Non-Stop Music is an American production music library founded in October 1981 by Randy Thornton and Bryan Hofheins in Salt Lake City, Utah. The company was acquired by Warner/Chappell Music in August 2007 and now operates as part of Warner Chappell Production Music. Non-Stop built its reputation on trailer music for major Hollywood films and commercial jingles for national brands. The company operates its own recording studio, LA East, in Salt Lake City, and maintains offices in New York, Los Angeles, and London.
How Non-Stop Music Works
Non-Stop Music provides three main services: catalog licensing, custom scoring, and original composition.
- Catalog licensing: Clients search the Non-Stop catalog through the Warner Chappell Production Music platform. The catalog includes tens of thousands of tracks originally produced for film, television, advertising, and corporate use. Tracks are pre-cleared and available for needledrop or blanket licensing.
- Custom scoring: Non-Stop produces original music for film trailers, television theme songs, corporate films, and commercial jingles through its creative services division. The company draws on a stable of musicians and composers from its Salt Lake City recording complex.
- Original composition: The company has historically composed music for specific client briefs, including trailer scores for major studio releases and brand jingles for national advertising campaigns.
Licensing operates through two models:
- Needledrop (per-use): Clients pay per track per use. Fees depend on usage type (broadcast, digital, streaming, corporate), project scope, and territory.
- Blanket licensing: Clients pay for access to a range of tracks over a specified period. Suitable for high-volume content producers like television networks and digital media companies.
Real-World Example
A trailer house needs orchestral action music for a summer blockbuster trailer. They search the Non-Stop catalog through Warner Chappell PM, find a cinematic orchestral track that fits the brief, and license it for theatrical trailer use, worldwide, for 12 months. The needledrop fee is negotiated based on the film's distribution scope.
For artists in the Non-Stop catalog, a trailer placement generates a sync fee split (typically 50/50) plus performance royalties when the trailer airs on broadcast television. The artist collects the writer's share through their PRO, while Warner Chappell collects the publisher's share.
Use our sync licensing fee calculator to estimate costs for different placement scenarios.
Why It Matters for Independent Artists
Non-Stop Music has a long track record in the production music industry. Its trailer music has appeared in campaigns for films like Armageddon and The Perfect Storm, and its commercial work includes jingles for Nike and Acura. As part of Warner Chappell Production Music, Non-Stop tracks benefit from Warner's global distribution and client relationships.
Key considerations for composers:
- Warner Chappell ecosystem: Non-Stop operates within Warner Chappell Production Music, which includes other labels such as 615 Music and Carlin Production Music. Composers may get exposure across multiple labels in the Warner family.
- Professional studio access: Non-Stop's LA East recording studio in Salt Lake City is a professional facility. Composers working with Non-Stop may have access to high-quality recording resources.
- Trailer music specialization: Non-Stop has a strong track record in trailer music. Composers who specialize in cinematic, high-impact orchestral scoring will find the best fit here.
- PRO registration required: Composers must be members of a performing rights organization (ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC) to collect performance royalties. Warner Chappell collects the publisher's share. Read our guide on PROs to choose the right one.
- Production standards: Non-Stop maintains professional quality standards. All submissions must be broadcast-ready with proper metadata, clean mixes, and consistent loudness levels. Review our guide to creating music for sync licensing for production standards.
Potential Drawbacks / Things to Consider
- Corporate ownership: Non-Stop is fully owned by Warner Music Group through Warner Chappell. Composers have no ownership stake in the library. All rights are assigned to Warner Chappell under standard production music contracts.
- No direct submission portal: Non-Stop does not have an open submission process on its website. Composers must contact Warner Chappell PM directly or through industry connections. This creates a barrier to entry for new composers.
- Salt Lake City location: While the company has offices in New York, LA, and London, its main recording studio is in Salt Lake City. Composers expecting a LA or New York studio experience may need to adjust expectations.
- Limited transparency on fees: Warner Chappell PM does not publicly publish needledrop rates. All pricing is negotiated per project, making it difficult for composers to estimate their potential earnings upfront.
- Catalog age: Some of Non-Stop's catalog dates back to the 1980s and 1990s. While the company continues to produce new music, music supervisors seeking cutting-edge contemporary styles may look elsewhere.
Ownership History
- 1981: Founded by Randy Thornton and Bryan Hofheins in Salt Lake City, Utah
- Early 1990s: Began releasing library music CDs alongside custom client work
- August 2007: Acquired by Warner/Chappell Music (WMG's publishing arm)
- Post-2007: Became part of Warner Chappell Production Music division, which also acquired Carlin Production Music and 615 Music
Fee Structure and Artist Compensation
Non-Stop Music operates within Warner Chappell Production Music's fee structure. Sync fees are negotiated per project based on usage type, territory, and duration. Composers under contract receive a share of licensing revenue, with the specific split determined by their individual agreement.
Composers earn two revenue streams:
- Sync fee share: A percentage of the negotiated licensing fee, paid by Warner Chappell PM
- Performance royalties: Paid directly by the composer's PRO for broadcast placements
Use our sync licensing fee calculator to estimate potential earnings from different placement types.
