In this episode of The Future of Consumer Marketing, host Andres Figueira interviews Paul Sampson, CEO and Co-Founder of Lickd. Lickd revolutionized content creation by building the world’s first mainstream music licensing platform for creators, solving a critical problem that forced millions of YouTube creators to choose between using popular music and monetizing their content. Starting without any major label partnerships in 2016, Paul navigated the complex music industry landscape to eventually secure deals with Universal, BMG, and the top six publishers globally. Through data-driven insights showing 30-150% engagement increases when creators use mainstream music versus stock alternatives, Lickd has grown to serve everyone from emerging creators to MrBeast, while expanding into B2B solutions for major brands like Nike and L’Oreal.

Topics Discussed:

• Building a licensing platform that bypasses YouTube’s copyright detection system

• Navigating the complex web of music rights holders and publishers

• Identifying the right customer segments in creator economy marketing

• Scaling from independent labels to major music industry partnerships

• Using engagement data to prove product-market fit

• Expanding from B2C creator tools to B2B brand solutions

Lessons For Consumer Marketers:

Target the Influencer Behind the Influencer 

Lickd’s early marketing failed because they sponsored traditional influencers to reach creators, achieving only 0.5-1% conversion rates. The breakthrough came when they realized their customer wasn’t the influencer’s audience, but other creators. They discovered that creator-dense audiences only represent 4% of any channel’s viewership, making traditional influencer marketing ineffective for B2B2C products.

Use Data to Build Your Business Case Before You Have Product-Market Fit 

Before securing major label partnerships, Lickd analyzed customer behavior and discovered that using mainstream music increased engagement by 30-150% across verticals. This data became their primary sales tool, proving the business value of better music to both creators and rights holders. The engagement metrics directly correlated with YouTube algorithm preferences, creating a compound effect.

Identify Micro-Segments Within Broad Markets 

Lickd found unexpected success with niche verticals like fishing channels (who exclusively licensed drum and bass) and fitness creators (who licensed 7-9 songs per video). These behavioral patterns revealed that different creator types had distinct music needs, allowing for targeted marketing and product development rather than generic creator outreach.

Build Distribution Partnerships That Scale Your Core Business 

Rather than just licensing music, Lickd built technical infrastructure that communicates directly with YouTube’s Content ID system, protecting creators automatically. This technical moat became the foundation for expanding into brand licensing, where the same infrastructure solved enterprise-level music clearance problems for social media campaigns.

Leverage Changing Platform Dynamics to Create New Markets 

As top creators like MrBeast scaled their teams, their editors became influential creators themselves, teaching production techniques to mid-tier creators. Lickd capitalized on this shift by targeting these editor-influencers, who had both credibility with creators and channels showcasing their expertise.

Use Product Evolution to Validate Market Expansion 

Lickd’s expansion into B2B brand licensing wasn’t a pivot but a natural extension of their core mission. When brands faced $1 billion in music lawsuits on social platforms, Lickd’s existing rights aggregation and clearance system could solve enterprise problems, validating demand for solutions beyond individual creators.

Build Culture as a Scalability Tool 

Paul emphasizes that cultural alignment in hiring saves founders time as companies grow. Rather than imposing personal values, he identified shared values among his first successful team members and used those as hiring filters. This approach ensures decision-making alignment without requiring founder involvement in every choice.