Round Hill Music LLC

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.

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

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

• Music publishing
• Royalty administration
• Music catalog investment
• Sync licensing
• Music rights management

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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

Core 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

Named customers37 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered key executive, acquisition and advisory.

• Chad Doergekey executiveOthers · 7 April 2026Chad Doerge appointed as President and Deputy CEO, overseeing acquisitions, portfolio management, and analytics. Previously held senior positions in music publishing.
• Linus EntertainmentacquisitionStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2023Round 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 JacksonadvisoryOthersGrammy 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 GreenbergadvisoryOthersMusic 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

Direct 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

• Xx.com/roundhillmusic
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/round-hill-music
• Instagraminstagram.com/roundhillmusic
• Facebookfacebook.com/roundhillmusic

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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

M&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