Company Type and Licensing Model
Non-Stop Music is a production music library and custom scoring company. It operates as a division of Warner Chappell Production Music (WCPM), which is the production music arm of Warner Chappell Music and part of Warner Music Group. The company provides three services: catalog licensing, custom scoring, and original composition.
The licensing model combines two approaches:
- Needledrop (per-use): Clients pay per track per use. Fees depend on usage type (broadcast, digital, streaming, corporate), project scope, and territory. This model suits one-off projects or occasional licensing needs.
- Blanket licensing: Clients pay for access to a range of tracks over a specified period. This model suits high-volume content producers like television networks and digital media companies that need frequent music access.
Non-Stop does not operate a subscription platform or royalty-free marketplace. All licensing goes through Warner Chappell PM's infrastructure, and pricing is negotiated per project rather than published publicly.
Catalog Size and Genre Coverage
Non-Stop Music built a library of over 35,000 song titles at the time of its 2007 acquisition by Warner/Chappell. Since then, the catalog has grown as part of WCPM, which represents 135,000+ unique tracks across 120+ catalogs and releases over 350 new albums each year. WCPM employs 142 people across 25 countries.
The Non-Stop catalog covers orchestral, rock, pop, electronic, cinematic, and trailer music genres. Specific sub-labels within Non-Stop include the Non-Stop Premiere series (cinematic and adventure music), Non-Stop Producer Series (hybrid trailer music), and Non-Stop Outrageous Publishing. The catalog is particularly known for trailer music, with placements in campaigns for films including Pirates of the Caribbean, Shrek 3, The Simpsons, Transformers, Armageddon, and The Perfect Storm.
Client Base
Non-Stop Music's clients span film, television, advertising, and corporate media. Through WCPM, recent clients include:
- Film studios: Universal Studios, Disney+, Warner Brothers Pictures
- TV networks and streamers: HBO, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, ESPN, NBC, ABC, FOX
- Sports leagues: MLB (Major League Baseball)
- Gaming: EA Games
- Advertising agencies: BBDO, VMLY&R, Wieden + Kennedy
- Corporate clients: Accenture, Buzzfeed
- Historical brand clients: Nike, Acura
Trailer houses are a specific client segment. Non-Stop's trailer music has been used in campaigns for major studio releases, and the company's custom scoring division produces original trailer scores on a project basis.
How They Pay Artists
Composers under contract with Non-Stop Music (through Warner Chappell PM) earn two revenue streams:
- Sync fee share: A percentage of the negotiated licensing fee for each placement. The split is typically 50/50 between the composer and Warner Chappell PM, though the exact percentage depends on the individual agreement.
- Performance royalties: Paid directly by the composer's PRO (ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC) for broadcast placements. Warner Chappell collects the publisher's share, and the composer collects the writer's share.
Non-Stop does not pay upfront fees to composers for contributing tracks to the library. Composers assign rights to Warner Chappell under standard production music contracts. There is no ownership stake for composers in the library itself. All rights are transferred to Warner Chappell, which means composers earn from sync fees and performance royalties but do not retain copyright control.
For custom scoring projects, composers are paid on a work-for-hire basis with fees negotiated per project based on scope, media, territory, and term.
Comparison Table
| Feature | Non-Stop Music | Extreme Music | Killer Tracks | Megatrax |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parent company | Warner Chappell PM (WMG) | Sony Music Publishing | Universal Production Music | Independent |
| Catalog size | Part of WCPM's 135,000+ tracks | Large catalog across multiple labels | Part of UPM's catalog | 25,000+ tracks |
| Licensing model | Needledrop + blanket | Needledrop + blanket | Needledrop + blanket | Needledrop + blanket |
| Specialty | Trailer music, orchestral | Production music across genres | Production music across genres | Production music across genres |
| Custom scoring | Yes (LA East studio) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Composer payment | Sync fee share + PRO royalties | Sync fee share + PRO royalties | Sync fee share + PRO royalties | Sync fee share + PRO royalties |
| Best for | Trailer and cinematic placements | Broad production music needs | Broad production music needs | Budget-conscious productions |
Videos
Similar Sync Licensing Companies
- Warner Chappell PM - Parent division of Non-Stop Music, representing 120+ production music catalogs
- Killer Tracks - Universal Production Music's production music library with broad genre coverage
- Megatrax - Independent production music library with 25,000+ tracks
- Extreme Music - Sony Music Publishing's production music division
Related Resources
- How to Get Your First Sync License - Complete walkthrough for beginners
- Sync Licensing Companies vs Music Libraries - Comparing different licensing models
- Music Licensing Agreements: Types, Terms, and Red Flags - What to watch for before signing
- Library Music and Production Music for Passive Income - How production music libraries pay composers
- Sync Licensing Fee Calculator - Estimate licensing costs for different usage types
- Warner Chappell Production Music - Browse the Non-Stop catalog and licensing options
