Levelling the playing field: ClicknClear’s music licensing platform for sports

The concept

ClicknClear is a music licensing platform designed to provide legally licensed music for performance sports teams such as cheerleading, gymnastics and figure skating.

The company is the brainchild of Chantal Epp, a former world-champion cheerleader who also happened to work in the music licensing industry and saw a critical need for legally licensed music in performance sports after witnessing the challenges teams faced with unlicensed music. That need was further highlighted by a lawsuit between a major record label and the cheerleading industry.

I started the company, or the idea of the company, in 2016 after a lawsuit …between a major label and cheerleading. At the time, I was working in music licensing for a company that was founded by Peter Gabriel from Genesis. I was also a world-champion cheerleader and had a music production company that made mixes for cheerleading and other sports. So, when my sport was sued, I was perfectly placed to create a solution to the problem.

– Chantal Epp FRSA, Founder and CEO of ClicknClear

Her unique combination of skills made her the ideal candidate to create a solution that not only addresses the legal risks but also adds value to the sports teams.

The platform

In a crowded market of rights management and licensing, ClicknClear sets itself apart with its niche focus on performance sports. The platform ensures teams comply with copyright laws, offering a simple, one-stop solution for licensing music that enhances their routines. They work directly with record labels and music publishers to clear the specialist rights required and have built unique technology from rights management, licensing verification and audio mixing. Sports teams can instantly license music and tackle copyright infringement.

Company growth

Despite some early challenges, including a lack of investment knowledge, a government-backed start-up loan helped set the business on the right course. They have built a loyal customer base and expanded the team. The company’s growth has continued with grants from Innovate UK’s Create Growth Programme, a DCMS-funded initiative delivered by Innovate UK, and Women in Innovation, allowing them to develop a license verification system now used in major sporting events.

Investor partnerships

A pivotal moment in ClicknClear’s trajectory came with securing a strategic investor partnership through the Create Growth Programme. This partnership not only provided essential financial support but also opened doors to new markets and industry connections. This partnership helped ClicknClear navigate complex legal landscapes and offered expertise that significantly accelerated the company’s growth.

Chantal’s journey has been characterised by a steady increase in the complexity and scale of funding received, demonstrating the platform’s growth trajectory and solidifying its position as a key player in the creative industries. Without the Create Growth Programme fund and Investor Partnership, Chantal wouldn’t have been able to build out her platform and go on to gain a market share.

We’ve now got global deals with the International Gymnastics Federation, the International Skating Union and a major sporting partner who runs some of the biggest events in the sporting calendar. They are using our technology to help identify any issues around music, copyright and licensing and we help them instantly license their music so that they are safe to use it for their routines.

– Chantal Epp FRSA, Founder and CEO of ClicknClear

The future

ClicknClear’s development is an illustration of how funding from Innovate UK can be pivotal in giving investors confidence and how grant-funding can leverage private sector investment. Create Growth Programme has helped to focus investors’ attention on the creative sector and initiatives such as Investor Partnerships allowed ClicknClear to develop relationships with investors that have borne fruit. The company has a solid foundation on which to build, allowing it to enhance its technology and to grow.