January 28, 2025

#62 Building Epidemic Sound into a Billion-Dollar Company with Oscar Höglund

1 hour 43 minutes

Oscar Höglund, Co-founder and CEO of Epidemic Sound, is leading one of the world’s largest music and sound effects libraries. The platform's music now soundtracks videos that amass a staggering 2.5 billion views daily on YouTube and TikTok alone. Oscar's innovative approach has not only empowered creators worldwide but also attracted substantial investments, such as a $450 million funding round in 2021, valuing the company at $1.4 billion.

In this episode, Oscar shares the journey of building Epidemic Sound, touching on the challenges of entrepreneurship, the role of curiosity and collaboration, and the power of diverse life experiences in shaping leadership. We explore the importance of music in content creation, and how AI is transforming the industry.

Episode 62 Timestamps:

00:00:00 Introduction

00:05:08 Oscar Explains How Problem-Solving Is Attached to Curiosity

00:08:43 How YOU Can Use Problem-Solving to Build Companies

00:10:15 How Military Service Shaped Oscar's Life

00:13:17 From Military Instructor to Ski Instructor (BIG TWIST)

00:14:51 How Oscar Finally Got into Business School & Found His Path

00:20:40 How Traveling Can Make Your Extremely Valuable

00:24:03 THIS Was Oscar's Bad Decision

00:28:16 Oscar Explains How Being Different Led to His Success

00:32:45 Understanding the Super-Power of Diversity in Your Team

00:35:13 Oscar Reveals the Secret for Trusting Your Gut (Never Fail Again)

00:40:20 The Origin of Epidemic Sound

00:44:07 How the Music Industry Actually Works (SECRETS)

00:50:05 This Is How Epidemic Sound Revolutionized the Music Industry

00:54:58 The Real Mission of Epidemic Sound (Core Values)

00:58:20 How Epidemic Sound Changed the Content Creation Game

01:03:36 How Working with Epidemic Changed EVERYTHING For Artists

01:05:32 How Epidemic Changed Artist Compensation Forever

01:11:48 Understanding the Internet's Sound

01:14:55 Integrating AI Into Epidemic's Ecosystem

01:17:24 Oscar Talks About the Future of AI In Music Creation

01:26:38 How to Build a Team & Create Company Culture

01:38:16 Steps to Build a Truly Successful Business

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