2017 Under the Radar: MusicSpoke scores thousands of sheet music sales
August 29, 2017 | Meghan LeVota
Editor’s note: Startland News picked 10 early-stage firms to spotlight for its annual Under the Radar startups list. The following is one of 2017’s companies. To view the full list, click here.
The sheet music publishing industry is worth more than $1 billion.
Yet when working with traditional publishers, composers hardly see any of that money. Models put revenue for publishers as high as 95 percent with only 5 percent slated for composers.
Jennifer Rosenblatt and Kurt Knecht say the trend is pushing composers toward self-publishing as an option, which is why they co-founded MusicSpoke in 2014. Since then, the platform offers more than 1,000 scores and has sold more than 85,000 units of sheet music from self-published composers.
MusicSpoke keeps 30 percent of the sheet music sales, which is significantly lower than traditional publishing fees the sheet music industry, Rosenblatt and Knecht said. The company has grown at an average annual rate of about 260 percent and has raised about $120,000 in investment capital to date.
After spending a decade in Lincoln, Nebraska, Rosenblatt and Knecht set up shop in Kansas City in July 2016. The pair thought their business’ new home would be a better place to grow MusicSpoke.
“We are delighted to be growing in KC,” Rosenblatt said. “We love the support for the arts and entrepreneurship KC provides. We are looking to hire and grow the team next year.”
Later in 2017, MusicSpoke is expected to launch the Icon Series, which involves a collection of scores curated by the industry’s influential conductors, Rosenblatt said. The firm’s tests show that sheet music promoted by an influencer can sell up to 400 percent better than top-selling scores that are not promoted.
Rosenblatt is a 2017 Pipeline Fellow, has participated in ScaleUP KC! and is a part of the Sprint Mentor Network.
Featured Business
2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Pathfinder CEO switch pushes co-founder’s focus back to autism research
A leadership change at Pathfinder Health Innovations will allow its co-founder to focus on research that could change the lives of children and adults with autism, said Jeff Blackwood. Pathfinder announced Tuesday its board had appointed Tina Youngblood as chief executive officer, succeeding co-founder Blackwood to lead day-to-day operations and the strategic direction for the…
KC native builds jumpsuits for all occasions — butt flap included
Party and potty in one easy piece. Literally. That’s the benefit of wearing a jumpsuit with a butt flap included: Users avoid the hassle of removing half the outfit to use the restroom, said Brittany Weltner. The Kansas City native just launched a crowdfunding campaign for her new business, Jomper, to build more functional jumpsuits…
‘Get a glimpse of your future’ — Investors want data with your pitch
Editor’s Note: This content is sponsored by Mid-Continent Public Library but independently produced by Startland News. For more on the tools discussed in this article, click here. Imagine this. Your wearable tech firm is thriving — so much, in fact, that you need an injection of investment capital to maintain sustainable growth. You’ve booked some…
Launch It Successfully hopes to reduce early stage frustration, struggle for startups
A new accelerator program produced by key leaders of software development firm Illumisoft is helping innovators start their businesses by “cutting through the nonsense,” said Tyler Prince. “We want to help entrepreneurs succeed,” he said. “I think we live in an age when change happens so rapidly.” Launch It Successfully’s goal is to assist early…