Rumblefish (HFA)

United States • PortlandFounded 1996

Rumblefish is a rights management and music licensing company headquartered in Portland, Oregon, now operating as part of the Harry Fox Agency (HFA) under SESAC Music Group. Founded in 1996, the company provides licensing, data, and royalty services for publishers, labels, music tech platforms, and creators. Rumblefish handles rights administration for TikTok and CapCut through a deal with ByteDance, and serves over 46,000 music publishing clients.

Contact & HQ

Headquarters

Portland, Oregon

Specializations

Rights Management
Mechanical Licensing
Micro-Licensing
Content ID Administration
Sync Licensing
Data and Royalty Management
Social Media Licensing

Additional Details

Genres

All genres

Submission Process

Rumblefish works primarily with publishers, labels, and music tech platforms rather than individual artists. Publishers and rights holders can partner with HFA/Rumblefish for licensing administration, royalty collection, and rights management services. Contact through the Harry Fox Agency website.

Typical Fee Structure

Service-based fees for rights administration. Percentage-based commission on royalties collected. Licensing fees vary by use case (mechanical, sync, micro-licensing, social media).

Notable Clients

ByteDance (TikTok and CapCut)
YouTube
AMI Entertainment
46,000+ music publishing clients
Social media platforms
Streaming services
Karaoke platforms
AR/VR and AI companies

Rumblefish is a rights management and music licensing company based in Portland, Oregon, now operating as part of the Harry Fox Agency (HFA) under SESAC Music Group. Founded in 1996 by Paul Anthony Troiano, the company originally focused on licensing music for online video and YouTube creators. SESAC acquired Rumblefish in 2014 for approximately $27 million. In 2015, SESAC merged Rumblefish with HFA's Slingshot division, creating a combined rights management platform. As of 2026, HFA/Rumblefish serves over 46,000 music publishing clients and covers more than 1.8 million musical works.

How Rumblefish Works

Rumblefish operates differently from most companies in this directory. It is not a sync licensing agency that pitches independent artists' music to supervisors. Instead, it is a B2B rights management and licensing infrastructure provider that sits between rights holders (publishers, labels) and music users (platforms, apps, social media companies).

The company provides several core services:

Mechanical licensing: Through HFA, the company issues mechanical licenses for physical and digital distribution, including CDs, downloads, ringtones, and streaming.
Micro-licensing: Rumblefish handles high-volume, low-value licensing for platforms that use music at scale (social media, karaoke, background music services).
Content ID administration: The company manages Content ID claims and revenue collection on YouTube and other platforms for rights holders.
Sync and rights administration: Rumblefish processes synchronization licenses for digital platforms and manages the associated royalty distribution.
Data and royalty management: The platform processes royalty data, matches usage to rights holders, and distributes payments.

In June 2025, Rumblefish signed a deal with ByteDance to provide music data, licensing, and royalty management services for TikTok and CapCut. This agreement means Rumblefish acts as the licensing bridge between music publishers and two of the world's largest short-form video platforms.

Who Rumblefish Is For

Rumblefish serves two distinct audiences:

For publishers and labels: HFA/Rumblefish provides licensing administration, royalty collection, and rights management at scale. If you are a music publisher with a catalog that generates mechanical royalties, sync fees, or digital performance revenue, HFA/Rumblefish can handle the licensing infrastructure. The platform's reach to over 46,000 publishing clients means it has the largest licensing footprint in the United States for mechanical rights.

For music tech platforms: Companies that use music at scale (social media apps, streaming services, karaoke platforms, AR/VR companies, AI music companies) can use Rumblefish as a one-stop licensing partner. Instead of negotiating individual deals with thousands of publishers, platforms can license through Rumblefish and access a massive catalog of pre-cleared works.

Individual artists do not typically submit music directly to Rumblefish. Instead, artists benefit indirectly when their publisher or label partners with HFA/Rumblefish for rights administration.

Key Benefits

Scale: With 46,000+ publishing clients and 1.8 million+ works covered, HFA/Rumblefish has the largest licensing footprint among US mechanical rights administrators.
Platform deals: The ByteDance/TikTok deal means publishers working with HFA/Rumblefish can monetize their catalog on TikTok and CapCut without negotiating separately.
Integrated services: The merger of HFA and Rumblefish under SESAC means publishers can get mechanical licensing, sync administration, Content ID management, and royalty processing from a single provider.
SESAC backing: As part of SESAC Music Group, Rumblefish has the financial stability and industry relationships of a major music rights organization.
Technology infrastructure: Rumblefish's RADKey system and data processing tools handle massive-scale licensing and royalty distribution efficiently.

