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Soundstripe offers a subscription platform for licensed royalty-free music and sound effects. It provides content creators with a vast library of high-quality audio assets for diverse media projects. Utilizing innovative AI, Soundstripe streamlines discovery and integration, helping users efficiently incorporate professional sound into creative works.
Co-founded in 2016 by musicians Micah Sannan, Travis Terrell, and Trevor Hinesley, Soundstripe emerged from their touring experiences. They identified music licensing inefficiencies for both creators and musicians. The company was established to create an equitable system, allowing artists to monetize work and providing creators with straightforward, legal audio.
Soundstripe serves diverse content creators needing licensed music and effects. Its vision centers on empowering the artistic community and media producers. The company aims to be the definitive source for creative audio, continually expanding its high-quality catalog and advancing technological solutions.
Soundstripe has raised $15.0M across 3 funding rounds.
Soundstripe has raised $15.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Soundstripe has raised $15.0M across 3 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $9.0M Series B in August 2022.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 1, 2022 | $9M Series B | Travis J. Milks | ARCH Venture Partners, Byers Capital, Craft Ventures, Founders Fund, Paradigm, KEN Howery, SAM Altman, Escalate Capital Partners, Overline, Vocap Investment Partners | Announced |
| Aug 1, 2019 | $2M Series A | Craft Ventures | ARCH Venture Partners, Byers Capital, Founders Fund, Paradigm, KEN Howery, SAM Altman | Announced |
| May 13, 2019 | $4M Series A | Vinny Olmstead | — | Announced |
Soundstripe has raised $15.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Soundstripe's investors include Travis J. Milks, ARCH Venture Partners, Byers Capital, Craft Ventures, Founders Fund, Paradigm, Ken Howery, Sam Altman, Escalate Capital Partners, Overline, Vocap Investment Partners, Vinny Olmstead.
# Soundstripe: A Music Licensing Platform for the Creator Economy
Soundstripe is a royalty-free music and media licensing platform designed to simplify how digital content creators, agencies, and production companies access high-quality music, sound effects, and video clips[1][2]. Founded in 2016 and based in Nashville, Tennessee, the company operates on a subscription model that allows creators to pay a flat fee for unlimited access to its catalog, with à la carte licensing also available[2].
The platform solves a critical pain point in content creation: the complexity and cost of securing properly licensed music. Rather than navigating copyright issues or paying per-track fees, creators can download pre-cleared tracks instantly and use them across multiple platforms—from YouTube and TikTok to television and advertising[4]. Soundstripe serves a diverse clientele including freelancers, small businesses, enterprise customers, agencies, brands, production companies, and individual content creators[1][3]. The company has demonstrated strong growth momentum, having issued 10 million total music and media licenses and paid $7.5 million to artists as of April 2022[2].
Soundstripe was founded in 2016 under the original name Levelo Music before rebranding[1]. The company emerged at a pivotal moment when the creator economy was accelerating, with millions of individuals and small teams producing video content for social media, podcasts, and digital platforms. Co-Founder and Co-CEO Travis Terrell articulated the company's mission as "Keep Creators Creating," reflecting the founding insight that creators needed fast, hassle-free access to music and media without the friction of traditional licensing[1]. The Nashville headquarters positioned the company at the intersection of music industry expertise and tech innovation.
Soundstripe rides the explosive growth of the creator economy—a trend where individuals and small teams now produce professional-quality content at scale[1]. As video consumption dominates digital platforms and content production democratizes, the bottleneck has shifted from creation tools (which are now abundant and affordable) to content assets like music. Soundstripe fills this gap by making licensing frictionless and affordable.
The timing is particularly favorable: platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and streaming services have created massive demand for original content, while copyright enforcement has made unlicensed music increasingly risky. Soundstripe's pre-cleared, worry-free model appeals to both individual creators seeking simplicity and enterprises seeking legal certainty. The company's expansion into AI-powered tools also positions it at the intersection of two major trends—creator tools and generative AI—allowing it to influence how creators discover and customize content.
Soundstripe has evolved from a niche music licensing service into a comprehensive creative workflow platform. Its Series B financing and focus on enterprise growth suggest ambitions to move upmarket while maintaining its creator-friendly core[1]. The integration of AI tools like Supe and OnBrand AI indicates the company is betting that discovery and customization—not just catalog size—will define the next generation of creative platforms.
Looking ahead, Soundstripe's influence will likely expand as it deepens integrations with major creative software (Adobe, DaVinci Resolve, etc.) and as AI-powered personalization becomes table stakes in content creation. The company's ability to balance the needs of individual creators with enterprise customers, while maintaining fair compensation for artists, will be critical to its long-term positioning. In a landscape where AI-generated music is emerging as a competitor, Soundstripe's emphasis on human artists and premium quality may become an increasingly valuable differentiator.
