Touch Tones Music

Touch Tones Music is the publishing arm of Tummy Touch Music Group, a London-based group that includes record labels, a music publishing company, a production music company, and an artist and catalogue management division. Touch Tones publishes for independent labels including Aficionado Recordings, Bastard Jazz Recordings, and Claremont 56, and holds a strategic partnership with RAK Music (connected to Mickie Most's RAK Records, RAK Recording Studios, and RAK Mastering). The catalog has been placed in major motion pictures, global brand campaigns, and top-selling video game titles. Best suited for independent labels and artists in electronic, soul, funk, disco, and world music seeking a publisher with international reach.

Submission and Application Details

Touch Tones Music does not run an open submission portal. Artists and labels interested in publishing representation should contact the sync department directly through the Touch Tones website. There is no application fee. You need to demonstrate catalog value, meaning you should have a body of released work with clear copyright ownership.

The company describes itself as having a high ratio of employees per copyright, which means they can focus more time on individual artists. This also means they accept fewer clients.

How Touch Tones Music Works

Touch Tones operates as a pro-active indie publisher within the Tummy Touch Music Group structure. The company manages copyright administration, royalty collection, and sync licensing for its published works.

The process works as follows:

1. Label and artist publishing: Touch Tones publishes music for independent labels and individual artists. The company handles copyright administration, royalty collection, and sync licensing.
2. Sync pitching: The creative sales department places songs with music supervisors, ad agencies, film studios, and game developers. The team pitches for advertisements, films, trailers, and other media.
3. Free music searches: Touch Tones offers free, fast music searches for supervisors. Provide a brief and the sync department will search the catalog and return options.
4. Diverse catalog: The catalog spans electronic, indie, soul, funk, disco, world, and dance music. This diversity comes from representing multiple independent labels with distinct sounds.
5. Group structure: As part of Tummy Touch Music Group, Touch Tones has sister divisions in records, production music, and artist management. This creates cross-divisional opportunities for sync placements.
6. RAK partnership: The strategic partnership with RAK Music gives Touch Tones access to classic 1970s and 1980s repertoire from one of the UK's foremost publishers of that era.

Real-World Example

A music supervisor needs a funk track for a video game soundtrack. They email the Touch Tones sync department with a brief. The team searches the catalog (which includes works from Bastard Jazz Recordings and other labels) and returns 5 funk tracks within 48 hours. The supervisor selects one. The sync fee for a video game use typically ranges from $1,000 to $5,000 depending on the game's budget and distribution. Touch Tones clears the publishing rights, and the label clears the master rights separately if they are not controlled by the same party.

Why It Matters for Independent Artists

• Independent label focus: Touch Tones publishes for independent labels, not major label catalogs. If you run an indie label or release music independently, this publisher understands that world.
• Genre fit: The catalog leans toward electronic, soul, funk, disco, and world music. If you produce in these genres, Touch Tones has relevant supervisor contacts.
• Free search service: The company offers free music searches for supervisors. This lowers the barrier for supervisors to explore the catalog, increasing placement opportunities.
• International publishing partners: Touch Tones has an international network of publishing partners, allowing them to collect royalties globally without relying on a single collection society.
• RAK partnership: Access to RAK's classic 70s and 80s catalogue adds depth and historical repertoire to the publishing offering.

Drawbacks / Things to Consider

• Dissolved UK entity: The UK limited company Touch Tones Music Limited (company number 04448020) was dissolved on July 2, 2019, according to Companies House. The website remains active, suggesting operations continue under a different entity within Tummy Touch Music Group. Verify the current corporate status and which legal entity you would be signing with before entering any agreement.
• No open submissions: Touch Tones does not run a public submission portal. You must contact the sync department directly and demonstrate catalog value.
• Limited public information: The company does not disclose its fee structure, catalog size, or specific placement history in detail. You must request this information directly.
• Niche genre focus: Touch Tones specializes in electronic, soul, funk, disco, and world music. If you produce mainstream pop, rock, or hip-hop, this publisher is not the right fit.
• Small operation: As part of an independent group, Touch Tones has limited bandwidth compared to major publishers. Active pitching capacity is constrained by team size.
• No contact email or phone listed: The company does not publicly list a contact email or phone number. You must use the website contact form, which slows communication.

Related Resources

• Sync Licensing Companies Directory
• How to Get Your First Sync License
• Music Licensing Agreements: Types, Terms, and Red Flags
• Use our Sync Licensing Fee Calculator to evaluate whether a placement offer is fair
• Visit Touch Tones Music for inquiries