Potential Drawbacks and Things to Consider

Not a direct sync pitching service: Rumblefish does not pitch your music to music supervisors or secure creative placements. If you want someone actively pitching your tracks for film and TV, look at sync licensing agencies like Crucial Music or Bodega Sync instead.
B2B focus: The platform is designed for publishers, labels, and music tech companies. Individual artists cannot submit music directly for sync representation.
SESAC ownership: Rumblefish is owned by SESAC, which is itself a PRO. If you are affiliated with ASCAP or BMI, there is no direct conflict, but some publishers prefer to work with rights administrators that are not owned by a competing PRO.
Complexity of royalty statements: According to industry reporting, royalty statements from media music rights deals can be opaque. Even in 2025, companies in this space still receive generic rolled-up income statements rather than detailed per-use breakdowns.
Website transition: Rumblefish.com now redirects to HarryFox.com. All services and information are consolidated under the HFA brand.

Company Type and Licensing Model

Rumblefish is a B2B rights management and music licensing infrastructure provider. It is not a sync placement agency that pitches artists to music supervisors. Instead, it sits between rights holders (publishers, labels) and music users (platforms, apps, social media companies). The company operates as part of the Harry Fox Agency (HFA) under SESAC Music Group.

The licensing model is service-based. Rumblefish charges percentage-based commissions on royalties collected. Licensing fees vary by use case, including mechanical licensing, micro-licensing, sync administration, and social media licensing. The company does not offer subscription or per-use pricing for individual artists.

Rumblefish handles mechanical licensing, micro-licensing, Content ID administration, sync and rights administration, and data and royalty management. In June 2025, Rumblefish signed a deal with ByteDance to provide licensing services for TikTok and CapCut.

Catalog and Clients

HFA/Rumblefish serves over 46,000 music publishing clients. The platform covers more than 1.8 million musical works across all genres. This represents the largest licensing footprint among US mechanical rights administrators.

Notable clients include ByteDance (TikTok and CapCut), YouTube, and AMI Entertainment. The platform also serves social media platforms, streaming services, karaoke platforms, and AR/VR and AI companies. Individual artists do not submit music directly. They benefit indirectly when their publisher or label partners with HFA/Rumblefish.

Rumblefish was founded in 1996 by Paul Anthony Troiano. SESAC acquired the company in 2014 for approximately $27 million. In 2015, SESAC merged Rumblefish with HFA's Slingshot division.

Payment Structure

Rumblefish uses a service-based fee structure. Publishers and labels pay percentage-based commissions on royalties collected. The exact commission rates vary by service type and agreement terms.

For mechanical licensing through HFA, the company issues licenses and collects royalties on behalf of publishers. For micro-licensing, Rumblefish handles high-volume, low-value licensing for platforms that use music at scale. Revenue is distributed to rights holders after the commission is deducted.

Individual artists do not pay Rumblefish directly. Artists receive payments through their publisher or label, which in turn receives distributions from HFA/Rumblefish. Royalty statements from media music rights deals can be opaque. Some rights holders report receiving generic rolled-up income statements rather than detailed per-use breakdowns.

Comparison: Rumblefish vs Other Sync Licensing Companies

Company	Company Type	Licensing Model	Catalog Size	Exclusivity	Artist Payout	Typical Fee Range
Rumblefish (HFA)	Rights management and licensing infrastructure	Service-based commission on royalties	1.8 million+ works	N/A (B2B service)	Through publisher or label	Varies by use case
Songtradr	Music licensing and rights management platform	Commission-based	500,000+ tracks	Non-exclusive	50% to 70% of sync fee	$50 to $50,000
Audiosocket	Music licensing technology platform	Commission-based	100,000+ tracks	Non-exclusive	50% of sync fee	$20 to $500 per license
Crucial Music	Sync licensing agency	Commission-based	Curated, undisclosed	Non-exclusive	50% to 60% of sync fee	$500 to $10,000