How the Music Industry Is Still Stuck in the Past—And How We Fix It
Adaelo is redefining music licensing—giving musicians the power to license their work directly from their own record label to a marketplace of filmmakers, advertisers, and creators.
In 6th grade, we were assigned topics to present in a science fair. Mine was Thomas Edison. I was fascinated by Edison’s work—we had ties to the state of New Jersey and both enjoyed experimenting just to see what would happen. My parents went along with it, but they had one instruction: include Lewis Latimer in the project.
While Edison is often credited with inventing the incandescent lightbulb, early versions had filaments that burned out quickly. Latimer, working for Edison, improved the lightbulb by inventing a longer-lasting carbon filament, significantly extending its life and making it more practical for widespread use.
Though both individuals became strong symbols in my mind, music became my primary focus and remained at the forefront for the next two and a half decades. I built a career writing for chamber groups, orchestras, and films, striving to create music that left a lasting imprint—moviegoers would leave the theater whistling my melodies, while I aimed to accept Pulitzers and GRAMMYs and travel the world giving masterclasses.
With this in mind, I started uploading my music to Spotify and other DSPs, hoping to make the kind of impact I had always envisioned. However, I quickly noticed a series of challenges:
The cost to distribute music often exceeded what artists could earn in royalties, making it nearly impossible to recoup their investment.
Filmmakers and advertisers faced high costs, complex licensing terms, and limited selection when sourcing music—existing solutions favored major catalogs or relied on intermediaries that took significant cuts, leaving independent creators underserved.
Adaelo’s Artist profile
The light bulb—(pardon the pun)—for invention came on once again. What if there were a marketplace where you could directly license the music you just heard? What if your payment went straight to the artist who created it? This could mean musicians earning more than the $0.003 per stream royalty rate. After testing this concept with two collaborators—a filmmaker and a music producer—the idea for Adaelo began to take shape.
Despite all the technology designed to simplify our lives, the music industry remains frustratingly complex. Adaelo changes that by offering a platform that feels natural and familiar—combining the best elements of social media, streaming services, and dating apps to make music discovery and licensing effortless.
Licensees can explore an artist’s profile, listen to their work, and license tracks directly. And for those who just want to browse and discover something unexpected, we’ve created SoundFinder—like a dating app, but for your ears—helping you find the perfect musical match with a simple swipe.
SoundFinder is like a dating app for your ears—swipe through tracks, discover new music, and find the perfect sound for your project in seconds
I kept writing music, but instead of making a difference the way John Williams had, my attention shifted back to the innovative spirit of Edison and Latimer. I realized I could create a more significant impact as a founder. While we have much more planned for Adaelo, our first step is opening it to the public to build a music catalog—putting independent artists’ work directly in front of those ready to pay for it. Adaelo, my new experiment, is a modern filament designed to illuminate the paths of independent artists everywhere, ensuring they are fairly compensated and creatively empowered.
You can join Adaelo’s waitlist at adaelo.com.