Stockholm-based music licensing platform Epidemic Sound has partnered with legendary British guitarist, songwriter and producer Johnny Marr.
Starting this season (Q1 2025), Marr will mentor three emerging Epidemic Sound artists, providing guidance on career development, “artistic growth” and release strategies.
Marr is known for his guitar work, according to Epidemic Sound The Smiths, Modest Mouse and the Cribnumerous collaborations, and lengthy solo careers, there will be a focus on guiding these artists to “diversify their approaches and explore opportunities for simultaneous licensing, collaborations, social media, and commercial distribution.”
The company added: “His versatility as a guitarist, singer-songwriter, producer and film composer has been demonstrated through collaborations with Hans Zimmer on films such as ‘Full Switch’ and ‘Full Switch’. james bond Movie no time to dieincluding a song of the same name written with Billie Eilish, making him an ideal mentor for pop artists navigating the complex ecosystem of modern music.
Founded in 2009, Epidemic Sound provides royalty-free music and sound effects to content creators and brands through a subscription model.
Already finished 50,000 tracks in its music library and claims about its music features Youtube and Tik Tok There are total videos 2.5 billion Daily views.
The company said the partnership with Marr “comes at a critical time for the music industry, with many artists facing challenges such as struggling grassroots scenes and underpayment.”
The company’s own salary model includes a 50/50 split in streaming royalties, a flat fee per track and a share of the SEK 30 million ($2.7 million) soundtrack bonus. You can find out exactly how the company pays artists in this MBW Explains feature.
Johnny Marr is the latest artist to collaborate with the platform, following Richie Hawtin’s collaboration with the company earlier this year.
Each student was selected based on “their unique talents and goals that align with Marr’s expertise,” Epidemic Sound said. The three Epidemic Sound artists selected for the program include:
Rebecca Madar, A guitarist from Sweden who has “been mastering her craft” since she was 11 years old, Epidemic Sound said, “her career has been marked by millions of streams on both her solo and collaborative projects. Very impressive.”
Christopher Moe Ditlefson, Also, is a Swedish composer and multi-instrumentalist whose orchestral film works have been featured in commercials, TV shows, documentaries and trailers around the world. According to Epidemic Sound, his “passion for black metal and rock guitar showcases his versatility across moods.”
Mar’s third disciple, Kelly Dalyinfluenced by genres ranging from American folk music to African folk melodies.
“Johnny Marr’s extraordinary career and ability to continually reinvent himself make him the perfect mentor for our artists,” said John Cleary, Director of Global Music Recruitment at Epidemic Sound.
“His insights will be critical in helping them develop the broad range of skills needed to thrive in today’s music industry. We are excited to have him on board and can’t wait to see the impact this collaboration will have on our artists.”
“In today’s challenging music environment, it’s crucial for artists to develop a diverse skill set, and I’m excited to work with some incredibly talented individuals to help them navigate the industry while staying true to their vision.”
Johnny Marr
In a statement released in a press release, Marr explained: “I’m always interested in new talent and, if I can, I try to help emerging artists find their unique voice.”
He added: “Epidemic Sound is a new kind of music company whose innovative platform opens up avenues for emerging musicians to make a living while distributing their work at scale to today’s online audiences of viewers, fans and listeners.
“In today’s challenging music environment, it’s crucial for artists to develop a diverse skill set, and I’m excited to work with some incredibly talented individuals to help them navigate the industry while staying true to their vision.”
MBW caught up with Johnny Marr this week to learn more about his partnership with Epidemic Sound. In our interview, he pointed out that the “digital revolution” over the past 35 years has had a significant impact on the development of artists.
Marr also reflected on the evolution of the recording industry, comparing his early career to where it is today, and said he looks forward to learning from the musicians through this partnership.
You can read an abbreviated version of our full conversation below:
Why did you want to work with Epidemic Sound?
Epidemic contacted me about 18 months ago and asked me to be a part of it. In my opinion, this is initially the intersection of idealism and realism. I just intuited that they seemed to have a vision that at its core was about bringing benefits to musicians.
I’m curious, really, that’s the answer. I like what I heard in our early discussions. It seems, and is true, that it actually revolves around [emrging] musician. So that’s very attractive to me.
“In modern times [music industry]there are a lot of challenges for bands, new writers, new singers, composers.
in modern times [music industry]There are so many challenges for orchestras, new writers, new singers, composers – and for all kinds of reasons. a lot of [of it has] It has a lot to do with economics, a lot to do with business, a lot to do with the digital revolution and being heard in the noise. From my own experience, I do understand and see the ripple effects of all of these challenges.
Is there enough artist development in the global recording industry? Are you getting enough opportunities, and are your colleagues getting enough development opportunities?
