88rising

What 88rising does

88rising (legal entity 88Rising, Inc., incorporated in California) is a privately held music company founded in 2015 and headquartered in Los Angeles, operating as a record label, artist management firm, and cultural-event producer targeting the Asian and Asian-American millennial audience. The company's flagship product is the HEAD IN THE CLOUDS music and arts festival, with editions in Los Angeles and — as of 2024 — Japan, executed in partnership with Japanese promoter Creativeman Productions. A second branded property, 88NIGHTMARKET, is a cultural-market experience centered on Asian food, music, and merchandise.

The company monetizes across three primary streams: ticketing and sponsorship revenue from festivals and cultural events; direct-to-consumer merchandise sales through its Shopify-powered online store (shop.88rising.com); and artist-representation income via management fees, streaming royalties, and performance bookings. Distribution is multi-channel: owned digital properties (88rising.com, la.hitcfestival.com, 88nightmarket.com), social media (Facebook, X, Instagram), email/newsletter, and physical festival venues across Los Angeles, Tokyo, and Bangkok. The tech stack is largely off-the-shelf (Shopify for commerce, Google Analytics for measurement, standard CMS for websites) with no proprietary technology platform disclosed.

Cumulatively, 88rising has raised across at least five funding rounds since 2015, including a $15.75M round in November 2019 and a subsequent round from Atwater Capital in October 2022. Its partnership with Creativeman Productions provides established promoter infrastructure in Japan and Thailand (SUMMER SONIC BANGKOK) and is positioned as the primary vehicle for further Asian-market expansion, including potential entry into China. Co-founder Jaeson Ma and managing director H. Andrew Kuo lead the company, which operates with a 11–50 employee base.

Name

88rising

Legal name

88Rising, Inc.

Website

https://88rising.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

88rising is a Los Angeles-based independent music label and artist management company founded in 2015 that operates the HEAD IN THE CLOUDS festival brand (Los Angeles and Japan) and 88NIGHTMARKET, monetizing through ticketing, merchandise, and artist representation for Asian and Asian-American artists and global fans.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music and Cultural Entertainment

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (711310), Music Publishers (512230)

SIC

Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)

akta.pro primary industry

Merchandising & Onsite Retail (Concert Merch, Pop-ups) (MPAGAAAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Merchandising & On-Site Retail (Tour Merch, Pop-ups) (MPAIAFAJ)

Keywords

• Music label services
• Artist management
• Music festival production
• Cultural event experiences
• Artist merchandise retail

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Festival and Event Tickets: Revenue generated from selling tickets to HEAD IN THE CLOUDS music festivals in Los Angeles and Japan, as well as 88 NIGHTMARKET events.
2. Merchandise Sales: Online store operations through shop.88rising.com selling artist merchandise, apparel, and other products. Powered by Shopify e-commerce platform.
3. Artist Representation Services: The company represents Asian artists for global reach and likely earns revenue through management fees, streaming royalties, and performance bookings.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

88rising is a record label, artist management company, and digital content producer focused on Asian and Asian-American artists. It sells tickets to its flagship HEAD IN THE CLOUDS music festival (Los Angeles and Japan editions), operates the 88NIGHTMARKET cultural event experience, runs a Shopify-powered merchandise storefront at shop.88rising.com, and provides artist representation services that include management fees, streaming royalties, and performance bookings.

Product overview

88rising operates as a music company and artist collective focused on Asian and Asian-American artists. The company offers two main branded products: the HEAD IN THE CLOUDS music festival (with editions in Los Angeles and international locations including Japan and Bangkok) and 88NIGHTMARKET, a food and cultural event experience. The company also operates e-commerce storefronts for merchandise through the 88rising Shop (shop.88rising.com).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HEAD IN THE CLOUDS: Music festival brand featuring Asian artists and performers, with events in Los Angeles and internationally
• 88NIGHTMARKET

Products and services

• HEAD IN THE CLOUDS Festival

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully launched HEAD IN THE CLOUDS Japan in collaboration with Creativeman Productions

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Creativeman ProductionscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Creativeman Productions, led by Naoki Shimizu, is the promoter behind SUMMER SONIC and the HEAD IN THE CLOUDS Japan event. The partnership with 88rising brought the HEAD IN THE CLOUDS festival concept to Japan for the first time, creating a platform for Japanese artists to reach global audiences. Creativeman also operates SUMMER SONIC BANGKOK in Thailand and is exploring expansion to China, with 88rising as a key collaborator.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Goldenvoice: Festival promoter behind Coachella and other major music festivals with strong curation-led brand. Comparable to 88rising's HEAD IN THE CLOUDS festival business model—independent festival brand built on distinctive artist curation.
• YG Entertainment: South Korean music label and artist management firm with artist development, touring, and merchandise businesses. Comparable to 88rising as an Asian artist-centric label with global crossover ambitions.
• SM Entertainment: Major South Korean music label and talent agency managing K-pop artists with global touring and merchandise operations. Comparable to 88rising's label + management + live events model targeting Asian artists.
• HYBE: South Korean entertainment company and global music label (home of BTS) with artist management, publishing, and live event operations. Directly comparable to 88rising as a label/management/events platform focused on Asian artists with global ambitions.
• JYP Entertainment: South Korean music label and talent agency combining artist management, music publishing, and live performance businesses. Directly comparable to 88rising's integrated label/management/events model.

Broad incumbents

• AEG Presents: Global live music promoter and venue operator producing festivals and concerts across multiple genres. Comparable to 88rising's festival promotion business but with broader mainstream focus rather than Asian artist specialization.
• Live Nation Entertainment: Global live entertainment conglomerate operating festivals, concert promotion, and ticketing at massive scale. Comparable to 88rising's live events and ticketing operations but operates across all genres with vastly broader portfolio.

Others

• Bravado: Global artist merchandise and brand management company (part of Universal Music Group) producing tour merchandise and apparel for major artists. Comparable to 88rising's e-commerce merchandise business operated through Shopify.

Emerging players

• EMPIRE Distribution: Independent music distribution and label services company supporting emerging and established artists globally. Comparable to 88rising's record label and distribution operations as an independent label serving diverse artist rosters.
• 88-philes: Asian American music media and event brand producing concerts, showcases, and editorial content spotlighting Asian artists. Comparable to 88rising's community-driven GTM and event-led discovery of Asian talent.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/88rising
• Facebookfacebook.com/88rising
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/88rising

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors6 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about 88rising