Epidemic Sound brings a sound to every story at South by Southwest

Stockholm, Sweden, March 7, 2025 – Epidemic Sound, the world’s leading soundtracking platform, is bringing the beat to Austin, Texas, with a series of exciting activations at this year’s South by Southwest (SXSW) festival and conference.

From Thursday, March 7, through Wednesday, March 12, Epidemic Sound will showcase how its platform empowers filmmakers, creators, and brands to tell their stories through sound — while helping artists break through and grow their fan base. Attendees can expect a new soundtracking experience and never-before-seen cinematic universes brought vividly to life. 

Epidemic Sound CEO and Co-founder Oscar Höglund will host a panel exploring how music and storytelling can supercharge fandom in gaming. The panel will feature industry leaders whose collaborations have taken their projects to the next level.

And because no event is complete without a killer soundtrack, Epidemic Sound artist The Yard Woman will be bringing the beats and vibes at the Film & TV Intermission Party with her signature cutting-edge sound.

“Epidemic Sound brings stories to life through sound, and every day videos featuring our music are played 2.5 billion times on TikTok and YouTube alone,” says Oscar Höglund, Co-founder and CEO of Epidemic Sound. “When world-class sounds meet world-class content, the results are astounding — driving the careers of both artists and creators. At SXSW, we’re diving into the power of creator communities to help brands and artists build massive, loyal fanbases globally. Our activations showcase why Epidemic Sound is the go-to destination for filmmakers, brands, YouTubers, and anyone looking for incredible music and sound for their content.”

Linda Stenmark, member of the Swedish pop trio Loving Caliber and a SXSW panelist, shares her own experience: “As an artist, I’ve seen firsthand how online collaborations can do more than create viral moments — they can build careers. Through our partnership with Epidemic Sound and gaming creator Aphmau, our track ‘Faster Car’ achieved over 100 million streams and connected us to Aphmau’s dedicated fanbase, who’ve continued to support Loving Caliber over the years. I can’t wait to share these experiences at SXSW.”

Here’s what’s happening: 

The Filmmakers Lounge by Epidemic Sound - Thursday, March 7 – Tuesday, March 11

From Thursday, March 7, through Monday, March 11, The Filmmakers Lounge by Epidemic Sound will be the spot for a series of interactive, immersive experiences, showcasing that Epidemic Sound has a sound for every story. 

In the lounge, guests can immerse themselves in two different cinematic universes. “The Absurdist Culinary Office Survival”, which is a soundmatching game, invites guests to find the right sound effect for a film genre. The absurdity? Each sound effect is associated with typical props that you can find in a kitchen or office, but they won’t make the sounds you expect. If you click keys on a keyboard, you might instead hear the sound of a dog barking. The second cinematic universe, “The Snowy Western Anime Musical Zombie Revenge”, invites guests to a listening lounge where they can experience the three different film genres Snowy Western, Anime Musical, and Zombie Revenge by choosing between three curated playlists that are inspired by the genres. 

In the lounge, visitors can also discover how to bring their stories to life with Epidemic Sound’s award-winning music and sound effects through live-demos, or visit a merch corner with t-shirts, tote bags and posters, all featuring the cinematic universe mash ups. 

Visitors are also invited to take meetings, send emails, and simply catch a break at the lounge, whilst immersing themselves in cinematic universes in the lounge.

During the Film & TV premiere screenings at the SXSW Film Festival, a 15 second ad will be shown, inspired by the cinematic universes in the Epidemic Sound lounge, and will feature a mash of different film and TV genres.   

Panel Discussion - Supercharging Fandom in Gaming with Music and Storytelling - Tuesday, March 11 

Epidemic Sound Co-Founder and CEO Oscar Höglund will be joined by Timothy Salmon, President at CatFace/Aphmau, the company behind the Gaming YouTube channel Aphmau, along with Ben Mattes, Creative Officer at Rovio, and Linda Stenmark of the Swedish pop trio Loving Caliber.

Aphmau and Loving Caliber’s collaboration began in 2016 when Aphmau started using their music, helping launch the band’s career and build a loyal fanbase still streaming their tracks nearly a decade later. This success inspired Epidemic Sound’s 50/50 revenue-sharing model for streaming.

The session, Supercharging Fandom in Gaming with Music and Storytelling, will explore how partnerships between gaming creators, publishers, and artists can unlock new audiences and deepen fan engagement. Panelists will discuss how music enhances storytelling, fosters community, and elevates the gaming experience.

You can check out more information about the session and sign up to attend here.  

Thursday, March 12

This year, Epidemic Sound will be hosting the famous Intermission Party, happening every year at the SXSW Film & TV Festival, as a celebration of the end of the festival. Following the announcement of all the Film and TV Festival winners, Epidemic Sound will be inviting festival goers to hit the dance floor at the Zach Theatre, as Epidemic Sound artist The Yard Woman takes over the decks. 

The Yard Woman is a Greek-born, London-based DJ/Producer at the forefront of the UK dance music scene. Drawing inspiration from unlikely genres like Pop, Country, and World Music, she has become known for her cutting-edge sound with a dancefloor influence, with psychedelic and rhythmic vocals, percussion, and atmospheres.

Mentored by Richie Hawtin at Epidemic Sound and winner of the Tomorrowland competition, her music has been consistently supported by BBC Radio 1. Her releases have found a home on Simulate, Einmusika, Running Clouds, or Pets Recordings, receiving plays from artists like Massano, Nora en Pure, Hot Since 82, David Lindmer, The Element, and Catz ‘n Dogz, among others.