How Hollywood-Grade Audio is Now Accessible to All Content Creators

Alec Puro knows a thing or two about the music industry, having been in it for most of his life. Just like Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, James Iha of The Smashing Pumpkins, and Danny Elfman of Oingo Boingo, Alec is a rocker turned film and television composer.

His early days in the industrial rock band, Deadsy, quickly transitioned into creating and licensing music for shows such as NYPD and Chicago Hope and composing Sundance hits such as The Good Night and The Art of Getting By.

After scoring more than a hundred film and TV projects and creating a full-service music production company, Gramoscope Music, he saw another need in the ever-changing entertainment industry.

“Countless content creators told us they struggled to find unique music that fits their style while navigating different platform requirements. They wanted access to the same quality audio they heard in their favorite shows and films, but traditional licensing was either too expensive or too complicated. After building Gramoscope's catalog for fifteen years, we realized we had this incredible resource that could solve these exact pain points. The democratization of content creation through platforms like YouTube and TikTok meant there was this huge community of talented creators who just needed better tools. So we created a royalty-free music subscription service called Viralnoise, designed specifically for digital creators of all kinds.”

Alec discusses everything from creating Viralnoise to collaborating with Spin the Bottle director Gavin Wiesen in the conversation below.

Alec Puro Credit: Viralnoise

No Film School: Not only have you composed numerous films, such as Searchlight's The Art of Getting By starring Emma Roberts and TV shows such as Freeform's The Fosters, but you recently created a new music company called Viralnoise. Can you tell us about Viralnoise?

Alec Puro: Viralnoise is a game-changing royalty-free music subscription service I founded in 2025, designed specifically for digital creators of all kinds. The platform provides access to over 35,000+ music tracks and 30,000+ high-quality sound effects that were previously reserved for use in major TV shows, blockbuster films, big-budget advertisements, and AAA video games. Our goal is simple: to make Hollywood-grade audio accessible to all creators. Whether you're a YouTuber, TikTok influencer, podcaster, filmmaker, or game developer, Viralnoise eliminates licensing restrictions and high costs with affordable subscriptions. We're essentially democratizing access to the same premium audio that powers your favorite entertainment.

NFS: You are also a member of the industrial rock band, Deadsy, which has notably been on the Billboard Top 200 Charts. Did your band days help you see a need for royalty-free music licensing, or was it later on when you were scoring film and TV projects?

Puro: The need actually became apparent in recent years. My other company, Gramoscope Music, started getting lots of requests from creators who wanted access to our catalog. Because the Gramoscope Music business model didn’t account for royalty-free music licensing, we decided to create Viralnoise. Viralnoise is really the culmination of fifteen years of building this top-tier premium music library through Gramoscope.

NFS: You recently had the horror film Spin the Bottle (Paramount) released. Can you talk about your music for that film and what it was like re-teaming with director Gavin Wiesen?

Puro: This was my third collaboration with Gavin after The Art of Getting By and All Nighter, so we have a really great shorthand at this point. Gavin is such a talented director, and it's always exciting to explore new territory with him - this time diving into the horror/thriller genre, which was different from our previous projects together.

For Spin the Bottle, I created a very industrial, synth-driven, atmospheric, and at times aggressive score that really leans into the supernatural horror elements of the story. The film follows this group of friends who unwittingly unleash an evil spirit while playing spin the bottle in a house with a dark history, so musically I wanted to create this underlying sense of dread and unease that builds throughout.

NFS: Viralnoise is comprised of 35,000+ music tracks and 30,000+ premium sound effects. Have you always had a passion for sound design as well as music? Did you ever do the sound design for your projects, such as Black Summer (Netflix) or The Mighty Ones (DreamWorks/Hulu)?

Puro: While I don't do the actual sound design myself, I work very closely with sound designers, especially on Black Summer. The score and sound design become one at many points in that show - we communicate extensively about what frequencies the score should occupy to stay out of the way of other sound design elements. My goal is to create a seamless soundscape that enhances everything in a realistic and terrifying way. This close collaboration taught me how crucial sound effects are to the overall sonic landscape, which is why we included 30,000+ premium sound effects in Viralnoise alongside the music tracks.

NFS: Why did you choose to incorporate sound design into your company instead of just music?

Puro: Having worked so closely with sound designers on shows like Black Summer, I realized that creators need both music and sound effects to tell complete stories. Music sets the emotional tone, but sound effects create the reality and texture of a scene. By offering both through Viralnoise, we're giving creators everything they need for a complete sonic palette - from the atmospheric sounds that build tension to the musical themes that drive emotion. It's about providing a one-stop solution for all audio needs.

NFS: Have you composed all of the musical tracks on Viralnoise? If not, how did you find the musicians to contribute?

Puro: No, I haven't composed everything myself. Viralnoise features music from a diverse global network of 75+ award-winning composers spanning from Hong Kong to Mexico to South Africa. This diversity is crucial for us. We strive to foster an equitable, creative environment for composers and songwriters from all backgrounds. Many of these relationships developed over my twenty-plus years in the industry, and we're constantly adding new composers and new music. The goal is to provide creators with unique tracks that fit every style and genre imaginable.

NFS: One of your goals with Viralnoise was to make Hollywood-grade audio accessible to all creators. When did you first realize there was a need for something like this?

Puro: It really crystallized through years of requests. Countless content creators told us they struggled to find unique music that fits their style while navigating different platform requirements. They wanted access to the same quality audio they heard in their favorite shows and films, but traditional licensing was either too expensive or too complicated. After building Gramoscope's catalog for fifteen years, we realized we had this incredible resource that could solve these exact pain points. The democratization of content creation through platforms like YouTube and TikTok meant there was this huge community of talented creators who just needed better tools.

NFS: You've incorporated AI into Viralnoise with a similar search feature to find the perfect track quickly. Can you discuss this?"

Puro: We incorporated an AI-powered similar search to help creators find the perfect track quickly. Instead of scrolling through thousands of tracks, creators can copy/paste a reference track into our search bar from Spotify, YouTube, or upload an mp3 reference, and our AI will help match that track with similar sounds from our catalog. It's about efficiency - when you're creating content, you need to find the right music fast. The AI similar search learns from successful matches and gets better at understanding the nuances of what makes tracks work well together.

NFS: Where do you see the music/composing world heading in 10 years?

Puro: I think we're in interesting times. The traditional landscape of big network shows is shrinking, and new digital platforms and UGC are growing at a rapid rate. I see the lines between traditional media and digital content continuing to blur. AI will most likely continue to help with organization and discovery, but the human element, the emotional connection, the storytelling through music - that's irreplaceable. The democratization we're seeing now will only accelerate, and that means more opportunities for both composers and content creators to collaborate and push creative boundaries.

Find out more about Viralnoise here!