Soundtrackcity

What Soundtrackcity does

Soundtrackcity is a Netherlands-based artistic research organization founded in 2009 that treats sound as a fundamental component of urban environments rather than a noise problem to mitigate. The organization researches urban soundscapes and produces audio walks, listening labs, events, and publications targeted at municipal governments, urban planners, residents, and cultural institutions. Headquartered in Amsterdam (Veemkade 594-C) with a secondary research location in Lauwersoog, Soundtrackcity is a small founder-led entity of 1-10 employees co-directed by Michiel Huijsman (Business Leader) and Renate Zentschnig (Artistic Director).

The portfolio centers on five products. Audiowandelingen are downloadable, location-based audio experiences produced in Amsterdam, Hoorn, Leiden, Den Haag, Vlieland, Rotterdam, Brussels, and Berlin. TRACKS is a free mobile audio-walking app co-developed with five Brussels partner organizations and distributed via the App Store and Google Play. Urban Sound Lab is a nomadic participatory program in which residents investigate the sonic character of their neighborhoods (Diamantbuurt, Rivierenbuurt, Zuidas in Amsterdam). The Sonic Aggregator is a self-built interactive listening artwork deployable across locations, and a catalogue of physical and PDF listening guides is sold through the company's own webshop. The underlying technology is sound-based rather than software-based: production workflows combine audio engineering, sound art, and location-based delivery through website and app channels rather than machine learning or automation.

Revenue is diversified across professional services, retail, ticketing, and grant funding. Municipal advisory contracts with Rotterdam and Antwerp constitute the professional-services line. Listening guides sell at 6 EUR in Dutch and English, and seminar tickets (e.g., the Geluid als Stadmaker seminar) are priced at 35 EUR. The consumer-facing TRACKS app and all audio walks are free. Recurring grant support from Stadsdeel Zuid (Amsterdam) ran from 2018 through 2024 for the Urban Sound Lab. Go-to-market combines community-led programming (Urban Sound Lab), event-driven engagement (regular workshops, guided walks across multiple cities), and direct sales-led advisory to city planning departments.

Name

Soundtrackcity

Legal name

Soundtrackcity

Website

https://soundtrackcity.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Soundtrackcity is a Netherlands-based artistic research organization founded in 2009 that develops audio walks, listening labs, and urban sound design advisory services for municipalities, residents, and academic partners across Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Sound Design and Audio Experiences

NAICS

Other Sound Recording Industries (51229), Other Sound Recording Industries (512290), Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512)

akta.pro primary industry

Sample Library & Sound Design Creation (for production use) (MPAIAHAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Urban Planning & Master Planning (BPAHAKAD), Public Works & Municipal Infrastructure (Streets, Stormwater, Facilities) (BPAIACAF)

Keywords

• Urban sound research
• Audio walk experiences
• Soundscape design
• Acoustic urban planning
• Participatory sound art

Headquarters

HQ city

Klein Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Municipal Advisory Services: Consulting services to municipalities on integrating sound into urban planning and design. Collaborations with Rotterdam and Antwerp municipal governments.
2. Listening Guides Sales: Sale of listening guides published for self-guided do-it-yourself listeners. Guides published in Dutch and English, available in physical copy and PDF.
3. Event Tickets: Revenue from ticket sales for audio walks and guided walks, including partnerships with venues like CC Amstel.
4. Seminar Participation: Fee-based seminars on sound as urban design topic, including audio walks, lunch, and networking (e.g., 35 EUR ticket for Geluid als Stadmaker seminar).
5. Grant Funding: Support from Stadsdeel Zuid (Amsterdam municipal district) for Urban Sound Lab projects from 2018-2024.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Soundtrackcity researches urban sound as a fundamental part of city life and produces audio walks, sound installations, listening labs, and advisory services for municipal urban planning. Offerings include free downloadable audiowalks delivered via the TRACKS mobile app and website, paid listening guides, the Urban Sound Lab participatory program, the Sonic Aggregator interactive installation, and consulting for municipalities on integrating sound into public space design.

Product overview

Soundtrackcity is an artistic research organization founded in 2009 that focuses on sound as a fundamental part of urban living environments. The organization has evolved from a curator collective to an artistic research bureau. Their core product offerings include Audiowandelingen (audio walks) available in multiple Dutch and Belgian cities, accessible through the TRACKS mobile app; the Urban Sound Lab program for participatory listening research; the Sonic Aggregator interactive listening artwork; and various Listening Guides for home and park use. They also conduct research projects like Sonic West and Crowdsourcing Mr. Visserplein, produce live audio streams, and publish podcasts and longreads. Products are delivered primarily through their own website and the TRACKS app, with physical listening guides sold through their webshop.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TRACKS: A collaborative audio walks app developed with five partner organizations in Brussels, available for free on mobile devices.
• Urban Sound Lab
• Sonic Aggregator
• Sonic West

