MAIA Universe

Stockholm, Sweden, where MAIA Universe (previously Freshsound) is headquartered. Photo Credit: Anna Hunko

Stockholm-based sync platform MAIA Universe (formerly Freshsound) has scored north of $1.13 million in funding from backers including Max Martin.

MAIA Universe CEO David Wille confirmed the €1 million raise – and the MxM owner Martin’s support – on LinkedIn. According to that disclosure, Stockholm VC Zenith Ventures, another existing stakeholder in Aligned Ventures, and several others yet likewise participated.

The Kobalt vet Wille – who joined MAIA shortly following the exit of co-founder and COO Sara Larsson – also touted his current company’s agreements with Sony Music UK, Warner Chappell, and self-described “leading independent” Playground Music.

(Per her LinkedIn profile, Larsson is currently CEO of Northfork, which says it makes “recipes and meal plans shoppable through customized technology solutions.” Separately, MAIA’s board has added former Netflix Nordics comms higher-up Malin Cumzelius.)

As things stand, MAIA Universe’s licensing offering is said to feature over 9,000 songs recorded by more than 2,200 artists. Recent placements include Alphaville’s “A Victory of Love” in a Polestar spot as well as Gabriels’ “Remember Me” in an advert for David Beckham’s BOSS collection, the website indicates.

With today’s funding influx, Freshsound/MAIA Universe has secured the better part of $5 million in publicly confirmed capital, data from DMN Pro’s Music Industry Funding Tracker shows.

And in the bigger picture, against the backdrop of AI’s rapid ascent, it probably goes without saying that competition is stiffer than ever in the sync arena.

On this front, in its coverage of MAIA Universe’s newly obtained capital, Sweden’s Breakit pointed to 2023 turnover of SEK 800,000 (currently $83,085) for the platform. That same year, the startup is said to have experienced “a negative result of just over SEK 9 million” ($934,748 at present).

Bearing in mind these numbers and the well-entrenched positioning of certain sync players, Amsterdam’s Ringo earlier in May rolled out a fresh beta version. As summed up by execs, the improved product includes a “Sync Search Assistant button” that is acting as a “precursor to an upcoming recommendation engine.”

Meanwhile, Lickd is apparently pulling out all the stops with a “Brand New Affiliate Scheme” under which it says one can “earn $25 for every successful referral.” A cursory glance at the appropriate terms shows that “successful referral” does, in fact, refer to any instance when creators sign up and pay for the service via one of the relevant links.