Visuals.fm and Resolut have won the two principal awards in Music Tectonics’ Swimming with Narwhals startup competition. An October 30 announcement named Resolut the Jury Award winner and Visuals.fm the Audience Choice selection following the conference in Santa Monica. The finalists also included ticketing company EquitX and release-workflow platform Cadence IO.

The winners address different commercial problems. Resolut automates the handling of royalty conflicts, while Visuals.fm creates visual assets and videos for music. The organizer’s program describes Visuals.fm as an AI visuals service for music catalogs. Resolut’s award should not, by itself, be taken as evidence that its entire process is AI-driven.

The results highlight interest in technology surrounding music’s administration and promotion, alongside tools that generate songs. Publishers need reliable ownership information and resolved claims to collect income; artists and labels need visual material to market releases. The competition recognizes the companies’ pitches and perceived potential, rather than independently proving their commercial results. No investment award or funding round was established by the announcement reviewed.