Products and services

• Audiowandelingen (Audiowalks) Free downloadable audio walks through urban spaces in Amsterdam, Hoorn, Leiden, Den Haag, Vlieland, Rotterdam, Brussels, and Berlin, produced by teams of artists, filmmakers, musicians, and theater makers for self-guided listening.
• TRACKS App Free mobile audio walk application for iOS and Android, developed with five Brussels partner organizations, allowing users to walk through urban environments while listening to curated audio content.
• Listening Guides Published listening guides for self-guided do-it-yourself listeners, including creative listening assignments and exercises for conscious listening to a park, neighborhood, or one's own home, sold at 6 EUR.
• Municipal Sound Advisory Services Professional consulting services advising municipalities such as Rotterdam and Antwerp on integrating sound into urban planning and design of public spaces, including research, methodology development, and design recommendations.
• Workshops, Excursions, Lectures and Seminars Regularly scheduled events including workshops, excursions, lectures, and guided walks offered in Amsterdam and other cities, including ticketed seminars on sound as urban design topic.
• Live Audio Streams Live audio streams from locations such as the Wadden Sea coast, distributed through the radio.earth participatory radio art platform for ecological crisis awareness and listening events.
• Sonic Aggregator Interactive listening artwork that facilitates participation and creates physical conditions to critically examine listening experiences in urban space, deployable at various locations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Crowdsourcing Mr. Visserplein methodology published in The Bloomsbury Handbook of Sonic Methodologies
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.

• SHORES Research ConsortiummajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025Collaborative research project including University of Aveiro, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Focus on sounds and stories along Wadden Sea shores. Includes 3-day listening workshop in Lauwersoog.
• WEC (Werelderfgoedcentrum Waddenzee)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2025Venue for SHORES project workshop in Lauwersoog. World Heritage Centre Wadden Sea opened April 2025.
• TRACKS Partner Organizations (Brussels)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2023Collaboration with five like-minded organizations in Brussels over two years to develop the TRACKS audio walking app. App now operational with multiple walks available.
• Academie Minerva (Groningen)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Michiel Huijsman gave week course 'Sensing the Sonic City' exploring how sound and vibrations interact with the body.
• Municipality of RotterdamcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Michiel Huijsman advises Rotterdam municipality on integrating sound into planning and design of public places. First project HOFPLEIN redesign in 2020. Collaboration with Marcel Cobussen, Professor of Auditory Culture at Leiden University.
• Municipality of AntwerpcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Michiel Huijsman advising Antwerp municipality on integrating sound into urban planning and design in a positive way.
• Marcel Cobussen (Leiden University)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Professor of Auditory Culture at Leiden University collaborating with Soundtrackcity on Rotterdam municipal advisory projects.
• ARCAM (Architectuurcentrum Amsterdam)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2018Exhibition 'Sound as City Maker' from April-June 2018 presenting results of Crowdsourcing Mr. Visserplein research. Opened by urban planner Maurits de Hoog.
• Haus der Statistik (Berlin)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Michiel Huijsman invited to Berlin to have residents listen to sounds of their living environment using the self-built Sonic Aggregator.
• Centre for Urban Studies (UvA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 October 2017Research partnership for Crowdsourcing Mr. Visserplein project examining how urban sound can positively contribute to urban living climate. Joint seminar Geluid als Stadmaker organized in 2017 with presentations from international speakers.
• RIVM (Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Scientific partner in research on urban environmental quality and sound perception. Crowdsourcing Mr. Visserplein project influenced RIVM's innovation program P_LOK on measuring perception.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Soundwalk: Producer of audio-guided walking tours and immersive soundscapes for cities and art institutions. Directly comparable distribution model (geolocated audio walks) and overlap with Soundtrackcity's audiowandelingen product line.
• VoiceMap: App-based platform for self-guided audio walking tours created by local storytellers. Comparable to Soundtrackcity's TRACKS app on the consumer side, although VoiceMap is primarily commercial rather than research-driven.
• Locus Sonus: Audio art research lab hosted by ESAA and ENSAD in France, focused on networked listening, open-stream sound art, and urban sound research. Comparable to Soundtrackcity as a non-commercial sound-art research laboratory with academic partnerships and live-stream components.
• Cities & Memory: Global sound-mapping project that remixes and reimagines city soundscapes worldwide, with a participatory, artist-led model. Highly comparable to Soundtrackcity's mission of treating urban sound as a creative and cultural resource and crowdsourcing sonic contributions from residents.
• Sound Art Lab: Swiss organisation that produces sound art installations and audio walks in public urban spaces. Directly comparable artistic-research mission and product mix (audio walks, sound installations, research-based outputs).

Regional players

• Sonic Acts: Amsterdam-based biennial festival and research organisation for art and technology, with a strong focus on sound art. Closely comparable in scale, mission, and Dutch institutional context, with overlapping audiences and research partners.

Broad incumbents

• Jan Gehl / Gehl Architects: Urban design consultancy centred on human-scale, sensory public-realm design. Comparable in advocating for sound-and-experience-aware urban planning at city level, though operating at much larger scale and with broader scope than Soundtrackcity.

Emerging players

• Future Everything: Manchester-based arts-research organisation that runs urban innovation projects, public programmes, and city-scale experiments. Comparable in operating at the intersection of creative practice, research, and city-level civic engagement.
• Quiet Mark: UK-based certification programme for noise-conscious products and environments, focused on improving acoustic quality. Comparable in promoting acoustic quality as a design criterion, though centred on product certification rather than participatory urban research.
• World Soundscape Project / WFAE: International community of practice studying the relationship between sound, environment, and design. Comparable intellectual and methodological lineage to Soundtrackcity's soundscape research, although structured as a scholarly network rather than a service provider.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xmastodon.nl/@soundtrackcity
• Facebooknl-nl.facebook.com/Soundtrackcity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/soundtrackcity
• Instagraminstagram.com/soundtrackcity

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Soundtrackcity