Music creation start-up Splice has agreed to acquire the orchestral sound studio Spitfire Audio for about $50mn, as the Goldman Sachs-backed company looks to buy up audio samples and technology to build songs using artificial intelligence.

London-based Spitfire Audio owns a deep library of digital orchestral sounds — short recordings of violins, cellos, drums and basses that composers can use to create music. Its palette of sounds, such as a $299 drum kit recorded by composer Hans Zimmer, has been used in Radiohead songs and in the scores for films such as Moonlight. 

Splice is a platform that offers audio samples — such as vocal hooks, drum beats and guitar riffs — for anyone, ranging from novices to professional producers, to create music. The group was founded in 2013 and has grown quickly as it benefits from soaring demand for music creation tools. Splice is profitable, reaching annual revenue of more than $100mn and 600,000 paying subscribers, according to people familiar with the matter.