Behind The Lens: Incantio Exits Closed Beta, Launches Open Marketplace For Independent Music Licensing On February 18

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Seattle-based startup Incantio will officially enter open beta on February 18, 2026, positioning itself as a new digital marketplace built to simplify sync licensing for independent artists and content creators. Founded by working musicians, the platform aims to modernize an industry many artists consider opaque and difficult to navigate.

Incantio’s core premise is straightforward: allow musicians to self-license their own work while retaining rights ownership and pricing control. Through a system of pre-approved legal frameworks and automated licensing, content creators—from brands to advertisers—can license tracks quickly and securely without prolonged negotiation cycles.

Founder Danny Newcomb, a recording musician himself, developed the platform after encountering barriers in the traditional sync ecosystem. Newcomb describes Incantio as:

As a recording musician myself, I wanted a service to exist that would let me Self-License my own works - that was why I started Incantio. We had to create a legal system of pre-approved rights for our catalog musicians so that our customers could safely and quickly find the music they wanted, directly on the artist’s terms. A kind of Etsy for Independent music built for brands and advertisers. After two long years of development, we are so excited to be available to connect visual artists who use music and want human, authentic sounds that connect with their audience!

Built for Artists, Designed for Discovery

Unlike traditional music libraries, Incantio operates as a non-exclusive pass-through platform. Artists keep 80% of placement revenue, set their own pricing tiers, and maintain intellectual property ownership. All tracks are pre-cleared for global, lifetime-of-project usage, enabling immediate licensing without additional legal hurdles.

The company also distinguishes itself with a music-to-music machine learning search engine. Rather than relying on static hashtags, the system continuously updates as artists refresh their catalogs, automatically surfacing newly uploaded material in prior search results. As of its open beta launch, Incantio reports 500 onboarded users.

Strategic Industry Partnerships

Incantio enters open beta with early partnerships that significantly expand its reach across the independent music ecosystem.

The platform has partnered with CD Baby, connecting it to a community of more than two million artists. A2IM will spotlight Incantio as a service for its 800-plus independent label members. Additionally, Incantio has integrated with DISCO, enabling streamlined licensing directly within one of the industry’s most widely used music-sharing infrastructures. Chirag Patel of A2IM noted:

One of A2IM’s core missions is to help our members unlock new opportunities for their catalogs. By building infrastructure that simplifies and modernizes sync licensing, Incantio is lowering barriers for independent labels and artists while making it easier for music supervisors and agents to discover and license great indie music. What makes Incantio especially compelling is that it’s being built by independent artists who deeply understand the challenges of navigating the sync ecosystem.

DISCO CRO Jen Oloo highlighted:

For the past 10 years, DISCO has been central to music licensing, focusing on increased efficiency for the entire ecosystem. It’s encouraging to see Incantio thinking creatively about discovery and licensing, working to provide a space where established and emerging indie artists aren’t just welcome, they’re discoverable.

Artist Alignment

Beyond infrastructure partnerships, Incantio has secured interest from legacy and independent creators across genres. Early collaborators including Jarobi White (original member of A Tribe Called Quest), to Macy Gray and Mike McCready, to producers Steve Fisk and John Goodmanson, to Silverback Records and Akela Family labels, more artists are partnering with Incantio every day.

The company reports ongoing conversations with established and emerging acts seeking exclusive licensing releases through the platform.

A Shift in Sync Culture

The global sync market continues to expand alongside digital advertising and creator economies. Incantio’s model—non-exclusive, artist-controlled, automated—signals a shift toward decentralizing licensing authority while maintaining professional safeguards.

Open beta access begins February 18, 2026. Additional information is available at

www.incantio.com.