SOUNDEXCHANGE

Championing and empowering creators

SOUNDEXCHANGE

Championing and empowering creators

WHAT WE DID TOGETHER

Brand architecture

Brand identity

Brand strategy

Brand guidelines

Brand voice

Brand application and materials

Social media assets

Messaging and copywriting

Website design and build

App UI design

With a vision to champion creators and create innovative solutions for the future of music, SoundExchange came to Boudica to redefine its purpose and reposition its brand in the industry.

SoundExchange collects and distributes digital performance royalties on behalf of 560,000 music creators, and is growing. Through proprietary music tech solutions that turn data into accurate revenue, SoundExchange has paid more than $9 billion in distributions to date.

We worked across the leadership and technical teams to reframe the positioning, refresh the identity and create an entirely new digital experience for the brand, their partners and the creators they support.

THE CHALLENGE

Repositioning two decades of impact

Having been in the industry for over 20 years, SoundExchange knew that the tech solutions they had built would address the needs in the music industry moving forward. They were on their way to revolutionise royalty distributions in the music industry through technology like never before. But with an upcoming app launch, they were now going to be consumer-facing and speaking to creators directly—not just their current b2b audiences. They understood the brand they had at that time would miss the mark. They needed a strategy, voice and identity that would resonate with their diverse range of audiences. They wanted a brand that would bring together their advocacy and technological solutions into one distinctive brand experience, propelling them into a future-facing, tech-first proposition.

THE CHALLENGE

Repositioning two decades of impact

Having been in the industry for over 20 years, SoundExchange knew that the tech solutions they had built would address the needs in the music industry moving forward. They were on their way to revolutionise royalty distributions in the music industry through technology like never before. But with an upcoming app launch, they were now going to be consumer-facing and speaking to creators directly—not just their current b2b audiences. They understood the brand they had at that time would miss the mark. They needed a strategy, voice and identity that would resonate with their diverse range of audiences. They wanted a brand that would bring together their advocacy and technological solutions into one distinctive brand experience, propelling them into a future-facing, tech-first proposition.

THE RESEARCH

An unrivalled love for music

SoundExchange have a diverse target audience. From creators, managers, record labels, to The Hill and SoundExchange’s own leaders and employees, we needed to understand what united them together and set them apart as a group. We interviewed board members, leadership, VPs, and staff from different departments, as well as external consultants and partners. And one thing stood out above the rest: they all f*cking love music. Everyone who jumped on the video calls had something music-related in their background. Framed records, instruments, and impressive LP collections. Each time, they lit up when they talked about music, what it meant for them and how they enjoyed being part of that world. This was the missing piece. If we were to speak and resonate with this sporadic group of the target audience, we have to go back to their unrivalled love for music.

THE RESEARCH

An unrivalled love for music

SoundExchange have a diverse target audience. From creators, managers, record labels, to The Hill and SoundExchange’s own leaders and employees, we needed to understand what united them together and set them apart as a group. We interviewed board members, leadership, VPs, and staff from different departments, as well as external consultants and partners. And one thing stood out above the rest: they all f*cking love music. Everyone who jumped on the video calls had something music-related in their background. Framed records, instruments, and impressive LP collections. Each time, they lit up when they talked about music, what it meant for them and how they enjoyed being part of that world. This was the missing piece. If we were to speak and resonate with this sporadic group of the target audience, we have to go back to their unrivalled love for music.

THE STRATEGY

Powering the future of music

By putting music at the centre of the brand experience, we tapped into the vision of SoundExchange and repositioned them as credible, trustworthy, and innovative problem solvers. They create technology and solutions that answer the present challenges and understand the intricacies and ever-changing nature of the music industry. We updated their tagline and messaging with the focus of “Powering The Future of Music”. The phrase “Championing Creators” emphasises that SoundExchange is not just advocating for musicians’ rights, but they serve the artists, managers, labels, staff, and producers too.

THE STRATEGY

Powering the future of music

By putting music at the centre of the brand experience, we tapped into the vision of SoundExchange and repositioned them as credible, trustworthy, and innovative problem solvers. They create technology and solutions that answer the present challenges and understand the intricacies and ever-changing nature of the music industry. We updated their tagline and messaging with the focus of “Powering The Future of Music”. The phrase “Championing Creators” emphasises that SoundExchange is not just advocating for musicians’ rights, but they serve the artists, managers, labels, staff, and producers too.

THE OFFERS

Heritage and innovation

When developing the brand identity, we reflected on the way SoundExchange has impacted the music industry for the past two decades. While technology was a big aspect that defined the organisation, we wanted to honour the legacy as well. The design philosophy is based on the idea of movement, sound waves, and dynamism—mirroring the organisation’s evolution in a changing industry. The wave crowning the updated logo mark invokes continuous innovation and nods to the brand’s heritage from the past into the present and future. It’s the narrative thread that leads them confidently into the future and maintains their continued momentum forward.

THE OFFERS

Heritage and innovation

When developing the brand identity, we reflected on the way SoundExchange has impacted the music industry for the past two decades. While technology was a big aspect that defined the organisation, we wanted to honour the legacy as well. The design philosophy is based on the idea of movement, sound waves, and dynamism—mirroring the organisation’s evolution in a changing industry. The wave crowning the updated logo mark invokes continuous innovation and nods to the brand’s heritage from the past into the present and future. It’s the narrative thread that leads them confidently into the future and maintains their continued momentum forward.

THE APPLICATION

Aligning experience and purpose

To translate the strategy and design into a consistent and cohesive brand experience, we created comprehensive brand guidelines with a step-by-step breakdown for each brand pillar, message and touch point. By showing the brand applications across the app, social media, collateral, merchandise and office design, we could visualise the future of SoundExchange coming to life.

THE APPLICATION

Aligning experience and purpose

To translate the strategy and design into a consistent and cohesive brand experience, we created comprehensive brand guidelines with a step-by-step breakdown for each brand pillar, message and touch point. By showing the brand applications across the app, social media, collateral, merchandise and office design, we could visualise the future of SoundExchange coming to life.

THE IMPACT

A new era

When working with established brands, you want to build a brand that honours its legacy. That’s exactly what we did with SoundExchange. The rebrand was a huge shift for the team, but what they have now as a brand gives them the confidence to go out and reposition themselves in the industry. In all the years they’ve worked there, the rebrand showed the SoundExchange as what it really is—an organisation that is built on a passion for music and exists to champion and empower creators and the future of music.

THE IMPACT

A new era

When working with established brands, you want to build a brand that honours its legacy. That’s exactly what we did with SoundExchange. The rebrand was a huge shift for the team, but what they have now as a brand gives them the confidence to go out and reposition themselves in the industry. In all the years they’ve worked there, the rebrand showed the SoundExchange as what it really is—an organisation that is built on a passion for music and exists to champion and empower creators and the future of music.

“They were really able to sit down strategically with all our executive team and take our input and really get to know the organisation, so they could craft this new narrative and new look and feel, to really launch our company into this next chapter.”

Emily Fulp
Senior VP, Executive Office and Communications

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Photography by Paul Tait

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