Source Audio recently launched a new search and distribution platform for sound effects and music licensing that’s designed to serve the creators of production music as well as the agencies, production companies and post houses that use them. Post caught up with Andrew Harding, who is one of five founders of the LA-based company. Harding says they started Source Audio three years ago in an effort to solve the fragmented nature of the sync licensing business. Their solution takes a cloud-based approach, and since its beta launch a year ago, has signed up 118 different libraries, representing more than 2.5 million songs for license. Some of the providers include Cutting Edge, Vanacore Music, X-ray Dog, Pro Sound Effects and Elias Arts.
To get involved, libraries simply contact Source Audio for the initial set-up, which involves sending a library on a hard drive. The libraries then pay a monthly subscription fee that ranges from $99 to $1,000, based on the number of tracks hosted. The price scale encourages libraries to curate their collections, making only their strongest offerings available. On the user side, studios, agencies and post houses can set up their own site — at no cost — giving them access to any of the member libraries and creating a one-stop resource for all of their music needs.
In a demo, Harding showed a Mocean-branded page that serves as the design studio’s central resource for production music. Users can browse libraries, preview tracks and ultimately download selections in any number of audio formats. They can also send out a request to their preferred libraries, detailing an upcoming job and their music needs. The libraries receive an alert and can respond with suggestions.
Source Audio targeted the theatrical marketing during its beta phase, but the company has agencies in its sites. If you’re a library that would like to get involved, or a music user who could benefit from a central resource, check out their site: www.sourceaudio.com.