Culture is catching up with the digital revolution of the past 35 years. There is no doubt about it. We are living through an evolutionary era of monumental proportions. There is no doubt about this.
In centuries to come we will look back on the period we are now in as important as the Industrial Revolution or many other great evolutionary changes in human history. Now, 35 years later [internet] Looking at it optimistically, it’s still in the very early stages.
However, to answer your question, as you said, one of the many aspects that we have to catch up on is [artist] develop.
So the answer to this question [question]yes, no, I think artists are not developing as fast as they should be. If you ask most musicians under 35, they’ll tell you the same thing.
But I look at it with a bit of a positive attitude. I hope it’s just a matter of catching up, but [that we] Catch up quickly. I can’t pretend to know all the answers to these questions or all the other layers of complexity, but I and the young musicians around me have witnessed a lot firsthand.
Either in my hometown, working in a film, working in a studio, or working with a band that opened for me, or [bands] I got to go perform at the grassroots level, which is what I’ve been doing since I became a professional musician.
What role do grassroots venues play in artist development?
I have friends who run small venues. The Night & Day Café in Oldham Street, Manchester, is one of them. It has been crucial to the development of artists over the past 30 years, providing them with a space (actually a stage) and an audience.
It’s a two-way thing, this thing [of artist development] We’re talking about this because we’re both music fans. These issues not only affect musicians (hopefully I can be of some help), but also music fans.
There are so many struggles and you can break those down to economics, social media, or as I said before, just the amount of noise [to cut through]. But take economics for example. It’s as simple as how young musicians bring their equipment to the venue. How do musicians get from point A to point B? How do musicians get transportation? How do musicians pay for fuel? How do venue owners pay their bills?
All this affects musicians and Music fan. Now, we’re all sure people don’t mind paying musicians because arenas around the world fill up every week.
Why are grassroots venues facing tight electricity bills? It’s a matter of implementing and changing the model. These are things I intuitively realize and have some personal experience with because of the young musicians I meet.
I come from Manchester, a city of music that has been a tradition in the city since the war [period]has always been a breeding ground for musicians, from Buzzcocks Joy Division, New Order, and the Smiths to Oasis, Stone Roses, BC Camplight, The Orielles…
“For myself, it took me a few years, a seemingly eternity, to get listened to and achieve my first success.”
to answer your [earlier] The thing is, there is no doubt that the landscape and culture are very different from when I came here. it’s never been a problem [just because] Are you a talented musician or have something people want to hear? [your music ]And you will automatically succeed.
Speaking for myself, it took me a few years to get listened to and achieve my first success, which seemed like an eternity. I tried to make my voice heard, knocking on doors, finding studio time, musicians, rehearsal rooms, etc. So I’m no stranger to this and always have been, but sadly it seems to me more difficult now.
Speaking at the British Music Business Awards in London a few weeks ago, ED Sheeran said that all “traditional artists we know and love today have developed over time. , allowing exploration, failure, construction, and experimentation…”
I think Ed is absolutely right. But it’s not all about economics. Most musicians starting out now just want to be heard.
This is a very selfless and idealistic impulse. They want their ideas to be shared, or at least appreciated, recognized and heard.
This is very important. Communication is a human need, especially for creative people. People want to hear what other musicians have to say.
Hopefully, through Epidemic, we can take the first steps toward establishing a more successful model for musicians in this era and help them achieve their goals in some way.
You’ve been doing this for a long time, and you’ve seen what works and what doesn’t from a creative and business perspective. With all of this in mind, and as alternative platforms for music and compensation distribution proliferate, what are your short and long-term predictions for the traditional recording industry?
I realized early in my career, after I signed Rough trade records A 50/50 split isn’t exactly the norm.
I’ve always realized how grateful I am for this. Now if you50% If your music is intentionally non-commercial (which is the prerogative of the artist), then it doesn’t accomplish anything.
but if you do Some With a little money, I guess you really can’t [get] Much better than a 50/50 split with your partner.
I’m talking about Factory Records, Rough Trade Records and a few other independents at the time.
This is the royalty sharing plan proposed by Epidemic. I haven’t heard it since the early eighties. This gives me a good feel for the project, but it’s still early days.
But if you asked me what I would plan, at the risk of sounding cliché, I would say this: Necessity is the mother of invention. Because of the way the economy works, young musicians have been forced to adapt for far too long. But the platform must meet musician‘ need in order to compete.
Regardless, the culture of struggling musicians does [bend] The phenomenon of falling too far behind in order to adapt must end. I know it sounds a little naive, but that’s what I hope, even if it has nothing to do with altruism and the goodwill of business people, a competitive market means the fairest possible [platforms] It will be a place for musicians to go.global music business
