Big Machine Label Group

What Big Machine Label Group does

Big Machine Label Group, founded in 2005 by Scott Borchetta in Nashville, Tennessee, is a privately held music label holding company that historically operated as a leading country and Americana music label. The company built a roster that included Taylor Swift (whose masters became a public dispute), Rascal Flatts, and Reba McEntire, along with multiple sub-brands: Big Machine Records, Valory Music Co., Big Machine Music Publishing, and BMLG Shop (D2C e-commerce). Its revenue model draws from streaming royalties and music sales (subscription/recurring), artist merchandise (transaction fees), and publishing and licensing royalties across a catalog of songs and recordings distributed globally through Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and country radio.

The company's underlying technology stack is largely conventional: recording, production, and distribution infrastructure feeding major streaming platforms, supported by an owned e-commerce storefront (shop.bigmachinelabelgroup.com) and marketing channels that include Country Radio Seminar appearances and a GSTV content integration partnership. No proprietary AI/ML capability, app, or API platform was disclosed in the available data.

Following ownership changes — Scooter Braun's Ithaca Holdings acquired Big Machine in 2019 for over $300 million, and HYBE America acquired the assets in 2021 — the label underwent material restructuring in February 2026. HYBE America rebranded the retained entity as Blue Highway Records (with Valory Music Co. folded in and Jake Basden appointed CEO), while founder Scott Borchetta departed and reacquired the Big Machine Records brand for independent relaunch. The founder has since extended into NFL athlete representation via Borchetta Entertainment Group. The current legal entity operates under Big Machine Label Group, LLC, domiciled in Tennessee, with contact infrastructure now pointing to hybecorp.com domains associated with Blue Highway Records.

Name

Big Machine Label Group

Legal name

Big Machine Label Group, LLC

Website

https://bigmachinelabelgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Big Machine Label Group is a Nashville-based country and Americana music label founded in 2005 by Scott Borchetta. Following its 2026 restructuring, the entity now operates as Blue Highway Records under HYBE America while Borchetta independently relaunches the Big Machine Records brand.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Country Music Record Label

NAICS

Music Publishers (512230), Record Production and Distribution (51225)

akta.pro primary industry

Record Labels (Major & Independent) (MPAIAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Micro-Licensing & Direct Licensing Platforms (UGC, SMB venues, online uses) (MPAIAKAJ)

Keywords

• Country music label
• Record label services
• Music publishing
• Artist development
• Music distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Music Royalties and Streaming: Revenue from streaming platforms and music sales generated by signed artists' catalog
2. Merchandise Sales: Sale of artist merchandise through e-commerce platform
3. Publishing and Licensing: Publishing rights and licensing deals for music catalog

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Big Machine Label Group is a Nashville-based country and Americana music record label and music publishing company. The label signs, develops, produces, markets, and distributes music recordings for its roster of artists including Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts, and Reba McEntire. The company also manages music publishing rights, licenses its catalog for synchronization deals, and operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront for artist merchandise and music releases.

Product overview

Big Machine Label Group is a music industry conglomerate that operated as a record label holding company with multiple label imprints and a music publishing division. The portfolio includes Big Machine Records (the historic country label featuring artists like Taylor Swift), Blue Highway Records (a Hybe America-owned country and Americana label housing Thomas Rhett, Brett Young, Midland, Justin Moore, and Carly Pearce), Valory Music Co. (now folded into Blue Highway), and Big Machine Music Publishing. The group also operates an e-commerce shop for merchandise and music. Following Hybe America's 2021 acquisition and subsequent restructuring, the label assets underwent rebranding, with Scott Borchetta departing and reacquiring the Big Machine Records brand for independent relaunch.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Big Machine Records A country and Americana music record label that signs, develops, produces, and distributes recordings for its roster of artists. The label was reacquired by founder Scott Borchetta in 2026 for independent operations.
• Blue Highway Records A country and Americana music label under HYBE America housing artists including Thomas Rhett, Brett Young, Midland, Justin Moore, and Carly Pearce, formed from the relaunch of Big Machine Label Group in February 2026.
• Big Machine Music Publishing Music publishing division that manages songwriting rights and catalog licensing for the label's artists, generating revenue through licensing deals and royalty collections.
• BMLG Shop An e-commerce platform for purchasing artist merchandise, music releases, and artist-related products directly from Big Machine Label Group's signed artists and imprints.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully developed multiple chart-topping country artists over two decades of operation

Named customers10 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• KMM Sports (Kelli Masters)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 April 2026Partnership with NFL agent Kelli Masters and Erik Logan through Borchetta Entertainment Group to enter NFL athlete representation space. New venture aims to build full-scale brands for athletes beyond traditional contract work.
• CreatiVetscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 November 2025Nonprofit partnership supporting veterans through music arts programs. Released Irving Locker's debut song 'If Freedom Was Free' - a 101-year-old WWII veteran's first published songwriting work. Partnership creates therapeutic songwriting opportunities for veterans dealing with PTSD.
• GSTVminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Content integration partnership with GSTV's data-driven video network at convenience and fuel retailers. First homegrown programming tentpole featuring Big Machine Label Group content, reaching 116 million monthly consumers across 30,000+ retail locations.
• Universal Music GroupminorOthersUniversal Music Group oversaw product management for artist merchandise, involved in incident where Taylor Swift packaging contained unreleased Aaron Lewis album materials from Big Machine.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Curb Records: Long-standing independent Nashville country label. Direct comparable in genre focus, indie ownership structure, and decades-long artist development track record in country music.
• Sony Music Nashville: Major-label Nashville division signing and developing country artists. Directly comparable in genre focus (country), artist development model, and target radio/streaming channels.
• Broken Bow Records: Independent Nashville country label with comparable artist roster size and similar full-service artist development model. Closely matched as an indie country peer.
• Universal Music Group Nashville: Major-label Nashville division directly competing for country artists, radio promotion, and streaming market share. UMG is also a current distribution/merchandise partner for Big Machine, making it both competitor and channel.
• Warner Music Nashville: Major-label Nashville country division with a comparable roster of established country artists. Direct competitor for A&R signings and country radio promotion campaigns.

Broad incumbents

• Concord Music Group: Independently owned recorded music and publishing group with significant country catalog and artist roster. Comparable in business model combining label, publishing, and sync rights.
• Hybe America: Parent/successor entity that owned Big Machine Label Group from 2021-2026 and currently owns Blue Highway Records. Provides structural comparison as the larger corporate holder of the country assets.

Emerging players

• Thirty Tigers: Independent Nashville-rooted label and distributor with comparable Americana/country focus. Smaller-scale peer with similar artist development and indie distribution model.
• Rounder Records: Independent roots/Americana-focused label with overlap in BMLG's Americana catalog positioning. Smaller scale but directly comparable in genre-adjacent artist development.

Others

• Spotify: Primary streaming distribution channel for BMLG's recorded music catalog. While not a peer in the label sense, Spotify is the dominant revenue-generating platform and is the key negotiating counterparty that determines label-level streaming economics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BigMachine
• Facebookfacebook.com/bigmachinerecords
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/430996

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Big Machine Label Group