A new audio platform has recently launched to change how podcasters and creators access music for their work.
SoundMarket has been created by composer and producer David Krain along with his colleague Nick Gieschen.
The platform offers access to high-quality, non-saturated music created by award-winning composers and artists who typically work across film, television, games and global advertising campaigns.
Krain has spent nearly twenty years composing and producing custom music through his earlier company, Space and Sound Music.
He worked directly with major brands and studios including Google, Microsoft, the NBA, Epic Games, and on promotional work connected to Game of Thrones and Fortnite. Through that work, he says he repeatedly noticed a gap emerging in the creator and podcasting space.
While several music platforms aimed at broadcasters and creators have grown rapidly, Krain says podcasters increasingly report hearing the same tracks reused across multiple shows, making programmes sound less distinctive.
He believes this oversaturation is partly driven by library models focused on volume rather than originality.
SoundMarket launched with a catalogue of more than 18,000 tracks, built up over many years of commissioned work for film, TV, advertising and games.
Crucially, the catalogue also includes cutdowns, stems and alternative mixes, such as versions without lead instrumentation, which are designed to sit naturally under dialogue and narration.
Krain says these versions are especially valuable for podcast storytelling but are often unavailable from standard music libraries.
The platform’s music comes from composers and artists who are already active at the highest levels of the industry.
Krain explains that many contributors have won major awards including Grammys and Emmys, and regularly score feature films, television series and large-scale commercial projects. He says these composers would not normally place their work in typical production libraries.
Instead, SoundMarket draws from music created during the pitching and development stages of major projects, where large volumes of material are written but never ultimately used.
By retaining the rights to this music, Krain and his team have been able to give it a second life in the creator economy.
A central part of SoundMarket’s approach is its relationship with composers and artists. Krain says contributors are paid a genuine share of the platform’s revenue, supported by long-term creative relationships built through custom commissions. He contrasts this with what he describes as less transparent or less equitable models elsewhere in the market.
Despite its premium origins, SoundMarket is positioned as a cost-effective option for podcasters. Krain says pricing sits below some of the largest competitors, even though the catalogue is more tightly curated and focused on quality rather than scale.
Licences for podcast use cover worldwide distribution, giving creators confidence their shows are legally protected across all markets.
SoundMarket is already attracting a broad mix of users, including podcasters, independent creators and production teams working across audio, film and branded content. Krain says the aim is not to compete on technology features, but to focus on what matters most.
For podcasters, he believes that means access to distinctive, emotionally effective music that has not already been heard across countless other shows, helping programmes stand out while remaining affordable and safe to use.
Find out more by visiting soundmarket.io.
