Our Story So Far
As we enter our 10th year in business, the company is full of life and energy. Global pandemics be damned, we're still here and continue to provide all manner of handcrafted sonic inspiration.
After all, that's how we spent the first 10 years.
As we move into the next chapter of our story, we’d like to take a brief look at our journey so far.
The story of The License Lab is one of dedication to the craft of production music—respecting the history of the industry while also strategically diverging from tradition—and supporting independent filmmakers, passionate storytellers, advertising professionals, and visual creatives looking for the sound of their next story.
Our company has been led since inception by the creative vision of Daniel Holter. Learning the ins and outs of the business of production music from his mentor, industry legend Jim Long, Daniel has established a 25-year track record of proven success, selling three original catalogs to Sony/ATV Music, Universal/BMG (back when that combo was a thing), and Warner Chappell Music prior to launching The License Lab in 2011.
From the outset, we’ve been dedicated to handcrafting sonic inspiration that honors the legacy of those who have come before us while pushing the envelope of what people expect from production music. Sometimes that means being ahead of the curve and using our agility and scrappy attitude to beat the next trend. Sometimes it means chasing down a creative concept just because we’re inspired to do so. Sometimes it means making music that simply puts a smile on the faces of our clients. In the best of times it’s a combination of all three.
Global pandemics be damned, we're still here and continue to provide all manner of handcrafted sonic inspiration.
There are tracks in our catalog that might not make any sense... yet. But we’ve always known and trusted that sooner or later a discerning ear will come along and make a bold decision that nobody else had to that point, taking a chance on a new sound that amplifies their project instead of just layering it with milquetoast audio wallpaper.
We choose to work with talented artists and composers who might be newcomers to the production music niche but share our passion for creating music that is tailor-made to support an inspired story. Featuring purpose-built label concepts with themes that go beyond simply categorizing albums by musical genre, we believe that every client’s story is unique and should be treated as such, especially when it comes to the music that can lift it up.
This year we're doubling down on all of these core ingredients, these integral pieces of our story so far, by announcing some exciting changes that will allow us to continue to build upon the way we do things around here.
The License Lab has partnered with Universal Production Music to exclusively represent our catalog of production music around the world. This new alliance allows us to retain our independence while exponentially increasing the potential reach of our music to support more storytellers, allowing us to focus on producing more of that handcrafted sonic inspiration that you've come to expect from The License Lab.
We’re still us, and we’re still fiercely independent. Every part of who we are remains true. And we know this next chapter will only amplify our purpose and passion.
Though we’ve been at it for a decade now, we genuinely feel like we’re just getting started. Thanks for sticking with us.