With copyright lawsuits against brands multiplying and generative AI music adding new legal uncertainty, Epidemic Sound has launched the enterprise soundtracking playbook: a free guide to help enterprise teams manage copyright risk, evaluate music licensing vendors, and build a sound strategy.
Stockholm, Sweden, 25 May 2026 – Epidemic Sound, the world's leading soundtracking platform powering over 3 billion video views daily across TikTok and YouTube, has today launched the enterprise soundtracking playbook, a free educational resource for enterprise brands and content teams navigating an increasingly complex music licensing landscape. The enterprise soundtracking playbook is available to download here.
The legal stakes for brands have never been higher
The resource arrives as music copyright enforcement against brands has intensified significantly. Major labels have filed lawsuits against well-known consumer brands over the unlicensed use of music in social media content, with recent actions targeting fashion retailers and shoe retailers among others. Potential statutory damages in some cases run to tens of millions of dollars, and under US copyright law, willful infringement can carry penalties of up to $150,000 per work infringed.
Compounding this, enterprise content teams face growing pressure to produce and distribute video at scale, while the rise of generative AI music tools has added a further layer of legal uncertainty around training data, copyright ownership, and platform eligibility.
A framework for smarter licensing decisions
The enterprise soundtracking playbook gives procurement, legal, and content strategy teams a structured framework for evaluating music licensing partners across five categories: catalog quality and scope, legal and compliance, operational efficiency, total cost of ownership, and strategic partnership. It includes a scoring card, a glossary of key licensing terms, and a total cost of ownership comparison worksheet.
Emil Albihn Henriksson, VP, Head of Commercial Legal at Epidemic Sound, commented: "The music landscape for brands has always been legally complex and while there are now more solutions out there than ever before, evaluating the pros and cons of each is not always straightforward. At the same time enforcement is intensifying, content volumes are rising, and generative AI music from uncleared sources has added real uncertainty for teams trying to do the right thing. We created this playbook because brands deserve clear, practical guidance. Epidemic Sound's mission is to give brands both the protection and the creative tools they need to tell their stories with confidence, and this resource is an extension of that commitment."
