A Year of Sound Success: Twelve Decibels, from Vision to Industry Impact
Independent music supervision and licensing agency Twelve Decibels started just over a year ago, and has already firmly established itself as a force to be reckoned with in the creative industries.
Founded by industry veterans Daniel Payne, Matt Lee, and Ellie Donohue, the London-based agency combines decades of experience in music, sync, licensing, and A&R, to deliver authentic, award-winning work. Today, due to its ethos rooted in collaboration, Twelve Decibels has successfully earned itself a reputation for infusing their creative passion with sharp operational precision, all while working with artists, composers, and right holders to bring projects to life.
From navigating the turbulent early days of a startup business, to producing projects like WWF’s ‘In Hot Water’ and ‘Up In Smoke’, the first one featuring music from Leftfield and Radiohead, this independent shop’s first year has been nothing short of remarkable. The inertia gained from the projects brought an array of accolades, including a spot in the MOMA permanent collection – a testament to Twelve Decibels’ ability to align storytelling with sonic excellence.
As the company looks ahead, plans for growth and exploration into new areas of music supervision and licensing are already being made. With fresh talent joining the team and high-profile projects, including a Škoda Elroq campaign and orchestral recordings at Abbey Road Studios, Twelve Decibels is poised to continue setting new standards in the industry – proving that when it comes to music, they know exactly where to turn up the volume.
Today, co-founder Matt Lee sits down with LBB’s Zoe Antonov to reflect on the journey so far, sharing insights into the agency’s formation, the lessons learned, and the ambitions driving them forward.
LBB> Let’s start by talking about what inspired the creation of Twelve Decibels, and how the team came together.
Matt> The three of us had known each other for many years, Daniel even mentored me at the start of my music supervision career. This shared history has been crucial in understanding how well we work together, each bringing something different to the table.
However, it was our shared values and ambitions that truly inspired the idea to create our own music supervision company – each of us had separate, as well as mutual, working histories and this gave us the inspiration and passion to want to bring new elements to our company. A desire to collaborate openly with like-minded individuals, create a unique culture, and set new industry standards in working with both suppliers and clients.
LBB> Can you share some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned from your collective experience in music supervision, licensing, and A&R?
Matt> Over the years I’ve definitely learned the distinction between merely performing the tasks of a music supervisor and providing truly exceptional service to clients. Working in the creative industries sector, our clients bring so much creativity to each project, and we’ve experienced first-hand how proper collaboration can produce outstanding work.
I’ve also learned that delivering an excellent service is more than just creative talent; attention to detail and being consistently reliable in all aspects of music supervision are crucial for fostering long-term relationships, e.g. the systems we have in place to ensure the client gets to use the track they have fallen in love with also give rights holders the confidence and ability to get tracks cleared quickly.
LBB> Looking back at your first year, what were some of the key goals you set for yourselves, and how did you work to achieve them?
Matt> Our main goal was to finish our first year as an established and sustainable company. The first year for a music supervision agency is often quite turbulent with many natural ebbs and flows so it was vital we navigated these to have a strong opening year. I’m pleased to report that we smashed this target and ended the year in a position to start 2025 with plans to expand and bring in new creative talent, which is incredibly exciting!
LBB> Collaboration is clearly a huge part of what you do—how do you approach working with artists, composers, and rights holders to create authentic and impactful projects?
Matt> We love our suppliers! It’s important to us that everyone we work with feels like a part of a collective all working towards the same goal. Our process means we work closely with everyone involved in a project, and this collaborative approach extends to every aspect of the job. For example we approach the creative and licensing aspects as equally important, from clear and water-tight licensing paperwork, to detailed creative briefs – if everyone knows what they’re doing then everyone’s happy! From a creative perspective being flexible to how each of our suppliers like to work is also hugely important. We always work closely with creators and offer our guidance. I really enjoy finding the best way to click with each of them.
LBB> The WWF project was a major highlight for you this year. Can you walk us through how that collaboration came about and what made it such a special experience?
Matt> It was a huge highlight indeed! The collaboration started with us being fans of the work produced by animation agency Nomint. Their previous WWF films focusing on ice and fire were both stunning and powerful, so we had to reach out to connect. This led to our first project together where we re-recorded a Billie Eilish track with a wonderful choir for the WWF film ‘Up In Smoke’.
The latest film ‘In Hot Water’ saw us work with both Leftfield and Radiohead, as well as the fantastic audio company Sine Audio to elevate the music and sound again. With each project we’ve challenged ourselves to keep up with the brilliant creative mind of the film’s director Yannis and we can’t wait for more.
Each film picked up multiple awards, with last year’s ‘Up In Smoke’ picking up dozens, including being featured in the MOMA permanent collection! On top of all this, beautiful creativity is a hugely motivational cause. It was truly an honour helping spread the important message, particularly as each film premiers at COP each year.
LBB> What have been some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced so far, and how have you navigated them?
Matt> For me, the biggest challenge has been the transition from freelance music supervisor to business owner. We all had to learn about things like SEO, social media management and website design pretty quickly, but that’s also been the fun of it… I think my skillset has broadened more in the last 12 months than it has in the last five years!
LBB> How do you see Twelve Decibels evolving in the next few years? Are there any new areas of music supervision and licensing you’re particularly excited to explore?
Matt> As previously mentioned, we’ve started this year hiring so already we’re seeing the company change and grow which is incredibly exciting. Growing in terms of building a team and working with new and interesting clients and brands is one of our main goals for the next few years. We also have some key areas of growth in both the licensing and creative areas that we’re excited about in the future that will hopefully see the company growing even faster!
LBB> With the music industry constantly changing, how do you stay ahead of trends and adapt to new opportunities?
Matt> Staying ahead of trends in the music industry is something we are deeply passionate about. Firstly, keeping up with new music is a part of the job that never feels like a chore. Our love for music is at the heart of everything we do, and this passion drives us to stay updated with the latest releases and emerging artists.
Secondly, our strong relationships with rights holders is something we always lean into and we’re regularly discussing developments in technology, advertising, and industry trends which help identify opportunities. Advancements in AI have been a big topic recently, and by leveraging and understanding these technologies, we can stay ahead of the curve and adapt to the ever-evolving landscape of the music industry, especially where copyright is involved.
LBB> What’s a dream project or collaboration you’d love to take on in the future?
Matt> We’ve just come back from a brilliant recording session at Abbey Road for an upcoming project and we had the privilege of recording with an incredible orchestra. It was incredible being in the same room that albums like Revolver and Dark Side Of The Moon were recorded. We have some projects coming up this year where a full symphonic score could be in order and so working with one of the major film composers would be the dream for sure. Someone like Trent Reznor or Johnny Greenwood would be hard to top!
LBB> Finally, what has been your most recent exciting endeavour and what’s next for Twelve Decibels? Any exciting projects or initiatives on the horizon?
Matt> We recently wrapped on a brilliant composition job for the new Škoda Elroq campaign.
This project required us to create the sound of Elroq across five distinct scripts, each featuring a different character.
Each character has been beautifully animated and includes a chipmunk, a hummingbird, even a snowdrop and cloud script that each needed their own musical identity. This was an example in sonic branding where music plays a key role in linking all the scripts under one cohesive campaign sound.
Aside from this we have some exciting collabs underway that we’re in the process of working through as well as a beautiful campaign that we’ve just recorded an orchestra for that we cannot wait to share in the coming months!
