Good morning, creators. ☀️ Four signals worth watching at the intersection of toys and beats — and today the numbers are doing the talking. Brand Licensing Europe opens its doors this morning with a $389.8 billion headline, the sync-licensing world keeps consolidating around speed, and licensed character collectibles are rewriting how fans buy. Here's what's moving.
1. Brand Licensing Europe opens with the industry at $389.8 billion — and licensed toys are crushing it
What happened: Brand Licensing Europe opened its doors today, October 6, at ExCeL London (running through October 8), with new data from event sponsor Licensing International: global sales of licensed merchandise and services reached $389.8 billion in 2025, up 5.45%. European sales hit $82.4 billion (+3.8%), with Character & Entertainment the largest IP type. And new Circana data released today shows licensed toys surging +20% across the EU5 — two and a half times faster than the overall toy market — now accounting for 35% of all toy sales. Pokémon remains the #1 toy property (+9%), with FIFA World Cup product and movie hits like Toy Story, Spider-Man and Super Mario leading the charge, plus streaming-driven properties including One Piece Live Action and KPop Demon Hunters. (Source: License Global / GlobeNewswire)
Why it matters: Licensed toys now account for more than one in three toy sales across Europe's five biggest markets — and social media is already generating 16% of global online licensed sales. Fandom is the growth engine, and the fastest money is moving through screens and streaming properties.
The ETS/Zillion angle: This is our lane — character + sound, together. Epic Toy Sound platforms 250+ toy photographers who turn collectible figures into cover art for original music, and every cover artist splits the streaming royalties 50/50 with the label. The industry just confirmed what we built: recognizable characters and the sounds paired with them are where the dollars flow. And when a photographer needs a score for their unboxing or figure reel, our digital audio packs deliver one-stop licensed originals — no clearance drama.
2. Altar Boy Music and AM Licensing join forces on transatlantic sync licensing
What happened: Record of the Day announced on October 6 that AM Licensing (founded by Amelia McCloskey) and Altar Boy Music Publishing (founded by L.A. native Leon Luis) have joined forces to deliver streamlined sync licensing and clearance services across the US, UK, Canada, and Latin America. The combined operation services advertising, film, television, gaming, and live theatre — with combined sync credits across C4, ITV, Fox, Fox Sports, Speed Channel, Discovery, MTV, and Netflix — and runs an in-house studio so replacement masters can be created at short notice within a client's budget. (Source: Record of the Day)
Why it matters: Sync buyers reward one thing above all: speed to clearance. Publishers are merging their catalogs and contact networks precisely so an ad agency or game studio can clear a track in days instead of months. The infrastructure of music licensing is consolidating around whoever can say "yes" fastest.
The ETS/Zillion angle: We're built for exactly this. Ronald Steven Desiderio owns 100% of every master and RDizzle Publishing holds 100% of every publishing share, with works and masters registered through TuneRegistry feeding ASCAP, SoundExchange, and the MLC directly. One owner, one phone call, one-stop clearance — no co-writers to chase, no split sheets in limbo. That's the kind of catalog sync agencies dream of, and ours grows every week.
3. EXG Pro brings new Cable Guys and the PEEKOs collectible range to Brand Licensing Europe
What happened: EXG Pro (Exquisite Gaming) announced on October 2 that it will showcase new additions to its Cable Guys range at Brand Licensing Europe this week (Stand D179, October 6–8) — including licensed character holders from Universal and Toei Animation, featuring Toothless, Donkey, and Luffy. Alongside Cable Guys, EXG Pro is presenting PEEKOs, its collectible nano phone-holder range: each detailed character figure doubles as a phone holder, packaged with a "PEEKable" hole so fans can see the character inside before buying — a direct answer to blind-box fatigue. The brand launched across five collections (K-Pop Demon Hunters, Star Wars, Fortnite, Minecraft, and Universal Monsters), with upcoming sculpts including Five Nights at Freddy's, Hello Kitty, and My Little Pony. (Source: EIN Presswire)
Why it matters: This is the "kidult" wave maturing: collectible figures that earn their desk space — holding controllers and phones — while satisfying the display urge. And the PEEKable packaging is a telling market signal: collectors want to choose, not gamble. The companies that hand fans agency over the hunt are winning the collectibles game.
The ETS/Zillion angle: This is the ecosystem we play in. The figures on our cover art come from the same collector culture EXG Pro is selling to — and our toy photographers are the ones making those figures look legendary. Browse the action figures that start every Epic Toy Sound cover, and remember: every figure we photograph is a soundtrack waiting to happen. When licensed products and original music share the same shelf, both sell better.
4. Mesmerized: Cosmic Panda's 21-track flagship album, out now on Zillion Records
What happened: Epic Toy Sound released Mesmerized, the 21-track flagship album from Cosmic Panda, on October 2, 2026 — featuring 17 guest artists from across the global ETS collaborator family, including jhonnyrhino ("Silent Gravity"), KIDULT ("Nebula Rides"), Coally ("Sub-Space"), Action Figure Maniacs ("Solar Winds"), Toymirth ("Floating Lanterns"), NotYourBro ("Exoplanet Echoes"), Darc Reign, Rokez, Voltra Bunny ("Sanctuary Bonsai"), Toy Mercs ("Jade Palace"), Rockin' Wolf ("Celestial Bear"), Instafigurine ("Milky Clouds"), and Manyakfunks ("Deep Spacewave"). Twenty-one tracks, real toy-photography cover art, and every featured artist splitting streaming royalties 50/50 with the label. (Source: Epic Toy Sound / Zillion Records)
Why it matters: Two days out from NYCC, Mesmerized is the proof of the machine: a worldwide roster of visual artists stepping into featured-artist roles, original licensable music coming out on a daily cadence, and a revenue model that pays the community instead of exploiting it. This is what a label looks like when the artists own the visuals and share the upside.
The ETS/Zillion angle: This one needs no angle — it IS the angle. And the release clockwork doesn't stop: the No Stop EP (Artetoyscol's lead-artist debut) drops Friday, October 10 — pre-save it here — with daily visualizers premiering all week, and "Time to Eat" (feat. Toymirth) is out now. Creators: score your next unboxing, reel, or short with licensable originals from the digital audio packs collection — including the Monster Within horror soundscape pack ($5.99), just in time for Halloween season.
That's the morning — four signals, one direction: own the rights, own the brand, own the lane. A $389.8 billion licensing industry, sync infrastructure consolidating around speed, collectible figures earning their shelf space — and the whole game belongs to whoever holds the whole copyright. Two days to NYCC. See you at Booth 1771. One love. ✌️
🎧 Mesmerized — 21 tracks, out now
Cosmic Panda. 21 tracks. 17 featured artists from the ETS family. Streaming everywhere.
And the No Stop EP lands Friday, October 10 — pre-save on HyperFollow. Daily visualizers premiering all week on the Epic Toy Sound YouTube channel.