Lava

What Lava does

Lava (Beijing Lava Music Co., Ltd., 北京熔岩音乐有限公司) is a Beijing-based B2B commercial background-music (BGM) service provider founded in 2018. The company's core offering, Lava Store Music (Lava熔岩店铺音乐), delivers curated, fully licensed background music to physical business locations across more than 10 commercial verticals — including retail, F&B, hotels, healthcare, fitness, automotive 4S dealerships, education, and entertainment — and claims to serve nearly 100,000 stores in China. Its content offering is anchored by a licensed catalogue spanning 70+ genres, with a network of approximately 500 music designers across 6 countries producing bespoke brand audio identity work for enterprise clients such as NIO, Zara, H&M, Victoria's Secret, Disney, Adidas, LEGO, Mercedes-Benz, Huawei, and Tongrentang.

The platform combines a web-based self-serve storefront (lavaradio.com), native iOS and Android mobile apps, a Windows desktop client, and proprietary hardware playback terminals, all governed by an automated multi-store management console that lets chain operators control music centrally across locations. The catalogue is licensed through an authorized pass-through arrangement with the Music Copyright Society of China (MCSC) and copyright companies under Taihe Music Group, which gives Lava a regulatory/compliance moat that consumer music apps cannot offer to commercial venues. A complementary product, Lava Magic (情景造乐师 / Scene Music Creator), layers music-driven advertising exposure, marketing campaign planning, and brand-IP development on top of the core BGM service.

Lava's business model is a quote-based B2B subscription priced per store/brand with annual billing, supplemented by a free trial period; pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated via the website guestbook with a 24-hour response SLA. Revenue mechanics include the subscription fee, royalty pass-through to MCSC and Taihe Music Group, and channel/agency revenue from an active partner and software/hardware agent recruitment program. Distribution is multi-channel: direct self-serve via the website and apps, a co-branded China Mobile music broadband client, channel agents, and an inside-sales motion for enterprise customers. The company is privately held, affiliated with Taihe Music Group, holds required Chinese operating licenses (ICP, Telecom & Information Service, Network Culture), and has disclosed approximately $5M in historical funding across three pre-2018 rounds.

Name

Lava

Legal name

Beijing Lava Music Co., Ltd. (北京熔岩音乐有限公司)

Website

https://lavaradio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Lava (Beijing Lava Music Co., Ltd.) is a Beijing-based B2B commercial background-music service that delivers licensed, curated BGM to nearly 100,000 retail, F&B, hospitality, automotive, and other commercial venues in China, with bespoke brand-audio-identity design for enterprise customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Music Streaming

NAICS

Other Sound Recording Industries (512290)

SIC

Phonograph Records & Prerecorded Audio Tapes & Disks (3652)

akta.pro primary industry

Enterprise/B2B Music Streaming (Business Background Music) (MPAIACAJ)

Keywords

• Commercial background music
• In-store music streaming
• Music design services
• Music licensing platform
• Retail audio identity

Headquarters

HQ city

Beijing

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Paid subscription for store/brand background music service: Recurring B2B subscription fee for access to curated store music, with a free trial period during which music is for evaluation only. The service is priced per store/brand and includes music design, multi-store management, and dedicated playback terminals/apps.
2. Copyright licensing pass-through (royalty collection): Per the user agreement, when customers pay the service fee, Lava's operating entity (Beijing Lava Music Co., Ltd.) is authorized on behalf of the customer to remit the copyright fee portion to the Music Copyright Society of China (中国音乐著作权协会) and copyright companies under Taihe Music Group (太合音乐集团旗下版权公司). This represents a licensing/royalty pass-through revenue mechanic built into the subscription.
3. Channel and software/hardware agency revenue: Partner recruitment program actively seeks industry, channel, service, and software/hardware agents (软硬件代理), implying distribution/agency revenue streams beyond direct subscription sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Lava operates a B2B cloud-based commercial background music (BGM) platform that supplies licensed, curated music to physical retail and commercial venues. The service bundles a massive curated music library, custom music design by ~500 professional designers across 6 countries, a centralized multi-store management system, multi-terminal playback (iOS, Android, PC, dedicated hardware terminals, China Mobile broadband client), and on-site sound field/acoustic design. Customers are retail stores, F&B outlets, hotels, hospitals, gyms, automotive showrooms, schools, and brand venues across China.

Product overview

Lava operates a single integrated "BGM-as-a-service" platform anchored by two core offerings: Lava Store Music (Lava熔岩店铺音乐), the foundational product delivering curated background-music catalogues, multi-terminal playback devices, automated multi-store management, sound-field design and audio hardware for commercial venues; and Lava Magic / Scene Music Creator (情景造乐师), the add-on marketing module that turns music into advertising exposure, campaign planning and brand-IP development. The platform is delivered through four client applications — an iOS app, an Android app, a PC desktop client (商业版客户端) and a China-Mobile-only music-broadband client — and is extended by a partnership-recruitment program (商业合作) and a brand-cases showcase (品牌案例) covering industry-, channel-, service- and software/hardware-reseller cooperation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lava Store Music (Lava熔岩店铺音乐): One-stop commercial music solution for retail stores, providing music content, design, management system, playback terminals, sound field creation, and audio source.
• Lava Magic (情景造乐师)

