Epidemic Sound Revenue, Valuation, Funding & Investors
Epidemic Sound is valued at $1.4B as of March 2021, a 16.5x multiple on its last reported $85M revenue.
Last Epidemic Sound valuation
$1.4B
Undisclosed stage · Mar 2021
Last Epidemic Sound funding round
$450M
Undisclosed stage · Mar 2021
Epidemic Sound revenue
$85M
Undisclosed stage · Mar 2021
Key investors in Epidemic Sound
EQT
Creandum
Blackstone
DS Asset Management
AMF
SEB Group
About Epidemic Sound
Epidemic Sound is a Stockholm-based music licensing company offering a catalog of over 40,000 tracks across 180 genres for video creators. Subscribers access unlimited downloads cleared for YouTube, TikTok, and broadcast use worldwide. Founded in 2009, it employs in-house composers and serves millions of users monthly.
Founded
2009
HQ
StockholmWebsite
Status
Privately held
Customer focus
B2C
Revenue model
Subscription
Revenue
$85M (Mar 2021)
Valuation
$1.4B (Mar 2021)
Epidemic Sound Valuation
Epidemic Sound is currently valued at $1.4B, based on its undisclosed-stage round in March 2021.
The $450M round was led by Blackstone and EQT, with participation from AMF, Alecta and TIN Fonder.
Epidemic Sound's valuation has grown 11x from $131M at its undisclosed-stage round in November 2017 to $1.4B in March 2021, across 3 priced rounds.
Epidemic Sound valuation by funding round
Revenue multiple| Date | Stage | Valuation | Revenue Multiple |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2021 | Undisclosed stage | $1.4B | 16.5x |
| Jul 2019 | Undisclosed stage | $370M | - |
| Nov 2017 | Undisclosed stage | $131M | 21.9x |
Epidemic Sound Revenue
Epidemic Sound's latest recorded revenue is $85M, as of its undisclosed-stage round in March 2021. At a $1.4B valuation, that implies a 16.5x revenue multiple.
Revenue grew from $6M in November 2017 to $85M in March 2021, while the revenue multiple moved from 21.9x to 16.5x.
Epidemic Sound revenue by funding round
| Date | Revenue * | Valuation | Revenue Multiple | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2021 | $85M | $1.4B | 16.5x | Undisclosed stage |
| Nov 2017 | $6M | $131M | 21.9x | Undisclosed stage |
* Revenue (or ARR) figures are the values recorded alongside each funding round. Typically run-rate revenue at the time of the deal, or a reported LTM (last 12 months) revenue.
Epidemic Sound Funding History
Epidemic Sound has raised a total of $509M across 5 funding rounds.
Epidemic Sound's first fundraising round was a $5M Series A in May 2014. The most recent completed round was a $450M undisclosed-stage round in March 2021.
Epidemic Sound funding rounds
| Date | Stage | Investors | Raised | Valuation | Deal Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2021 | Undisclosed stage | Blackstone (lead); EQT (lead); AMF; Alecta; TIN Fonder | $450M | $1.4B | Epidemic Sound is a Stockholm-based music licensing platform providing restriction-free music for content creators, particularly on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and others. The company offers a marketplace for high-quality tracks used in user-generated videos, podcasts, and streamed content, with music heard over 1.5 billion times daily on YouTube around the time of the round. It has partnerships with tech firms including Adobe, Canva, Getty, and Lightricks, positioning it as a leader in the growing creator economy driven by video content proliferation. On March 11, 2021, Epidemic Sound raised USD 450 million in a growth equity round led by Blackstone Growth and EQT Growth, valuing the company at USD 1.4 billion post-money. Existing investors including Alecta, AMF, TIN Fonder, Creandum, and Atwater Capital continued support, with EQT Mid Market Europe partially exiting its 2017 40% stake but remaining the largest shareholder. The round included EQT AB's balance sheet investment alongside Blackstone-managed funds. Proceeds were allocated to international expansion into new markets, localizing digital offerings, accelerating customer acquisition, investing in music catalog development, and enhancing core user experience. This funding solidified Epidemic Sound's market-leading position amid trends like the democratization of content creation and the online creator economy boom. The company, founded in 2009, operates offices in Stockholm, New York, Los Angeles, Seoul, Hamburg, and Amsterdam. Outgoing board chair Vania Schlogel noted growth from approximately USD 100 million valuation in prior years to over USD 1.4 billion. Andrew Fisher, former Shazam CEO, succeeded as chairperson. The investment deferred earlier IPO rumors tied to a $1 billion-plus valuation target. |
