The Sound of Your Next Story

(4 min read)

The phrase “The Sound of Your Next Story” first came about when Daniel Holter, our founder and creative director, was being interviewed for an upcoming project. He was describing the many things that we have done through the years and who we are as we look to the future. Among all of what he said, at one point he ad-libbed “we want to be the sound of your next story.” The phrase struck a chord with us and we quickly adopted it as a sort of mantra around the office. But what does it mean?

Whether you’re a musician, composer, filmmaker, music supervisor, creator, or advertising professional, you’re in the business of telling stories. You’re creating a world filled with images, light, and language, but it needs something else to bring it all together. Great music is the glue that unifies all the elements of a production into one cohesive message and story. Because of its unique ability to channel emotions in such a deep, powerful way, music can move a story forward, highlight an emotion, help turn a set of images into an emotionally compelling work of art.

We humans have a subconscious aversion to the inauthentic. Our inner selves can smell it, locate it and push it out, like white blood cells battling a virus.

But it has to be the right music.

Have you ever seen a movie clip with the music swapped out? Or worse, removing the music entirely? That changes everything. It can turn a thriller into a comedy, an exciting 80s montage into a dull grind, the previously iconic into the mundane.

Lackluster music can have a similar effect. A scene can fall flat on its face. The audience will not feel the impact and miss the point. It’s not because the images are boring or actors aren’t delivering great performances. We humans have a subconscious aversion to the inauthentic. Our inner selves can smell it, locate it and push it out, like white blood cells battling a virus.

Your musical choices can make or break your story. We’re here to help you with that.

Our music is handcrafted for the expressed purpose of supporting your story. The labels we present are meticulously curated to amplify just the right emotions. You won’t hear an endless stream of uninspired blues jams. You’re going to find passionate music that is crafted with the same care and dedication that any artist-level project receives.

We don’t have an endless stream of albums flooding your inbox every month. That’s quite intentional. To put it plainly, we’re picky as hell. There’s no filler, no padding. Simply consistent music that matches the level of craft and dedication you’ve poured into your own project.

Great music is the glue that unifies all the elements of a production into one cohesive message and story.

We know you don’t have the time to weed through hundreds of thousands of tired old tracks to find your needle in the haystack. Our labels are full of needles.

We’re well aware our catalog is not as massive as some of our competitors, but there are all kinds of music here that has yet to be found and put to use. We’re content with the fact that some of our most interesting and inspiring music sits undiscovered, yet to be licensed. We know that sooner or later the right supervisor or filmmaker will hear it and make it the sound of their next project.

You can find the perfect soundtrack for your story at The License Lab. And there’s a good chance it won’t sound like anything else.

We want to be... the sound of your next story.