Music supervision and audio post-production company Too Young Ltd has launched Catalog, a groundbreaking curated sync platform that aims to streamline music licensing for marketers and musicians.
Supervisors, brands, and producers increasingly rely on generic stock music and AI-generated tracks, a market that reached $1.3 billion in 2023 – a staggering 80% of music used in media today is stock. This overreliance on generic music diminishes the quality of audiovisual productions and deprives independent artists of valuable opportunities for exposure and income.
Catalog responds to this challenge by guaranteeing a diverse and high-quality offering while providing independent artists and labels with a powerful platform to reach a global audience and monetise underrepresented gems in their repertoire.
Catalog’s streamlined licensing process, automated workflows, and user-friendly interface dramatically reduce the time and effort required to license commercial music, enabling audiovisual storytellers and rights holders to focus on their creative work.
The new platform is the result of a collaborative effort between Too Young Ltd. and a 20-strong list of founding partners, made up of renowned independent labels and publishers: !K7, Athens Of The North, Beggars Group, City Slang, DFA, DMY, Double Feature Records, EPM, Erased Tapes, Hyperdub, InFiné, Kompakt, Marathon Music Group, Minimal Wave, Morr Music, Ninja Tune, Partisan Records, Public Possession, Versatile, and ZE Records.
Catalog leverages its proprietary Sync Smart Pricing™ algorithm to provide real-time, market-competitive estimates for any copyright within any scope. This ensures transparency and efficiency for buyers and rights holders, eliminating lengthy negotiations and ensuring fair compensation.
The platform empowers independent labels and artists to reclaim the lucrative long-tail sync market, a space often dominated by generic stock music and commissioned tracks that regularly imitate commercial music. By offering a selection of exceptional music, Catalog ensures that music buyers can access culturally relevant tracks that resonate with audiences and elevate storytelling, avoiding the frictions of traditional licensing.
Frederic Schindler, Founder & CEO, Catalog, said: “Catalog was born out of a deep understanding of the pain points in the current sync licensing system. We saw a need for a platform that prioritises transparency, efficiency, and fairness for both artists and music buyers. Simply put, we want as much outstanding, relevant artist-driven music as possible to be used in visual media. This will benefit the audience, the artists, the content producers, and the rights holders. Everybody wins.
“Catalog is more than just a platform; it’s a movement of like-minded people towards a more ethical and sustainable music licensing ecosystem.”
Markus Schwarzer, CEO, Cyanite, said: “We believe Catalog is poised to bring meaningful change to the sync world, and we’re excited to enhance the platform with our AI, ensuring every song has the opportunity to be discovered. This project is driven by a shared commitment to making music licensing easier and more accessible for everyone involved.”
Thomas Lowrey, Sync & Licensing Manager, Marathon Music Group, said: “Catalog is the platform that media producers need, but the music industry hasn’t yet been able to provide.”
The platform opened its early access applications in September 2024, and a private invite-only Beta launch is anticipated in Q1 2025. Music supervisors and buyers are invited to sign up for the mailing list and experience the future of music licensing firsthand.