| Jul 2019 | Undisclosed stage | SEB Group; EQT; Creandum; DS Asset Management; Atwater Capital | $20M | $370M | Epidemic Sound is a Stockholm-based music licensing platform founded in 2009 that provides royalty-free soundtracks to video creators, including YouTubers, social media producers on Instagram and TikTok, advertisers, film producers, and premium services like Netflix. The company enables easy music search and licensing, paying musicians upfront per track and splitting 50/50 revenue from streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. It sources tracks from independent musicians and production music creators, serving over 10,000 creators weekly at the time of the round. On July 1, 2019, Epidemic Sound raised $20 million in a funding round from investors including Atwater Capital, Creandum, DS Asset Management (a strategic partner for its South Korea launch), EQT, and others like Blackstone Growth, Alecta, AMF, and TIN Fonder, at a post-money valuation of $370 million. The funds were earmarked for international expansion, particularly in Europe, North America, and Asia via the DS Asset Management partnership. The company had achieved over 100% year-over-year revenue growth leading into the round and was named the second fastest-growing Swedish technology company on the Financial Times' list of Europe’s fastest-growing companies. Its music reached 250 million hours per month on YouTube, with strong usage on Instagram, Facebook, and emerging traction on TikTok. Premium streaming customers contributed higher revenue per user despite lower volume. Epidemic Sound operated offices in Stockholm, New York, Los Angeles, Seoul, Hamburg, and Amsterdam, positioning it as a platform-agnostic solution revolutionizing music licensing for digital content creation amid the boom in streamed video. |
| Nov 2017 | Undisclosed stage | EQT (lead) | $33M | $131M | Epidemic Sound is a Stockholm-based music company founded in 2009, offering high-quality music tracks for video content production, in-store music, and streaming platforms through a cloud-based library of over 30,000 tracks created by composers and musicians across genres. In November 2017, EQT's Mid Market fund invested in the company, acquiring approximately 40% ownership, with founders retaining 40% and existing investor Creandum increasing to 20%, resulting in an exit for early investor Kichi Invest which had put in $1M earlier in 2017. Prior to the round, Epidemic Sound had raised more than $7M in venture capital. In 2016, the company recorded SEK 54M ($6.4M) in sales and a net loss of SEK 250k ($30k). The deal was executed through EQT's private equity fund rather than its VC arm, highlighting connections like founder Hjalmar Winbladh's role in EQT Ventures. Later rounds included a July 2019 raise at $370M valuation and a March 2021 private equity round of $450M at $1.4B valuation led by Blackstone and EQT, focused on international expansion and user experience enhancements. Epidemic Sound continued growing its music licensing platform, positioning against competitors in production music amid rising demand from content creators. |
| Apr 2017 | Seed | Kichi Invest (lead) | $1M | - | - |
| May 2014 | Series A | Creandum (lead) | $5M | - | Epidemic Sound raised $5 million in a Series A funding round on May 19, 2014, led by Creandum. The Stockholm-based company provides a production music library for TV broadcasters, production companies, and online video creators worldwide. It offers professional-quality tracks usable in any country and on any platform without additional reporting or restrictions. The funding supported expansion of operations in Holland, Germany, the U.K., and the U.S., as well as hiring more composers to grow its library, which then included over 30,000 tracks from more than 200 composers. Epidemic Sound had signed up a majority of broadcasters in Sweden and Northern Europe, including TV4, SVT, YLE, MTV3, TV2, Discovery, RTL Nederland, and Channel5/Viacom. Recent partnerships included Disney’s Maker Studios and Mediakraft. Epidemic Sound's model simplifies music licensing by owning tracks outright, paying composers an average of $500 per track for guaranteed income, and offering features like instrument STEMS for editing. |
Who has invested in Epidemic Sound?
10 investors have backed Epidemic Sound across its funding rounds, including EQT, Creandum, Blackstone, DS Asset Management, AMF and SEB Group.
Lead investors include Blackstone, EQT, Kichi Invest and Creandum.
Epidemic Sound Investors
| Investor | HQ | Rounds | Role | First check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stockholm | 3 | Lead | Nov 2017 | |
| Stockholm | 2 | Lead | May 2014 | |
| Stockholm | 1 | Participant | Jul 2019 | |
| Stockholm | 1 | Lead | Apr 2017 | |
 New York City, NY | 1 | Lead | Mar 2021 | |
 Seoul | 1 | Participant | Jul 2019 | |
| Stockholm | 1 | Participant | Mar 2021 | |
| Stockholm | 1 | Participant | Mar 2021 | |
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Start Free TrialAcquisitions by Epidemic Sound
Epidemic Sound has acquired 2 companies to date.
