The world's largest independent production music library, Sonoton Music, is opening its 400,000-track catalogue directly to A-list producers through an invite-only curation service called Sample People.
The production music giant is launching Sample People, an invite-only VIP service that’ll curate its six-decade catalogue specifically for leading producers looking for the perfect loop. Sample People will be like having your very own librarian with access to over 400,000 tracks from 12,000 composers, all neatly packaged and ready to flip.
Members will get curated playlists, easy sample clearance, and pre-sorted loops that are already timed and quantised—basically removing all the tedious groundwork that eats into studio time. The service complements Sonoton’s existing sync work, which includes stems from all 100-plus albums the company releases annually, plus around 7,000 tracks from the past five years.
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“The ultimate aim is to reframe the narrative of Sonoton from sometimes being seen as a dusty, old German music library into a high-quality, sophisticated and forward-thinking company,” says CEO Alex Black, who joined in 2021 after serving as Global Director of EMI Production Music.
Founded in 1965 by composer Gerhard Narholz and his wife Heidi, Sonoton has quietly become one of production music’s best-kept secrets. Its catalogue includes recordings from legends like Horst Jankowski and Nelson Riddle, while its current roster features six-time GRAMMY nominee Julia Michaels, who co-wrote Justin Bieber’s “Sorry” and Selena Gomez’s “Lose You To Love Me”.
Despite placements in Mad Men, The Crown, Bridgerton, Game of Thrones and films like Oppenheimer, Sonoton hasn’t enjoyed the same producer awareness as some competitors. “Sometimes it feels as though Sonoton is hiding in plain sight,” Black admits. “Its catalogue hasn’t been raided by producers and beatmakers to the extent that other libraries have.”
Sample People launches alongside Music Ventures, a new division housing a record label and commercial publishing company. Sonoton has partnered with British label Be With Records to reissue classic library albums and release contemporary work, including Daniel O’Sullivan’s Eros and Greg Foat’s Interstellar Fantasy.
Two Diggin’ Sonoton remix albums have already dropped, showcasing the catalogue’s versatility through fresh interpretations by German producers Dexter, DJ Friction and Berlin’s Delfonic.
To mark its 60th anniversary, Sonoton commissioned a 240-page book from Disco Pogo magazine, profiling 60 of its most successful composers and charting the company’s evolution.
Sample People is set to launch in the coming months.
