Epidemic Sound has launched a developer API (Application Programming Interface) that allows third-party platforms to integrate the company’s licensed music and sound effects catalog directly into their products.

According to a blog post, the Epidemic Sound API gives platform developers access to more than 50,000 original tracks across 160 genres and 200,000 sound effects, all cleared for commercial use. The API is compatible with desktop, web, and mobile applications and supports sublicensing for end users or onward distribution to other platforms in a developer’s workflow.

AI-Driven Discovery Features

The API includes several AI-powered music discovery tools: 

• Text prompt feature: allows platforms to pass parameters such as track length, genre, and tempo to receive track recommendations that match. 
• Video prompt feature: analyzes a video’s pacing, transitions, and style to surface contextually appropriate music.
• SoundMatch tool: analyzes video frames and returns a list of recommended tracks based on the visual content. 
• Semantic search: allows users to query the catalog in natural language, and an audio reference tool called EAR (Epidemic Audio Reference) enables them to find tracks that sound similar to a selected segment of music.

The API also includes an automated soundtracking workflow that can select and place both music and sound effects within a video editing timeline without manual input, handling timing, levels, and basic structure.

Catalog Scale and Platform Reach

Epidemic Sound states that 70% of the top 200 YouTube channels use its music. The company’s catalog generates nearly 3 million daily views across YouTube and TikTok, according to the blog post. The API uses those usage signals to surface trending playlists and tracks.

Existing partners listed on the developer portal include Squarespace, Unfold, Storybeat, Technogym, Lightworks, and Tezza.

Licensing Structure

Epidemic Sound owns all rights to the music in its catalog, which the company says enables it to support sublicensing through the API without additional clearance requirements. The company positions this as a risk reduction measure for platforms that embed music functionality, noting that rights risk can translate directly into product risk for developers.

The API also supports a reference track discovery feature, allowing users who request a commercially unavailable track to receive a set of similar, fully licensed alternatives from the Epidemic Sound catalog.