3 major music industry problems, according to experts — and how AIMS can help

At the end of 2024, Synchtank released an eye-opening report based on conversations with music experts across media, broadcast and entertainment. They surfaced several main concerns — three of which AIMS tackles directly.

Let’s unpack those concerns and how AIMS makes them all but disappear.

Communication black holes

One of the most common complaints? Silence. Licensing teams are constantly chasing down labels and publishers at a time when tight deadlines are demanding quick turnarounds. Waiting on inboxes is crippling production timelines.

When an already overworked team’s schedule depends on a reply “by EOD” and they get ghosted for three days instead, it’s not just frustrating. It’s unworkable.

How AIMS helps

The people slow to respond aren’t just taking their time; they’re overwhelmed with requests. That’s the source of the issue, and that’s what AIMS search tackles — by removing the “guesswork stage” of recalling tracks or piecing together the right keywords. 

A full brief pasted into AIMS can get the perfect results, or act as an ideal starting point. 

Clients report up to 90% of saved time per search, cutting out days of wait time and back-and-forth. Teams respond to infinitely more briefs, often with even better, more diverse results — digging up long-lost or never-before-seen gems.

To go one step further, labels and publishers willing (and able) to make their catalogs open to the outside can have AIMS search up and running in a few days.

“I’ve championed AIMS from the beginning. Even the best people can use the tool to work faster and more efficiently, so I’m urging them to use AIMS for every possible search.”

— Ron Mendelsohn, CEO, Megatrax (see case study)

Tech fear: losing control (or worse, the job)

For a lot of music professionals, “AI” is a loaded word. It promises speed and scale, but often sounds like a threat to the people who’ve spent years mastering the work. If you’ve built a career on navigating manual processes, what happens when they’re automated? 

Especially when budgets are tight, it’s fair to worry that this automation could mean being replaced instead of supported.

How AIMS helps

AIMS is built to support the humans doing the creative, strategic, high-impact work. We take the manual, repetitive parts — like clicking through dozens of tracks or second-guessing metadata — and automate them, so you can focus on the work only you can do. 

Only you have the unique musical taste, the full scope of the story you’re telling, the industry relationships, the experience of what makes a track “syncable” across diverse criteria. 

With AIMS in your corner, you get faster, more accurate results, and more space to be the expert. You’re not replaced by AI — you’re backed by it. 

“AI by AIMS, together with the expertise of a music supervisor, is the perfect combination to give great service to all different types of clients and fulfill their needs.”

— Teresa Carbonell, CEO, Konga Music Agency (see case study)

Budget pressure + the search for “good enough”

Tighter budgets mean creative teams are constantly being asked to “find something cheaper.” Music supervisors are under pressure to deliver the same creative impact — just for less money, in less time, with less room to negotiate. It’s a tough spot, especially when rights holders are (rightfully) asking for more.

How AIMS helps

With AIMS, finding the right alternative doesn’t take hours. You can drop in a reference, describe the music you need or what you need it for, and surface soundalikes in seconds — saving time, salvaging budgets and still hitting the brief.

That speed? It’s not just convenient; it’s competitive. You get to keep the quality high and stay within budget. No compromises required.

“We’ve been able to match the level of service you’d mostly expect from a multi-national label — AIMS has helped level the playing field.”

— Scott Pearce, Co-Founder, The Nerve (see case study)

The big picture

The problems are real — but so are the solutions.

AIMS was built for music professionals: sync teams, broadcasters, editors, creatives. We’re here to take the pressure off your plate and help you move with speed and confidence. 

“The industry still runs on great music and talent — it’s just reached unprecedented volume. The only way to meet demand without sacrificing quality is through smarter tech.”

— Einar Helde, Co-founder, AIMS

Interested in how AIMS can work for you? Reach out to us here: https://www.aimsapi.com/book-a-demo