Kevin MacLeod

Kevin MacLeod ( ; born 1972) is an American composer and music producer. Described by The New York Times as "arguably the most prolific composer you've never heard of", MacLeod has composed over 2,000 pieces of royalty-free library music and made them available under a Creative Commons (CC BY) copyright license. One of his compositions, "Monkeys Spinning Monkeys", is among the most played on TikTok; from January through June 2021, it was played over 31.6 billion times.

The wide availability and freeness of his work have made it featured in thousands of films and millions of videos on YouTube. As of 2017, his music is featured on one of the live feeds from the International Space Station, Earth From Space. A documentary charting his career, Royalty Free: The Music of Kevin MacLeod, was released in 2020.

Early life and education Kevin MacLeod was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in 1972. He began piano lessons at a young age: "as a 4-year old or whatever it was." He attended university where he initially studied electrical engineering; however, amid a distaste for chemistry requirements, he switched to music education after his first month.

MacLeod had a brief stint as a computer programmer during the dot-com bubble.

Career MacLeod is a composer and music producer, who often posts royalty-free music on his website Incompetech. As of 2017, his music is featured on one of the live feeds from the International Space Station, Earth From Space. The media that featured his music varies much, from Martin Scorsese's 2011 film Hugo to pornographic films. One of his songs, "Monkeys Spinning Monkeys", released on February 3, 2014, is among the most played on TikTok; from January through June 2021, it was played over 31.6 billion times.

Artistry and legacy

Since 2020, MacLeod has used artificial intelligence, especially Suno AI, to produce music. MacLeod does not publish any music created using Suno to Incompetech, music stores, or streaming services.

The film critic Neely Swanson writes of MacLeod's music, "There was always a familiar quality to it. His music summons up a mood or feeling that's instantly recognizable. There is nothing new, just something that will already be satisfying."

Awards and accolades In 2015, the European Web Video Academy awarded MacLeod the International Honorary Web Video Award at the 2015 German Web Video Awards for his lifetime achievement in influencing the German web video community.