LONDON, May 14 (Reuters) - Sweden's Epidemic Sound is in the early stages of considering strategic options, including a stock market listing, four people familiar with the matter told Reuters, as dealmaking in the wider music industry heats up.

The Stockholm-based group, which licences music and sound effects to content creators and brands, is expected to appoint advisers in the coming months to prepare for an initial public offering of shares as soon as next year, two of the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Deliberations are preliminary, and there is no certainty that a deal will happen, the people cautioned.

Epidemic Sound was last valued at $1.4 billion in a funding round in 2021 that saw private equity groups Blackstone and EQT take stakes in the business.

Other investors in the company include Creandum, Atwater Capital and Epidemic Sound chairman Vania Schlogel.

Epidemic Sound declined to comment, along with shareholders Blackstone and EQT.

Epidemic Sound offers access to a library of more than 40,000 sound tracks through a subscription model. YouTube and TikTok videos featuring its music rack up 2.5 billion daily views, it said last month.

The group reported a 25% jump in net sales last year to 1.5 billion Swedish crowns ($138.4 million), with earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation of 59 million crowns.

The music industry has seen a string of deals in recent months.

Blackstone has agreed to take over Hipgnosis Songs Fund , which holds the rights to Blondie and Justin Bieber songs.

EQT is in the process of acquiring Believe SA, while SoundCloud's owners are reportedly looking to sell the music streaming company. ($1 = 10.8398 Swedish crowns) (Reporting by Amy-Jo Crowley and Pablo Mayo Cerqueiro; Editing by Anousha Sakoui and Tomasz Janowski)