Whether you need a sweet jingle for your startup demo video, sounds for your game, or a smooth and sexy opening for your podcast, it makes sense to pool the crowd and reward the best one. 99designs proved the concept for graphic design, but the demand for unique audio is growing as more and more people are building richer content.
Helsinki and San Francisco-based AudioDraft is going big with their platform, providing a number of ways for audio designers to monetize. They offer a 99designs-like contest platform, as well as a “stock photo” style marketplace to pick up unique sound waves.
The company seems to be making a decent amount of money from its platform for sourcing audio, and just raised $400,000 led by 500 Startups and Promus Ventures. TechCrunch reports that they’re making enough money to sustain themselves, and they’ll use the additional funding for new hires in San Fransisco and Helsinki.
They recently shared some nice numbers, claiming over 20,000 sound designers using their platform. This is balanced out by around 1000 customers, which have included author Tim Ferris and companies like Nokia and Red Bull Media House.
1000 customers might not sound massive, but the average cost per commission is about $1,200 with Audiodraft taking 10% with a $99 listing fee. That being said, it seems like there will be plenty of room in this new market for them to make some noise.
