Epidemic Group* acquires Blenda Labs, a next-generation video entertainment company. Acquisition builds on the group's April 2026 strategic announcement, combining Blenda Labs' proprietary tech for video production with the group's catalog and IP expertise to create next-generation entertainment for the new era. Stockholm, Sweden, July 3, 2026 - Epidemic Group today announced the acquisition of Blenda Labs, a next-generation video entertainment company based in Stockholm. The acquisition expands the group's capabilities beyond music and sound into video, offering Blenda Labs' customers of premium IP owners an integrated route from story to screen. Blenda Labs' proprietary tech platform combines AI-native workflows with human creative direction to produce high-quality video content that rights-sensitive customers can trust. The acquisition is a direct continuation of the strategic evolution Epidemic Group announced in April 2026, which set out the group's ambition to build infrastructure for new-era technological content creation beyond its core music catalog. "We are so excited to welcome the Blenda Labs team to Epidemic Group," said Sara Börsvik, Interim CEO of Epidemic Group. "We've always focused on building solutions that match how creators actually work today. Premium IP owners are looking to produce more content, faster, without losing creative control. Blenda has built a high-quality production system for exactly that where every creative decision is tracked, and human direction sits at the center of every step." Blenda Labs will operate as an autonomous business within the Epidemic Group, retaining its creative team and production capabilities while gaining access to the group's capabilities such as its world-class music and sound platform, and supporting infrastructure. "What we have built with Blenda is a production system that compounds," said Erik Wahlberg, CEO and Founder of Blenda Labs. "Every production makes the next one better and faster, always with the magic of human creativity at the center. Joining Epidemic Group means we can put that at the heart of how the best IP in the world gets made." The Stockholm-based company produces content ranging from theatrical feature films to digital-first YouTube channels, partnering with leading entertainment companies such as CoStudios, the company behind Laban The Little Ghost, and Storytel. "Animation has traditionally required trade-offs between quality and speed," said Viktor Linell, CEO of CoStudios. "Blenda excels in both. As they continue to scale and partner with Epidemic, we look forward to growing our partnership together." Footnote * Epidemic Sound Group AB is in the process of changing its name to Epidemic Group AB, following Board ratification. The name change is pending registration with Bolagsverket. About Epidemic Group The Epidemic Group is on a mission to reimagine storytelling through music, sound, and AI. The Group comprises Epidemic Sound, the world's leading soundtracking platform; Soundly, the world's premier sound effects platform; Overtone Studios, the Group's wellness music label, and Plenty Labs, an AI-native marketing operating system. Epidemic Sound is the Group's primary brand. Its 100% IP-owned catalog of more than 55,000 tracks and 250,000 Hollywood-grade sound effects soundtracks more than 3.5 billion daily views on YouTube and TikTok, with over 70% of the top 300 US YouTube channels using its music. Epidemic Sound partners with artists through a 50/50 revenue share, upfront payments, and bonuses, a model that has defined the company since 2009. The Group is backed by EQT, Blackstone, Creandum, Atwater Capital, Alecta, AMF, and IMAS Foundation. About Blenda Labs Blenda Labs is a next-generation entertainment company based in Stockholm. Its proprietary tech platform combines AI workflows with human creative direction to produce animation and video content for premium IP owners.

Wixen revises complaint as Meta pushes for dismissal. 18 May 2026 - 11:37 * The dispute is one of several ongoing copyright conflicts involving Meta and music rights holders. The legal battle began in January, when Wixen filed a $70 million lawsuit accusing Meta of infringing more than 1 000 musical works across its platforms, including Instagram and Facebook. The publisher alleged that negotiations over a licensing renewal failed to result in a new agreement before the existing licence expired in December 2025. According to the complaint, Meta removed music belonging to some of Wixen's current and former clients from its platforms before the licence expired. Wixen further alleged that Meta informed artists and rights holders that the removals had been initiated by the publisher itself. The lawsuit claimed these statements were false and were made "with the malicious intent to strong-arm Wixen into accepting drastically reduced rates". Wixen alleged that some clients subsequently ended their relationships with the company. The complaint also alleged that, after the licence expired, the disputed works continued to appear in "thousands of reels" on Meta-owned platforms without authorisation or compensation. In addition to the copyright claims, Wixen alleged that Meta was attempting "to replace human-generated, royalty-bearing music with royalty-free AI-generated music". Earlier this month, lawyers representing both companies held two video meetings to discuss the case. However, a joint filing indicated that the discussions did not result in any agreement to narrow the issues or avoid further litigation. Meta reportedly raised concerns regarding Wixen's legal standing to pursue some copyright claims, arguing that the complaint lacked sufficient detail and included works created before 1978. Wixen defended the adequacy of its claims. The filing stated that, despite a "productive conversation, the parties did not reach agreement to narrow or resolve issues, and no amendments were agreed in advance of the contemplated motion". A judge gave Wixen until 15 May to submit its amended complaint. Meta has until 15 June to respond, following an extension from the original deadline of 7 May. The dispute is one of several ongoing copyright conflicts involving Meta and music rights holders. The company is also involved in a separate long-running legal battle with Epidemic Sound over music licensing and copyright issues.

Epidemic Sound plans to cut 150 positions: 'It is heavy' Every third person will leave the music company - but it's not because they are financially pressured. 'It is heavy of course, but we also see that it is completely necessary for us,' says Sara Börsvik, acting CEO and CFO, to Dagens industri. Web Editor It is the second time in a short period that Epidemic Sound is making major cutbacks. As recently as December, 10 percent of the workforce was notified. That meant 50 positions, now the company wants to cut an additional 150 positions. In just a couple of months, the workforce has almost halved. However, the company denies that it is about being financially pressured, but rather that it is about adapting the company to the new AI reality. 'There is no doubt that we are in a historic shift right now,' says Sara Börsvik, who is the acting CEO at Epidemic Sound, to Dagens industri. According to reports to Breakit, employees were informed on Tuesday morning, and subsequently, staff have been continuously called into HR. The new cutback affects practically all departments at the company, including tech and product, which were spared in previous notifications. AI threat significant for Epidemic Sound. For a company like Epidemic Sound, the arrival of AI on the scene is transformative. The company sells access to a giant bank of music that can be used by creators without them needing to worry about copyright. The better AI tools become at making their own music, the less need there should logically be for Epidemic Sound. 'Practically all previous business models will become obsolete if they haven't already,' says Hjalmar Winbladh, who co-founded the company and recently became chairman of the board. Epidemic Sound now plans to counter this threat by launching a new product named Studio. There, customers will be able to use both human-created music and AI-assisted tracks. It is not yet clear where the cutbacks will be made at the company. According to Sara Börsvik, it involves comprehensive changes across the entire company. She also does not want to say how much the company will save. The company's annual report for 2025 is not yet public. The financial statement for 2024 showed an operating loss of over 400 million kronor, including write-downs of over 500 million kronor. At the EBITDA level, the profit amounted to 107 million kronor.