KPM Music
A production-music company and library supplying music for film, television, digital video, sports and other media.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
KPM Music is a production-music company whose catalogue is created for use in film, television, advertising, radio, online video and other forms of audiovisual media. Its business is based on supplying pre-recorded music that can be licensed for specific productions, including signature themes, incidental cues, genres, moods and arrangements designed to support picture rather than function primarily as conventional commercial releases. The brand traces its institutional roots to Keith, Prowse & Co., a partnership established in 1830. The initials KPM derive from Keith-Prowse-Maurice, a name associated with the later KPM music operation. KPM subsequently became a division of EMI, and its catalogue developed a strong reputation among broadcasters, production companies, editors and composers. The library was used extensively in British television and became recognizable through recurring theme music, title sequences and incidental cues. Examples associated with KPM recordings include Mastermind, All Creatures Great and Small, The Avengers, The Benny Hill Show, Animal Magic, This Is Your Life, Dave Allen at Large, SpongeBob SquarePants, The Ren & Stimpy Show, Camp Lazlo, ZZZap!, Superstars, Grandstand, Rugby Special and ITV News at Ten. KPM recordings have also appeared in United States programming, including Sesame Street, and in later online documentary and sports-video projects. A significant part of the catalogue's historical identity is the KPM 1000 series, much of which was produced by Adrian Kerridge. These albums became especially influential among listeners interested in library music and were made more commercially accessible over time. Although originally intended primarily for production use, the recordings have also acquired an independent following because of their distinctive arrangements, period instrumentation and associations with television history. KPM Musichouse was formed through the combination of KPM and Music House. EMI acquired Music House in 1997, and the two operations were subsequently brought together under the KPM Musichouse identity. The business was rebranded as EMI Production Music in 2011. Following later changes in the ownership and organization of EMI's recorded and publishing assets, the production-music operation became part of Sony Music Publishing. In January 2019, the KPM production library was fully digitized and made available for online streaming, extending access beyond physical records and traditional catalogue services. On 13 September 2021, EMI Production Music was rebranded again as KPM Music. KPM operates internationally through direct and representative licensing arrangements. In the United States, the catalogue is represented by APM Music. The contemporary brand therefore combines a long-running historical archive with a digitally accessible licensing service, while retaining the KPM name and catalogue heritage associated with British library music.
History
KPM Music's roots extend to Keith, Prowse & Co., a partnership founded in 1830. The later KPM name came from Keith-Prowse-Maurice, the identity under which the music operation became known. KPM developed as a British library-music business and was later operated as a division of EMI. Its catalogue was designed for practical use in screen and broadcast production: composers supplied themes, title music, incidental cues and other recordings that could be licensed to accompany visual programming. The library became particularly prominent in British television. KPM recordings were used in programs including Mastermind, All Creatures Great and Small, The Avengers, The Benny Hill Show, Animal Magic, This Is Your Life, Dave Allen at Large, ZZZap!, Superstars, Grandstand, Rugby Special and ITV News at Ten. The catalogue also travelled internationally, with uses in United States programming such as Sesame Street and in later internet-based documentary and sports-video work. This repeated exposure gave some KPM pieces a cultural identity beyond their original production-music purpose. A notable part of the archive is the KPM 1000 album series, much of it produced by Adrian Kerridge. The series became an important reference point for library-music collectors and was gradually made more commercially available. Its reputation reflects both the quality of the recordings and the way library music can preserve the sound of particular production eras, orchestral practices and studio technologies. The modern corporate history of the brand includes the combination of KPM with Music House. EMI acquired Music House in 1997, and the businesses were brought together under the KPM Musichouse identity. In 2011, KPM Musichouse was rebranded as EMI Production Music. The production-music operation later became part of Sony Music Publishing following the changes in ownership and corporate organization surrounding EMI's assets. In January 2019, the KPM production library was fully digitized and made available for online streaming. This represented a major operational change from the physical-album and catalogue-based model historically associated with library music, allowing users to search and hear a substantially broader archive online. On 13 September 2021, EMI Production Music adopted the KPM Music name again. The restored brand consequently links a nineteenth-century publishing lineage, a widely used twentieth-century television catalogue and a contemporary digital licensing service. In the United States, APM Music represents KPM, while the catalogue serves media users across international markets.
- 2021
Return to the KPM Music brand
[1]EMI Production Music is rebranded as KPM Music on 13 September.
- 2019
Production library digitization
[1]The KPM production library is fully digitized and made available for online streaming.
- 2011
Rebranding as EMI Production Music
[1]KPM Musichouse is rebranded as EMI Production Music.
- 1997
EMI acquires Music House
[1]EMI acquires Music House, a transaction that precedes the combination of Music House with the KPM operation.
- 1830
Keith, Prowse & Co. is established
[1]The partnership that provides the distant institutional roots of the KPM name is established.
Products and positioning
A heritage production-music library combining historically influential British television music with an internationally available, digitally accessible catalogue for audiovisual media.
Production-music album series
KPM 1000 series
The KPM 1000 series is a historically important group of library-music albums associated largely with producer Adrian Kerridge. The recordings were created for use in film, television and other production contexts, but later developed a substantial independent following among collectors and library-music listeners. The series is especially associated with the distinctive sound of British production music and became more commercially available over time.
Music library
KPM production-music library
The core KPM offering is a catalogue of licensable recordings for audiovisual production. It includes music suitable for themes, title sequences, incidental scoring, documentary, sport, entertainment, advertising and digital content. The library contains both historically recognized recordings and contemporary production material, with access increasingly delivered through digital search, listening and licensing systems.
Brand decisions
2021
Restoration of the KPM Music brandStrategyBackground
After operating under the EMI Production Music name, the business returned to its historically established catalogue identity.
Action taken
EMI Production Music was rebranded as KPM Music on 13 September 2021.
Aftermath
The KPM name again became the principal public identity for the production-music business.
2019
Digitization of the production libraryStrategyBackground
Production-music users increasingly required searchable, remotely accessible catalogues rather than relying solely on physical recordings and traditional catalogue distribution.
Action taken
KPM's production library was fully digitized and made available for online streaming.
Aftermath
The catalogue became more accessible to international media professionals and online listeners.
2011
Rebrand to EMI Production MusicStrategyBackground
The KPM Musichouse business was reorganized within EMI's production-music activities.
Action taken
The company changed its public brand name to EMI Production Music.
Aftermath
The KPM name was temporarily removed from the principal corporate brand before being restored in 2021.
1997
Integration of Music House following EMI acquisitionM&ABackground
EMI acquired Music House, which was subsequently combined with the KPM operation in the KPM Musichouse structure.
Action taken
The acquired Music House business was brought together with KPM's production-music activities.
Aftermath
The combination formed the corporate basis for the KPM Musichouse identity.
Recent events
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