Too Young, a music supervision and audio post-production firm, has unveiled curated sync platform Catalog during the AIM Connected conference.
Catalog is a collaborative effort between Too Young and a 20-strong list of founding partners, made up of 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.
It was first presented at AIM Connected, AIM’s flagship conference and networking event for entrepreneurs, strategists and senior execs across the independent music sector, during The Future of Sync keynote.
Catalog was developed in response to the overreliance on generic tracks at a time of huge demand for music to be used with visual content.
“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,” said a statement.
The platform offers a streamlined licensing process, automated workflows and user-friendly interface, according to the announcement.
It features a curated selection of sync-ready music, with all songs available to license directly through the platform. It also offers transparent smart quoting and pricing, centralised dashboards and tracking, song and artist profiling, and in-platform audio editing on film.
Catalog uses its proprietary Sync Smart Pricing algorithm to provide real-time estimates for syncs.
Frederic Schindler (pictured), 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.”
Michael Mayer, artist and co-founder, Kompakt Records, said: “In the music business, it doesn't occur all too often that the right people have the right ideas at the right time, and the minds behind Catalog belong in that category. To me, it's important to be represented by people who genuinely care about music.”
Andrea Lacroix, head of sync & licensing, !K7 Music, said: “We're excited to be a founding partner of this impressive platform that enhances access to our unique catalogues and hidden gems. Catalog offers a streamlined and scalable solution to license our music efficiently, opening up new opportunities to elevate our sync business.”
Emma Lomas, head of licensing, Beggars Group, said: “We’re very happy to be one of the founding partners of Catalog. When we first started speaking to Fred and his team about their vision, we were excited to be involved with a platform that respects the artists we work with and understands our values and the value of great music. I am confident this will bring our artists more opportunities and increase our sync business.”
The platform opened its early access applications in September 2024, and a private invite-only Beta launch is anticipated in Q1 2025.
Catalog is currently working closely with its founding partners towards the beta launch and will not be taking additional repertoire at this time, except for publishers with existing relationships with current imprints. More details will be available here.
PHOTO: Joao Novaes
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