The founding members of Beatport, AM Only, Side 3 Recordings and Sacred Society have joined forces to establish Sacred Society Music Group (SSMG), an ambient record label that releases music exclusively in Dolby Atmos.
SSMG has introduced a collection of over 55 tracks and more than six hours of immersive content, accessible on its website and distributed across digital service providers like Spotify and Apple Music globally, according to a press release.
Describing their offering, SSMG said: “Picture yourself in a meditation dome within a yoga studio, enveloped by nature sounds of chirping birds and waterfalls completely surrounding you overhead. Now imagine indulging in a spa massage, soothed by the gentle patter of raindrops cascading around you in 360 degrees with an ancient flute serenading you.”
Embracing Dolby Atmos, SSMG has set up a studio tailored for the surround sound technology. SSMG noted, citing Billboard, that less than 5% of recording studios in the US are equipped to produce in Dolby Atmos, and very few focus on the ambient music genre.
“We’ve dedicated ourselves to perfecting the ambient genre in Dolby Atmos technology… Mastery of this technology necessitated exhaustive hours of learning, ideation, and tireless engineering, putting Sacred Society Music Group in a league of its own.”
Bradley Roulier, Sacred Society Music Group
“We’ve dedicated ourselves to perfecting the ambient genre in Dolby Atmos technology. Years of meticulous development birthed a state-of-the-art studio tailored specifically for Dolby Atmos, a testament to our passion for elevating soundscapes. Mastery of this technology necessitated exhaustive hours of learning, ideation, and tireless engineering, putting Sacred Society Music Group in a league of its own,” said Sacred Society Music Group’s Co-Founder Bradley Roulier.
Roulier co-founded Beatport in 2003 and sold it to SFX Entertainment, now known as Livestyle, for $60 million in 2013, according to his LinkedIn page.
The SSMG website, SacredSocietyMusic.com, features a library of tracks and playlists with a metadata and tagging system for better user experience. Users can explore tracks based on genres, sound waves/frequencies, and time of day, enhancing personalization.
“Every track engineered is crafted with a dedication to deliver an unforgettable auditory encounter,” the SSMG team said.
SSMG’s founders comprise A&R professionals, wellness experts, producers, engineers, and entrepreneurs. The new company says it is “guided by the philosophy that pioneered beatport.com,” which harnesses genres and time of day to curate tailored content.
While Dolby Atmos adoption faces challenges, SSMG is confident that it’s only a matter of time before major platforms embrace this technology fully. With industry giants like Apple, Netflix, Amazon, and Tidal already on board, SSMG said “the landscape is poised for a paradigm shift.”
“Our conviction stems from believing that Dolby Atmos delivers an incomparable listening journey,” said Roulier.
SSMG also aims to capitalize on the growing market for ambient music in promoting a healthy lifestyle. Data from Introspective Market Research suggests that the global market for ambient music could surge to $3.21 billion by 2030 from $1.8 billion in 2022, with a steady compound annual growth rate of 7.5% from 2023 to 2030.
Back in July, AI music app Boomy revealed that its app has created 14.4 million tracks including lo-fi, ambient and chill music genres. Big record labels have also ventured into ambient music for the wellness sector. Last year, Universal Music Group partnered with generative AI sound wellness startup Endel to create what they call “AI-powered, artist-driven functional music.”
Music Business Worldwide
