Sync licensing platform MAIA Universe has signed partnerships with BMG, Kobalt, Warner Music Group, and Cooking Vinyl.
The Stockholm- and London-based company has also secured investment from backers including ABBA‘s Björn Ulvaeus, Max Martin‘s company MxM, and the RMV studio team, led by Ludvig Andersson, son of Ulvaeus’ ABBA bandmate Benny Andersson.
MAIA did not disclose the size of the investment in its announcement on Monday (October 19).
The BMG deal covers both publishing and recordings, while Kobalt has signed for publishing.
Warner Music Group and Cooking Vinyl have signed for recordings.
The agreements add to deals, reported by MBW in June 2025, with Sony Music Publishing UK, Sony Music UK, and WMG’s publishing arm, Warner Chappell.
MAIA says it now holds agreements with more than 200 labels and 90 publishing partners.
The company claims that this puts it “on its way to representing one of the most comprehensive catalogs available through any single sync licensing destination.”
Around 10,000 tracks are being added to the platform’s sync discovery engine every week, according to the company.
MAIA has also been appointed by the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society (MCPS) as a partner in the UK society’s enhanced operating model.
“Sync is one of the fastest-growing opportunities for songwriters and artists today,” said David Wille, CEO of MAIA Universe. “It offers both revenue and potential breakthrough moments that can transform careers.
“The velocity of sync requests has increased in line with demand. Intuitive technology is needed to ensure that human artists and songwriters can participate in this exciting, multifaceted and lucrative space.
“The velocity of sync requests has increased in line with demand. Intuitive technology is needed to ensure that human artists and songwriters can participate in this exciting, multifaceted and lucrative space.”
David Wille, MAIA Universe
“By combining our patents pending proprietary technology with major and indie rights holders and now the MCPS we can make sync licensing faster, simpler and more rewarding for thousands of songwriters and artists who create brilliant emotive new music. It’s a huge vote of confidence in what we’ve built, and a big step towards making MAIA the destination of choice for sync licensing.”
MCPS, part of the MPA Group, unveiled the new operating model at its Annual Rightsholder Meeting on September 24.
From early 2027, MCPS will contract directly with ICE Services, the licensing hub established by GEMA, PRS for Music, and STIM, for multi-territory digital licensing. MCPS will also work with the Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO) on international licensing and collections.
PRS for Music, which has worked alongside MCPS for 30 years, will remain a core strategic partner.
Under the model, MAIA will handle automated sync licensing – covering advertising, film, and video games, among other uses – for MCPS members who choose to mandate their sync rights to the society.
Participation will be optional for members, according to the MPA, and MCPS will keep offering its own direct sync licensing for repertoire not placed on the platform.
MAIA says the MCPS pilot will launch in early 2027, with a broader rollout to members to follow during the year.
“Our newly enhanced operating model will cost-effectively bring together MCPS’s expanded internal capabilities with the expertise of ICE Services, IMRO and MAIA Universe, while building on our longstanding valued strategic partnership with PRS for Music.”
Paul Clements, Mechanical Copyright Protection Society
MCPS has 47,000 members and distributed GBP £219.9 million in mechanical royalties in 2025, according to the MPA.
“The market for mechanical rights continues to evolve quickly, creating significant and exciting opportunities for our members,” said Paul Clements, CEO of MCPS, when the model was announced. “Our newly enhanced operating model will cost-effectively bring together MCPS’s expanded internal capabilities with the expertise of ICE Services, IMRO and MAIA Universe, while building on our longstanding valued strategic partnership with PRS for Music.”
MAIA said in its announcement that the spread of social video platforms, together with demand for new content, has “fundamentally transformed how brands, studios, and independent creators source and monetise music rights.”
Citing an analysis of Goldman Sachs‘ 2025 Music in the Air report, MAIA says commercial sync revenues are expected to rise from USD $2.5 billion in 2026 to $3.9 billion in 2035. Goldman published the 2026 edition of the report last week.
According to IFPI’s Global Music Report 2026, global recorded music sync revenues fell 2.0% YoY in 2025, to USD $641 million.
The decline followed four consecutive years of sync growth, according to IFPI, whose figures cover wholesale recorded music revenues only.
MxM‘s first investment in MAIA came in 2025, as part of a EUR €1 million (around USD $1.1 million) funding round.
In a statement at the time, MxM said it backed MAIA “in their mission to democratise sync and deliver opportunities and value to songwriters and artists of all genres and sizes.”Music Business Worldwide
