for synch licensing, featuring carefully selected cuts from popular classical pieces to lesser-known gems, organized by mood (Sports, Relaxed, Ceremonial, Dark & Sinister, Dramatic, Dreamy, etc.).
• Music Licensing Services (Synch, Digital, Physical, Background) Comprehensive licensing services covering Synch (Film, TV & Advertising), Digital (content for playlists and digital compilations), Physical (vinyl, CD, special products), and Background music solutions.
• Online Client Platform (DISCO) Online interface for media content producers to license music and track licensed products, providing access to sample music, track downloads, and licensing history management via DISCO technology.
• Alshire/Somerset Easy listening label featuring the renowned 101 Strings Orchestra, with 10,000 recordings of classic pop songs, soundtracks, Latin and World Music, all remastered from original tapes. Licensed as part of Countdown Media's catalog for synch and other use.
• Azteca Records Mexican music label founded by Trinidad Pelaez in the 1940s, trading as Discos Azteca; featured artist Lydia Mendoza recorded several albums for the label. Part of Countdown Media's licensing catalog for synch use.
• Countdown Kids Children's music project with hundreds of recordings of popular children's songs in various languages; licensed as part of Countdown Media's catalog for synch and other use.
• Countdown Hit Cover Library Cover recordings of major chart successes since the early 1950s across all genres: Rock, Pop, Latin, Country, Soundtracks, Musicals; available in full vocal, backing tracks, acapellas and stems formats.
• Everest Records One of the first true audiophile classical labels; between 1958 and 1961 Everest produced close to 100 legendary classical albums with world-famous artists, most recorded on 3-track 35mm magnetic film tape. Part of Countdown Media's licensing catalog.
• Mediaphon Classical music catalog completing Countdown Media's range with high-quality classical masters and state-of-the-art classical recordings; licensed as part of the catalog.
• Dobre Records West Coast Jazz recordings from the late 1970s featuring Mundell Lowe, Milcho Leviev, Laurindo Almeida, Herb Jeffries, Roger Kellaway, Ruth Brown and others; licensed as part of Countdown Media's catalog.
• Scorpio-Alto 1,500 Latino recordings from the 70s featuring Norteño and Tejano legends such as Little Joe, Ramon Ayala, Carlos Y Jose, Conjunto Bernal, Gerardo Reyes and Ruben Vela; licensed as part of Countdown Media's catalog.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100,000+ recordings available for licensing
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• BMG (Bertelsmann Music Group)coreOthersCountdown Media is a subsidiary of new music company BMG. BMG is a subsidiary of international media company Bertelsmann. This is a corporate parent-subsidiary relationship providing Countdown Media with the backing and infrastructure of one of the world's largest media conglomerates.
• DISCO (Music Catalog Platform)coreTechnology or IntegrationDISCO is the digital platform used by Countdown Media for their catalog search functionality. It provides the online interface for accessing music samples, downloads, and licensing management.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Artlist: Subscription music and SFX licensing platform serving video creators, brands and agencies. Represents the subscription-pricing threat to Countdown's quote-based model for mid-market customers.
• Epidemic Sound: Subscription-based music licensing platform popular with YouTubers, podcasters and SMB content creators. Competes with Countdown in advertising/content-creator use cases via flat-fee unlimited licensing model.
• Pond5: Stock media marketplace including music and sound effects for video producers. Competes with Countdown for SMB and content-creator music licensing, particularly in digital and social-media production workflows.

Direct peers

• Musicbed: Sync licensing platform focused on independent artists and curated music for film, advertising and brand storytelling. Closely comparable to Countdown in B2B sync model and curated-catalog positioning for premium brands.
• Audio Network: Global independent production music and sync licensing company licensing original music for film, TV, advertising and digital. Closely comparable to Countdown in catalog breadth, B2B go-to-market, and creative-cue curation.
• APM Music: One of the largest independent production music libraries globally, licensing pre-cleared music for film, TV, advertising and digital content. Direct competitor to Countdown Media's synch business, with comparable B2B sales motion and large multi-genre catalog.

Broad incumbents

• Universal Production Music: Production music arm of Universal Music Group, offering one of the world's largest production music catalogs across all genres. Competes head-to-head with Countdown in film/TV/advertising sync licensing with greater scale and parent-group backing.
• Warner Chappell Music: Major music publishing division of Warner Music Group with deep sync licensing capabilities for advertising, film and television. Competes for high-end sync briefs alongside Countdown and other catalog owners.
• BMG Rights Management: Countdown Media's parent and a major music publisher/sync licensor. BMG operates overlapping sync, publishing and neighboring-rights functions, providing an internal benchmark for catalog monetization economics.
• Sony Music Publishing: One of the world's largest music publishers with extensive sync licensing operations for film, TV and advertising. Comparable to Countdown in serving major sync briefs but at vastly greater scale with broader songwriter rosters.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@101StringsOrchestraOfficial
• Facebookfacebook.com/CountdownMediaGmbh
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/countdown-media-lp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries7 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 Countdown Media GmbH