Music tech start-up Tracklib: "Synch is pragmatic and fast, without sacrificing doing the right thing"

Tracklib was started to make it easy and legal to sample original music, but to get started with the company, a mainstay for legal issues was needed. The obvious choice was Synch.

“There are lots of formal aspects when starting a company that must be done properly and legally, and therefore it is important to have someone along who is able to handle these issues in detail,” says CFO and co-founder Johan Wiström.

It all started with Eric Amarillo, the Swedish pop artist who, among other things, is behind the summer hit song "Om Sanningen Ska Fram (Vill du ligga med mig?)". In his work with music, he often received requests from other artists who wanted to use his songs, in so-called "sampling". Using parts of someone else's music is not all that simple from a legal rights perspective; a license is required, and a good system to handle it in a simple way was lacking. This is how the idea for Tracklib was founded. Johan Wiström, who previously worked in investment banking, became one of five co-founders of the newly started company.

“It is very common for previously released music to be used in the creation of new music. About 30% of the Billboard Hot 100 songs have sampling in them. Previously, the process had to be solved through negotiations between lawyers, or music was snatched with the hope that no one would notice. With Tracklib, we have solved that problem,” says Johan Wiström.

Tracklib is a platform with music that is already approved to sample. Musicians can see what the license for a song costs, download the song, work with it in the studio and then decide to buy the license if the song is to be used for commercial use.

“A common problem is otherwise, that musicians spend a lot of time in the studio with a song that turns out that they do not have the right to use. Then you are not allowed to release the song.”

As early as 2015, when the five founders first started working on the project, Synch was brought in as a legal partner. The reason for the choice of using Synch in particular had a simple explanation.

“I knew one of the founders of Synch from the time I worked with investment banking and thought they were a good team of people. It also made it easier that they have worked with similar companies as us before and that they understand what we do.”

When starting a business, there are many questions that arise where you may need legal advice. For Johan and the team at Tracklib, it has mostly been about having steady support.

“We use Synch for support in everything from when we just need to bounce ideas or get input, to helping us write a contract or handle things connected to shareholder issues. There are lots of formal aspects when starting a company that must be done properly and legally, and therefore it is important to have someone along who is able to handle these issues in detail. Even though we have a good grasp of the principles, there are many questions where you can stumble upon the details. Then it's good to have Synch with you to make sure it's right from the start.”

What has been the best thing about your collaboration with Synch?

“What I really appreciate about Synch is that they are pragmatic and fast, without sacrificing doing the right thing. As a start-up, it is very important to be able to afford to pay, but still get competent advice. I can recommend Synch to everyone who works in start-ups - but also to all other companies!”