Epidemic Sound

Stockholm-based Epidemic Sound transformed how creators access music by building a platform where artists and licensees meet directly. Founded in 2009 by Peer Åström, David Stenmarck, Oscar Höglund, Hjalmar Winbladh, and Jan Zachrisson, the company solved a persistent problem for video makers who needed high-quality audio without legal headaches or expensive fees. Their model connects musicians with content creators through a subscription service that handles all necessary licensing.

The platform distinguishes itself by paying artists upfront and sharing revenue based on actual usage rather than collecting royalties after the fact. This approach has allowed the catalog of over 50,000 tracks to power more than 3 billion daily views across YouTube, TikTok, and Twitch. The company expanded its offerings beyond standard streaming into adaptive music tools for gaming through partnerships with Overwolf and MyPart, while also launching Soundproof, a research tool designed to help brands mitigate licensing risks in user-generated content campaigns.

Leadership underwent a significant shift in September 2026 when Erik Wahlberg was appointed CEO of Epidemic Group and Sara Börsvik took on the dual roles of Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. Despite facing legal challenges regarding copyright infringement on Meta platforms, the firm maintains an aggressive stance on protecting intellectual property. Recent developments include deepening partnerships with literary platforms like Lex for cinematic audio in books and integrating with AI tools such as Claude via an MCP connector. [edit]