Artists Developing Astonishing Music

The idea

A.D.A.M. stands for Artists Developing Astonishing Music. Adam DeGraide started Astonish Entertainment in 2006 on the idea that collaboration is the best way to make music. Instead of one band with a fixed sound, Astonish assembled a rotating cast of writers, singers and players, then pointed that collective at songs worth making: rock anthems about the video games people grew up on, cinematic pieces, ballads, funk, holiday records and pop culture tributes.

Independent since 2006

Nearly two decades in, Astonish is still independently owned, which is why the rights sit where they do. Nobody upstream has to approve a licence, nobody else owns a slice of the songs, and there is no parent company queue between a supervisor and an answer. Longevity also means a deep back catalog: years of finished, broadcast-quality recordings across rock, cinematic, pop, funk and holiday, already cleared and ready to place.

What makes it useful to the people who license music

Because we write, record, own and publish the same songs, we can clear them in one conversation. That is unusual, and it is the reason music supervisors keep coming back. The catalog is broad enough to serve a trailer, a holiday retail campaign and a prestige drama, and every one of those conversations happens with the same person.

The gaming catalog

One corner of the catalog has become a genuine specialism. The A.D.A.M. Music Project has released dozens of original rock songs inspired by video game characters and worlds, from Apex Legends and Super Mario Bros to Pac-Man, Sonic, Halo, Resident Evil, Mortal Kombat, Final Fantasy and Duke Nukem. They are original compositions, fully owned, written by people who play the games. For studios, esports organisers and brands trying to reach that audience without licensing an existing hit, there is very little else like it.