Tom Höglund is one of the founding team members at Epidemic Sound, which helps connect brands with the music they need to tell their stories. But when it comes to music rights, complexity lurks around every corner. He shared this story and more this week on the On Brand podcast. About Tom Höglund Tom Höglund is one of the founding team members at Epidemic Sound and has been responsible for several different functions at the company as it has scaled, reaching a $1.4B valuation in 2021. Tom developed Epidemic Sound’s innovative digital rights model, which paves the way for creators — everyone from YouTubers to small businesses to the world’s largest brands—to use restriction-free music to take their content to the next level. Tom is also an early-stage investor in companies primarily geared towards creator monetization and B2C and B2B SaaS solutions. Episode Highlights “The future of content creation will be fragmented,” Tom said of video’s prevalence in both branded content and creator content. “We want to provide world-class music to anyone brave enough to tell their story.” “Complexity ensued …” I had to point out this moment in Tom’s story, as music rights and usage is a complex topic for anyone who’s not a trademark attorney. Epidemic Sound wanted to develop something as simple to use as an ATM. “Video without sound is like food without taste.” Tom shared this powerful quote from one of his co-founders, which drives home just how important sound is to the content we create. What brand has made Tom smile recently? “It’s an obvious brand for a non-obvious reason—Twitter!” Tom went on to talk about the story playing out at Twitter under Elon Musk. From sinks to firings, neither of us was sure what the genre of this smile-worthy moment is. To learn more, check out the Epidemic Sound website and connect with Tom on LinkedIn. As We Wrap … Listen and subscribe at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon/Audible, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn, iHeart, YouTube, and RSS. Rate and review the show—If you like what you’re hearing, be sure to head over to Apple Podcasts and click the 5-star button to rate the show. And, if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review to help others find the show. Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show. On Brand is a part of the Marketing Podcast Network. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices