South East Angels backs ClicknClear to fix music licensing for performance sport
South East Angels is pleased to announce its investment in ClicknClear, a music licensing marketplace and compliance platform delivering officially licensed music to choreographed sports and the performing arts worldwide.
Founded by Chantal Epp, ClicknClear addresses a well-established and costly problem: more than 150 million athletes worldwide infringe music copyright every year, because no licensing infrastructure has existed to help them comply. Music ownership is highly fragmented - a single track can require permission from many separate rightsholders, and the sports world needs over one billion specialist licences annually. The consequences are real: cheerleading faced a multi million dollar lawsuit in 2014, figure skating faced high profile infringement claims in 2022, and again at the 2026 Winter Olympics, making global headlines.
ClicknClear's proprietary technology connects music IP owners with IP users through three integrated systems: a rights management database fed directly by record labels and music publishers, a licensing marketplace where athletes can instantly license tracks for their routines, and a compliance system to help sports federations check athletes' licences at scale. Together they form the underlying infrastructure needed for large-scale music micro-licensing - with sport as the proof point.
The company has already signed all major record labels and publishers and thousands of independents, bringing over 50 million copyrights under contract. The majority of its target sports federations are signed to multi-year deals, and its tech is used at major global sporting events.
“Athletes shouldn't have to choose between the music that brings their routine to life and the risk of a lawsuit," said Chantal Epp, Founder & CEO. "We've spent years building the infrastructure that makes licensed music simple for the entire sports ecosystem - from the athlete on the mat to the federation running the event. With South East Angels' support, we are accelerating our licensing solution, expanding our offering and bringing our tech-based solution to millions more athletes worldwide."
"ClicknClear showed us a real problem that needs solving, with technology that can deliver en-masse. Having secured multi-year deals with the major record labels and the biggest sports organisations, Chantal's rare combination of music rights expertise and world-champion sporting pedigree is exactly why this team is succeeding where the industry hasn't. - Jake Fox, Syndicate Lead, South East Angels.
Find out more about ClicknClear. Connect with Chantal Epp.