Last acquisition by Epidemic Sound was on July 2nd 2026. Epidemic Sound acquired Blenda Labs for undisclosed valuation.
Latest Acquisitions by Epidemic Sound
| Description | Blenda Labs is an entertainment studio creating animated and video content for rights holders through artificial intelligence workflows paired with direct creative oversight. | Song Sleuth is a platform addressing music rights management and distribution. Launched in 2021 and based in the United States, it uses technology to identify, track, and monetize audio content across streaming services and social media. The service assists artists, labels, and publishers in resolving licensing issues. |
| HQ Country | |  |
| HQ City | Stockholm | Dublin |
| Deal Date | 2 Jul 2026 | 29 Apr 2025 |
| Valuation | undisclosed | undisclosed |
| EV/Revenue | ||
| EV/EBITDA | ||
This data is available for Pro users. Sign up to see all Epidemic Sound acquisitions and their M&A valuation multiples. Start Free Trial | ||
Epidemic Sound Competitors
Epidemic Sound competitors include listed companies like Saregama India and NetEase Cloud Music, and private ones like Create Music Group, SoundCloud, Kakao Entertainment and RIDI.
| Company | HQ | Status | Revenue | EBITDA | Valuation | Revenue Multiple |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles, CA | Private | - | - | $2.2B | - | |
 Berlin | Private | - | - | $700M | - | |
 India | Publicly listed | $100M | $36M | $979M | 8.6x | |
| Seongnam | Private | $1.2B | - | $7B | 5.8x | |
| Seoul | Private | $157M | - | $1.3B | 8.3x | |
 China | Publicly listed | $1.2B | $244M | $2.2B | 0.2x |
Epidemic Sound Public Comps
Epidemic Sound is still privately-owned, but its public comps include SM Entertainment, Skyworth Digital, MBC Group, FuboTV, iQIYI, MNC Digital Entertainment, Saregama India, JYP Entertainment, Storytel and Nine Entertainment.
| Last FY | EV/Revenue | EV/EBITDA | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | EBITDA | Last FY | LTM | 2027E | Last FY | LTM | 2027E | |
| $855M | $311M | 1.5x | 1.5x | 4.1x | 7.3x | |||
| $1.3B | $37M | 1.4x | - | 47.5x | - | |||
| $1.4B | $136M | 1.0x | 1.0x | 10.3x | 17.4x | |||
| $1.6B | ($122M) | 1.9x | 0.5x | (25.2x) | 23.6x | |||
| $4.1B | $2B | 0.6x | 0.7x | 1.3x | 104.4x | |||
| $216M | $73M | 4.7x | - | 14.0x | - | |||
| $100M | $36M | 9.7x | 8.6x | 26.8x | 24.6x | |||
| $598M | $175M | 1.1x | 1.1x | 3.8x | 5.4x | |||
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Common questions about Epidemic Sound
| When was Epidemic Sound founded? | Epidemic Sound was founded in 2009. |
| Where is Epidemic Sound headquartered? | Epidemic Sound is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. |
| Is Epidemic Sound publicly listed? | No, Epidemic Sound is a private, VC-backed company. |
| What is Epidemic Sound's valuation? | Epidemic Sound was last valued at $1.4B in its undisclosed-stage round in March 2021. |
| How much funding has Epidemic Sound raised? | Epidemic Sound has raised $509M across 5 funding rounds. |
| What was Epidemic Sound's last funding round? | Epidemic Sound's last funding round was a $450M undisclosed-stage round in March 2021, led by Blackstone and EQT. |
| Who are Epidemic Sound's investors? | Epidemic Sound's investors include EQT, Creandum, SEB Group, Kichi Invest, Blackstone, DS Asset Management, AMF, Alecta, Atwater Capital and TIN Fonder. |
| What is Epidemic Sound's revenue? | Epidemic Sound's latest recorded revenue is $85M (March 2021). |
| What is Epidemic Sound's revenue multiple? | Epidemic Sound's latest valuation implies a 16.5x revenue multiple ($1.4B valuation on $85M of revenue). |
| Which companies are comparable to Epidemic Sound? | Companies comparable to Epidemic Sound include Create Music Group, SoundCloud, Saregama India, Kakao Entertainment, RIDI and NetEase Cloud Music. |
| How many companies has Epidemic Sound acquired? | Epidemic Sound has acquired 2 companies, including Blenda Labs and Song Sleuth. |
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