The Former Consultant Who Built This $1.4 Billion Company To Soundtrack The Internet w/ Oscar Höglund (CEO of Epidemic Sound)

The Dealroom with Shamus Madan

In this episode, Shamus Madan converses with Oscar Höglund, discussing his journey from being a 'number guy' to CEO and the creation of Epidemic Sound. They examine the significance of music in content creation, the evolution of Epidemic Sound's business model, and the role of partnerships in its success. They also explore the future of the music industry, the impact of AI, and the challenges and opportunities in music distribution.

Today we are joined by Oscar Höglund, the Co-Founder and CEO of Epidemic Sound based in Stockholm, Sweden. Over his 20+ year career, Oscar has founded several start-ups and is known for his bold innovations and proven business results, such as Epidemic Sound reaching a $1.4B valuation in 2021. At Epidemic, Oscar is democratizing access to music for storytellers through a digital rights model that is paving the way for creators — everyone from YouTubers and celebrities like the Kardashians, to small businesses, to the world’s largest brands like Lululemon and Adobe — to use music to take their content to the next level, while at the same time supporting and protecting musicians. Today, YouTube videos containing Epidemic Sound music are viewed over 1.5B times a day on average.

Listen to the full story here.

Twitter of Host (Shamus Madan): @mbitpodcast

Twitter of Guest (Oscar Höglund): @epidemicsound

Check out Epidemic Sound Here: https://www.epidemicsound.com/

(0:00) Introduction and Oscar Höglund's journey from number guy to CEO (4:40) The inception and vision of Epidemic Sound (9:20) The role and importance of music in content creation (12:08) Building a music catalog and the evolution of Epidemic Sound's business model (15:26) Early challenges and the decision to keep a low profile (18:12) The importance of partnerships in Epidemic Sound's success (22:38) Future of the music industry and the role of democratization and globalization (24:04) Challenges and opportunities in music and content distribution (24:46) AI and its potential impact on the industry (24:57) Wrap up and thanks