Nashville-based music licensing platform Soundstripe has released its 2024 Trends in Sync Report, which revealed a surge in artist payouts and a growing appetite for positive, hopeful music among content creators and brands. The report shows key data from the past year, with an 82% expansion of the platform’s catalogue and a 27% rise in DSP streams, reaching 71 million plays globally.
This new data reveals “hopeful” vibes and a booming sync music industry for 2024.
Hopeful Year for Music Sync
The report identified “hopeful” as the defining mood of 2024, with all of Soundstripe’s top 10 tracks carrying this tag. Each song added to Soundstripe is tagged with descriptors like mood, genre, and energy level. These tags not only streamline catalogue searches as it allows users to quickly find the ideal track without combing through countless options but it also pinpoints the trending moods and genres that creators and brands want to evoke with their music selections.
Other popular moods, such as “inspirational,” “uplifting,” and “energetic,” clearly show that creators lean toward sounds that evoke optimism and connection.
"A mood swing may be coming in 2025, but we imagine these positive vibes will be an evergreen, go-to choice for music supervisors," the press release says.
Artists like LNDÖ, Reveille, and PALA dominated the platform’s top tracks, including hits such as Just Look Up and Scenery.
In 2024, artists behind Soundstripe’s catalogue received an all-time $13.2 million in payouts from the platform by the end of December.
Sync Music’s Growth Mirrors Broader Trends
The upward trajectory of sync music is clear, as revenue streams and placements climbed across the board. Traditional sync revenue grew by 87%, cue sheet collections rose by 54%, and publishing performance royalties increased by 46%. YouTube Content ID revenue also saw a 25% boost.
Soundstripe notes that this growth aligns with broader cultural and economic trends. Industries such as airlines, retail, and hospitality—which rebounded significantly in 2024—drove demand for sync music. The year’s major events, including the Summer Olympics and pivotal elections worldwide, further fueled the sync industry.
A report by Ad Age also proves these findings and cites $6 billion in US local political advertising and an additional $1 billion in Olympic-related advertising for national TV.
“The growth of content creation is pushing the sync industry to evolve, and we’re excited to meet that demand head-on,” says Travis Terrell, Co-Founder of Soundstripe in the press release. “We’re leveraging AI to help creators find, customise, and edit the perfect track faster–while ensuring artists are supported every step of the way. At the same time, we’re looking ahead to expand access to popular music through cleared licensing, making it even easier for creators to bring high-quality sound to their work."
