songclip Raises $11M to Expand Licensed Music on Social Media

The Expanding Role of Music in Social Media

The creators of Songclip believe there's significant potential for increased music integration within social media platforms.

While platforms such as TikTok and Triller already heavily feature music, Songclip co-founder and COO John vanSuchtelen posits that this represents merely the initial stage of music's evolution as a core feature.

Future Integration of Music Clips

VanSuchtelen anticipates that, within the next nine to twelve months, the inclusion of music clips will become standard functionality for video creation apps, much like cameras are today.

He suggests that apps will invariably incorporate music clip features as an essential component of the video-making process.

Songclip's $11 Million Funding Round

Songclip, founded by vanSuchtelen and CEO Andy Blacker, recently announced the successful completion of an $11 million funding round, aimed at facilitating this vision.

The company has developed an API designed for seamless integration into other applications, exemplified by its current partnership with the photo and video editing app PicsArt.

This integration empowers users to easily search for and share music clips.

A New Media Format: The Short Audio Clip

Drawing a parallel to Giphy, Songclip intends to establish the short audio clip as a prevalent media format, making it widely accessible across numerous services.

VanSuchtelen explains that sharing entire songs is impractical in modern communication.

The focus is on transforming music into concise, shareable segments suitable for social contexts.

Licensing, Tagging, and Intellectual Property

According to Blacker, Songclip's approach extends beyond simple music licensing.

The company actively engages in detailed tagging and clipping of music, alongside providing tools for record labels to safeguard their intellectual property.

Furthermore, Songclip delivers valuable data insights regarding user engagement with the music.

Unlike Giphy, Songclip does not prioritize building a direct-to-consumer brand.

The Human Element in Music Understanding

Songclip utilizes a combination of both automated technology and human expertise.

Blacker emphasizes the importance of human insight in comprehending the subtle nuances of songs and their cultural associations.

For example, the meaning of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” isn’t literal, and Katrina and the Waves’ “Walking on Sunshine” conveys happiness without explicitly using the word.

Total Funding and Investors

With this latest round, Songclip’s total funding now reaches $23 million.

The current funding round was spearheaded by Gregg Smith from Evolution VC Partners.

Additional investors include The Kraft Group, Michael Rubin, Raised in Space, Gaingels, and Forefront Venture Partners, alongside industry leaders Jason Flom, Steve Greenberg, and the band AJR.