Monstercat is a Canadian electronic music record label based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Wikipedia records that Monstercat Media was founded on 1 July 2011 by Mike Darlington and Ari Paunonen, two university students from Waterloo, Ontario. It is best known among gamers and streamers, whose videos often use its catalogue under licence.
Origin and Timeline
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| July 1, 2011 | Monstercat Media founded by Mike Darlington and Ari Paunonen |
| 2012 | The team moves to offices in Vancouver after the founders finish school |
| December 2014 | Monstercat FM, a 24/7 radio-style Twitch stream, launches |
| June 2017 | Monstercat partners with Psyonix to promote Rocket League’s second anniversary |
| Week of January 1, 2018 | Branding splits into two themes, Uncaged and Instinct |
| March 14, 2019 | A Monstercat music pack for Beat Saber is released at $12.99 USD, or $1.99 per track |
| February 9, 2021 | Acquires progressive house label Silk Music, forming a third brand, Monstercat Silk |
| 2021 | The compilation album series ends with Uncaged Vol. 11 |
| August 18, 2023 | Releases Gorilla Warfare, the debut album by DJ Diesel (Shaquille O’Neal) |
| May 6, 2025 | The founders sell Monstercat to Create Music Group |
All dates are from Wikipedia’s Monstercat entry.
How the Label Works
Wikipedia notes that Monstercat signs artists “on a single-track basis, allowing them to move between labels and brands without an exclusive contract.” For most of its history it also released regular compilation albums featuring music from various artists, until the series ended in 2021. Since May 2025 its parent company has been Create Music Group.
Its game tie-ins have been a major channel: the 2017 Rocket League anniversary promotion (see #RocketLeague) and the 2019 Beat Saber pack, whose buyers were offered a free month of the Gold subscription (see #BeatSaber).
Can Streamers Use Monstercat Music?
Monstercat’s music is often described as “copyright-free.” It is not: creators are expected to license it.
- For creators and streamers: the subscription route was Monstercat Gold. Monstercat’s own Gold page now says “Monstercat Gold has become SoundScout, a pre-cleared music platform made by musicians, built for creators,” that “Gold signup through the Monstercat website has ended,” and that “New subscribers join via SoundScout.” Existing Gold users are moved to a legacy plan.
- For other uses, such as a non-profit or commercial video, Monstercat’s licensing page routes requests to its Sync and Partnerships team, and points independent creators to “Browse the full catalogue on SoundScout.”
Check those pages for current terms before using a track. The Gold page publishes no prices and says only that “Pricing may change in the future.”
For the label’s main catalogue entry, see #Monstercat.