Round Hill Music LLC
Round Hill Music LLC is a private equity-backed music rights platform that acquires and manages nearly 200,000 copyrights across publishing and master rights, providing royalty administration, sync licensing, and label services to songwriters, artists, and institutional investors.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Round Hill Music LLC does
Round Hill Music LLC is a private, New York-based music rights platform founded in 2010 by CEO Josh Gruss. The company operates as a private-equity-style investor and active manager of music catalogs, raising capital from institutional investors across multiple private funds (Fund I launched 2011, with five funds continuing post-Concord exit). To date it has raised and deployed more than $1.1 billion, acquired over 180 catalogs, and now manages nearly 200,000 copyrights spanning publishing and master rights for iconic artists including Elvis Presley, Madonna, James Brown, Bruno Mars, Nina Simone, The Killers, and Massive Attack.
The platform combines a proprietary royalty administration system with integrated service lines: publishing administration, master recordings administration, global royalty collection (with direct memberships in SOCAN, PRS/MCPS, STIM), synchronization licensing via dedicated teams in New York, Los Angeles, and Nashville, and an independent record label (Round Hill Records). Sub-brands include Round Hill Carlin (publishing), Black Hill Records (label), and Sound Hill (neighboring rights). The technology layer focuses on transparency and configurability of royalty payments rather than AI capabilities, with direct pipelines into foreign performance society networks.
The business model is multi-stream: management fees and performance fees on capital under management, direct equity participation in acquired catalogs, sync licensing fees, neighboring rights collections, and record label revenue. Customers span three primary segments — songwriters and composers (catalog management and creative services), institutional investors (music rights as an alternative asset class), and media companies (sync placements in film, TV, advertising, and gaming). The firm operates from offices in New York, Nashville, Los Angeles, and London, with a team of 50+ employees and a leadership bench expanded in 2024-2026 with new hires in CFO, capital markets, IR/BD, and President/Deputy CEO roles.
Round Hill Music LLC firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Round Hill Music LLC
- Legal name
- Round Hill Music LP
- Website
- https://roundhillmusic.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Round Hill Music LLC is a private equity-backed music rights platform that acquires and manages nearly 200,000 copyrights across publishing and master rights, providing royalty administration, sync licensing, and label services to songwriters, artists, and institutional investors.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Round Hill Music LLC industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Music Rights Management
- NAICS
- Music Publishers (51223), Music Publishers (512230)
- SIC
- Patent Owners & Lessors (6794)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Performance Rights Administration (PRO Affiliation, Cue Sheet/Setlist Processing) (MPAIABAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Music Rights Administration & Royalty Processing (Admin, Accounting, Statements) (MPAIAKAD), Neighboring Rights Collection (Sound Recording Performance Rights) (MPAIAKAC), Royalty Auditing, Compliance & Anti-Piracy/Enforcement (MPAIAKAE)
Keywords
Where Round Hill Music LLC is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Round Hill Music LLC business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Music Catalog Investment Management: Round Hill operates as a private equity platform raising capital from investors to acquire music catalogs. They manage catalogs on behalf of institutional investors and private fund investors, earning management fees and performance fees.
- Royalty Collection and Administration: The company collects and administers royalties across multiple streams including performance, neighboring rights, mechanical, digital, and synchronization royalties from global collection societies.
- Catalog Acquisitions and Monetization: The company acquires music catalogs and monetizes them through streaming, film, advertising, and other licensing opportunities. They have acquired over 180 catalogs including nearly 200,000 songs.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
Round Hill Music LLC product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Round Hill Music LLC is a private equity-backed music rights platform that acquires, administers, and monetizes music catalogs on behalf of songwriters, artists, and institutional investors. The company manages nearly 200,000 copyrights across publishing and master rights, providing royalty collection, synchronization licensing, neighboring rights, creative services, and record label operations (Round Hill Records) through offices in New York, Los Angeles, Nashville, and London. It manages a portfolio valued at approximately $1.1 billion across multiple private funds.
Product overview
Round Hill Music is a music rights management company offering a comprehensive platform for music publishing administration, master recordings, sync licensing, and royalty collection. The core offering consists of Round Hill Music's rights management platform complemented by Round Hill Records (independent record label), Sync Services for film/TV/advertising placement, Royalty Collection and Administration, Master Recordings Administration, and Sound Hill for neighboring rights. Additional sub-brands include Round Hill Carlin and Black Hill Records. The company manages approximately 200,000 copyrights across diverse genres.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Round Hill Records: Full-service independent record label dedicated to long-term artist development featuring diverse label properties.
- Round Hill Carlin
- Black Hill Records
- Sound Hill
- VIP Nashville Songwriter Services
Products and services
- Round Hill Music Rights Management Platform Comprehensive music rights management platform providing copyright administration, royalty collection, sync licensing, and catalog management services for songwriters, artists, and investors. Manages nearly 200,000 copyrights.
- Round Hill Records Full-service independent record label dedicated to long-term artist development featuring artists such as Judah & the Lion, Estelle, oso oso, Kevin Devine, The Cult, Blues Traveler, Ziggy Marley, Better Than Ezra, and Triumph. Releases music through DSPs and streaming platforms.
- Sync Licensing Services Synchronization licensing service placing music in TV shows (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV), films, advertising campaigns (Starbucks, Volkswagen, Rivian, Google), and video games (LEGO Fortnite). Dedicated sync teams in NY, LA, and Nashville.
- Royalty Collection and Administration Global royalty administration service navigating intricate royalty collection across performance, mechanical, digital, and synchronization royalties, with direct memberships in SOCAN (Canada), PRS/MCPS (UK) and STIM (Sweden). Ensures proper and timely compensation through proprietary royalty system with full transparency.