Products and services

• Lava Store Music (Lava熔岩店铺音乐) One-stop commercial background music solution for retail stores and brand venues, providing a curated licensed music library, multi-dimensional music design, an automated multi-store management system, multi-terminal playback devices, on-site sound field design, and quality audio hardware (speakers, amplifiers). Designed for B2B customers such as retail chains, F&B outlets, hotels, hospitals, gyms, automotive showrooms, and brand venues.
• Lava Magic / Scene Music Creator (情景造乐师) Music-marketing module for commercial clients that combines online and offline advertising exposure, marketing campaign planning, and IP development to amplify brand value using music as the creative medium.
• Lava Mobile App (iOS) iOS client application that lets commercial subscribers stream the Lava store-music catalogue and manage playback on mobile devices for in-venue BGM use.
• Lava Mobile App (Android) Android client application that lets commercial subscribers stream the Lava store-music catalogue and manage playback on mobile devices for in-venue BGM use.
• Lava PC Desktop Client (商业版客户端) Windows desktop client that delivers the full Lava Store Music business catalogue, multi-store management, and playback control for retail venues.
• Lava Partnership Program (Lava熔岩音乐合作伙伴招募) Channel and partner-recruitment program covering industry cooperation, channel cooperation, service cooperation, and software/hardware agency distribution for the Lava music platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• ~100,000 stores served (近十万家店铺服务)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers22 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered flagship (featured brand case study on homepage), flagship (featured brand case study on homepage and trademark page), major (listed under partners section), critical (royalty collection infrastructure) and critical (content licensing & platform integration).

• Adidas (阿迪达斯)flagship (featured brand case study on homepage)Strategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured brand case study. Lava designed Adidas store music combining sports style with subculture/electronic/dance tracks to amplify the brand's trend-forward in-store atmosphere.
• LEGO (乐高)flagship (featured brand case study on homepage)Strategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured brand case study. Lava crafted a LEGO store background music program with rich drum beats and energetic rhythms to embody the "play well" brand spirit and shape LEGO's exclusive audio identity.
• NIO (蔚来汽车)flagship (featured brand case study on homepage and trademark page)Strategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured brand case study. Lava designed music for NIO showrooms by area: Techno/breakbeat electronic for the product display area (matching the electric, smart, connected-tech brand), Lounge for the customer rest area, and children's music for the kids' area.
• Dayuecheng (大悦城)major (listed under partners section)Strategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner brand on Lava's Partners section; one of China's well-known shopping mall chains.
• Huawei (华为)major (listed under partners section)Strategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner brand on Lava's Partners section; Lava provides background music services for Huawei retail environments.
• Reebok (锐步)major (listed under partners section)Strategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner brand on Lava's Partners section.
• Mercedes-Benz (奔驰)major (listed under partners section)Strategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner brand on Lava's Partners section; Lava provides background music services for Mercedes-Benz retail environments.
• ibismajor (listed under partners section)Strategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner brand on Lava's Partners section; international budget hotel brand.
• POP MARTmajor (listed under partners section)Strategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner brand on Lava's Partners section; POP MART operates collectible toy retail stores in China.
• CITIC Bookstore (中信书店)major (listed under partners section)Strategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner brand on Lava's Partners section; CITIC Bookstore is a major Chinese bookstore chain.
• Music Copyright Society of China (中国音乐著作权协会)critical (royalty collection infrastructure)OthersPer the Lava User Service Agreement, when customers pay Lava's service fee, Beijing Lava Music Co., Ltd. is authorized on the customer's behalf to remit the copyright fee portion to MCSC. This is a foundational royalty-collection partnership enabling Lava's commercial BGM service to operate legally.
• Taihe Music Group (太合音乐集团) and its affiliated copyright companiescritical (content licensing & platform integration)Technology or IntegrationPer the User Service Agreement, the copyright fee portion of Lava's service fee is paid to copyright companies under Taihe Music Group. The agreement also references that Lava may share account/information with the Taihe ecosystem for safety purposes. Taihe is one of China's largest music groups and provides both content licensing and platform/integration support.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Cloud Cover Music: US-based licensed B2B music streaming platform for retail, restaurants, hotels and fitness. Directly comparable business model (subscription per location, fully licensed catalog, multi-store management) to Lava's Store Music product.
• Mood Media: Global leader in commercial background music, in-store media and scent marketing for retail, hospitality and QSR. Most direct comparable to Lava's B2B BGM service in terms of customer profile (multi-location retail/F&B), subscription model and vertical specialization.
• Jamendo Licensing: Royalty-free music licensing platform for commercial use in retail, hospitality and public spaces. Comparable to Lava on the licensed-content-for-business side, though Lava adds curation and on-site sound design.
• Soundtrack Your Brand: Cloud-based B2B music streaming service for businesses, fully licensed through major labels. Comparable to Lava in offering commercial-grade, centrally-managed playlists across multiple store locations with cross-platform playback.
• Rockbot: In-store music and media platform enabling businesses to play licensed music and let customers curate the in-store experience via mobile. Closely aligned with Lava's commercial BGM and multi-location management focus.

Broad incumbents

• Spotify for Business: Consumer streaming giant offering a B2B background-music tier. Comparable as a large, broad incumbent with a much larger catalog but less vertical specialization and weaker China commercial-licensing posture than Lava.
• QQ Music (Tencent Music Entertainment): Dominant Chinese consumer music streaming service operated by Tencent. Comparable on the licensed-catalog dimension; could enter commercial BGM and disrupt Lava's vertical-specialist positioning.
• NetEase Cloud Music: One of China's largest consumer music streaming platforms with a deep licensed catalog. A potential competitive threat if it expands into B2B commercial BGM in China, where Lava currently leads.

Regional players

• Alibaba's Alimusic / Xiami Music: Alibaba-affiliated Chinese music platform with deep retail-ecosystem ties through Taobao/Tmall. Regionally comparable to Lava as a China-based music platform, with potential to bundle BGM into merchant services.

Emerging players

• Background Music by RockShoez / Easy BGM (类BGM供应商): Niche Chinese B2B BGM and in-store audio providers competing for the long tail of SMB retail and F&B venues that Lava serves. Comparable on vertical/segment focus though smaller in catalog and brand portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors4 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 Lava