- Master Recordings Administration In-house record label service preserving and enhancing classic catalog masters through special vinyl packaging, re-issues, and re-mastering for songwriters and recording artists.
- Sound Hill Neighboring Rights Collection Neighboring rights collection service utilizing worldwide network of relationships with international collection societies. Operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Round Hill Music and expanded through acquisition of RIDENT ROYALTIES, INC. in 2023.
- VIP Client Experiences for Country Songwriters VIP publishing experience for Nashville country songwriters with dedicated catalog promotion and Nashville-based creative teams, including Morgan Wallen and other country artists.
- Creative Services Creative teams providing personalized attention for artists with A&R development, co-writes, cuts, and media marketing support, emphasizing boutique-size agility to bring back personalized creative attention.
- Music Catalog Investment Funds Private equity funds that raise capital from institutional and private investors to acquire music catalogs. Earns management fees and performance fees. Has successfully raised and deployed more than $1.1 billion since inception.
Quantifiable outcome
- Successfully completed over 180 catalog acquisitions since 2010
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Round Hill Music LLC
Customer profileNamed customers37 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Round Hill Music LLC technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Round Hill Music LLC partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered key executive, acquisition and advisory.
- Chad Doergekey executiveChad Doerge appointed as President and Deputy CEO, overseeing acquisitions, portfolio management, and analytics. Previously held senior positions in music publishing.
- Linus EntertainmentacquisitionRound Hill acquired Canadian independent music company Linus Entertainment, encompassing over 3,000 songs and 20,000 master recordings from Canadian and American artists across diverse genres.
- Randy JacksonadvisoryGrammy Award winning producer and former American Idol judge joined Round Hill as advisor in 2024 to strengthen sourcing and access to premium music rights deals.
- John GreenbergadvisoryMusic management veteran who has worked with world renowned artists, producers and writers joined Round Hill as advisor to strengthen sourcing and access to premium music rights deals.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Round Hill Music LLC competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Concord: Independent music publisher, record label, and rights holder that acquired Round Hill's London-listed fund for $469M in 2023. Closest comparable in business model combining publishing, master rights, neighboring rights, and active catalog management.
- Primary Wave Music Publishing: Leading independent music publisher and catalog acquirer that has raised multi-billion-dollar funds to acquire iconic music rights and manages them with active creative and sync teams. Mirrors Round Hill's PE-platform approach.
- Hipgnosis Songs Fund: Song catalog investment platform that pioneered the modern music IP fund model, building a portfolio of hundreds of catalogs. Directly comparable investment thesis and asset class to Round Hill's funds.
- BMG: Major independent music publisher and record label owned by Bertelsmann, combining publishing, recordings, and active catalog management across a global footprint. Directly competes for songwriter signings and catalog acquisitions.
- Spirit Music Group: Independent music publishing company with a large catalog of iconic songs, owned by Lyric Capital Group. Closely comparable as a PE-backed independent publisher pursuing both organic signings and catalog acquisitions.
- Reservoir Media: Independently owned music publisher with a ~150,000-song catalog, publicly listed, that pursues both organic A&R signings and catalog acquisitions. Comparable in scale and strategy to Round Hill.
- peermusic: One of the largest independent music publishers, family-owned, with a multi-million-song global catalog. Directly competes in independent publishing administration and catalog acquisition markets.
- Anthem Entertainment Group: Independent music publisher and rights management company (formerly ole) that has grown via catalog acquisitions. Comparable in scope and strategy to Round Hill, particularly in Nashville and Toronto.
Broad incumbents
- Sony Music Publishing: World's largest music publisher and a division of Sony Music Entertainment, offering publishing administration, sync, and label services globally. Competes broadly for catalog acquisitions and songwriter signings against Round Hill.
- Warner Chappell Music: Global music publishing arm of Warner Music Group with a multi-million-song catalog. Competes broadly with Round Hill across publishing administration, sync, and catalog M&A.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Round Hill Music LLC social profiles
Digital presenceRound Hill Music LLC financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Round Hill Music LLC leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Round Hill Music LLC subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
Round Hill Music LLC funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Round Hill Music LLC M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments2 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Round Hill Music LLC
What does Round Hill Music LLC do?
Round Hill Music LLC is a private equity-backed music rights platform that acquires, administers, and monetizes music catalogs on behalf of songwriters, artists, and institutional investors. The company manages nearly 200,000 copyrights across publishing and master rights, providing royalty collection, synchronization licensing, neighboring rights, creative services, and record label operations (Round Hill Records) through offices in New York, Los Angeles, Nashville, and London. It manages a portfolio valued at approximately $1.1 billion across multiple private funds.
Is Round Hill Music LLC a public or private company?
Round Hill Music LLC is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Round Hill Music LLC founded?
Round Hill Music LLC was founded in 2010. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Round Hill Music LLC based?
Round Hill Music LLC is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Round Hill Music LLC make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Music Catalog Investment Management is the primary driver. The others are royalty Collection and Administration and catalog Acquisitions and Monetization.
Who are Round Hill Music LLC's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Concord, Primary Wave Music Publishing, Hipgnosis Songs Fund, BMG, Spirit Music Group, Reservoir Media, peermusic and Anthem Entertainment Group. Broad incumbents are Sony Music Publishing and Warner Chappell Music.
Does Round Hill Music LLC have an API?
No public API is recorded for Round Hill Music LLC.
What industry is Round Hill Music LLC in?
Round Hill Music LLC's product category is Music Rights Management. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIABAE, Performance Rights Administration (PRO Affiliation, Cue Sheet/Setlist Processing), with a secondary code of MPAIAKAD, Music Rights Administration & Royalty Processing (Admin, Accounting, Statements). Its NAICS code is 51223 and its SIC code is 6794.