Blackbird Academy
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersNashville, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
Blackbird Academy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Blackbird Academy
- Legal name
- The Blackbird Academy, LLC
- Website
- https://theblackbirdacademy.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Blackbird Academy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Audio Engineering Education
- NAICS
- Fine Arts Schools (61161)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Music (Instruments, Voice, Music Theory) (EDAAAGAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Music Camps (Band, Choir, Instrument Intensive) (EDAMALAJ)
Keywords
Where Blackbird Academy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nashville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Blackbird Academy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Professional Audio Engineering Programs: Tuition-based 24-week professional programs in Live Sound Engineering and Studio Engineering. Live Sound Engineering tuition is $24,900 total. Tuition includes studio/lab fees and an iPad with all textbooks and educational materials.
- High School Summer Recording Camps: Three-day residential recording camps for high school students ages 13-19. Camp tuition is $1,200, including all materials and lunch daily.
- Application and Seat Deposits: Students pay a $75 application fee and a $200 seat deposit per program (refundable within 3 days of application submission or applied toward tuition upon enrollment).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Live Sound Engineering Program — 6 months, 720+ hours hands-on |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Studio Engineering Program — 24 weeks, 700+ hours hands-on |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | High School Summer Recording Camp — 3 days, ages 13-19 |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Blackbird Academy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Blackbird Academy is a professional audio engineering school operating inside Blackbird Studio in Nashville, TN. It sells two intensive 24-week tuition-based programs — Studio Engineering (700+ hours) and Live Sound Engineering (720+ hours) — plus three-day High School Summer Recording Camps, delivering mentor-driven, hands-on training on the same professional consoles, microphones, and touring equipment used in the recording industry.
Product overview
The Blackbird Academy is a professional audio engineering school offering two primary programs: the Studio Engineering Program (24 weeks, 700+ hours) and the Live Sound Engineering Program (6 months, 720+ hours). These are complemented by High School Summer Recording Camps. The school leverages world-class facilities including nine studios at Blackbird Studio (Studios A-I) for studio training, and a 14,000-square-foot live sound facility (Rock Nashville) for live training. Instruction is mentor-driven with professional engineers and award-winning guest lecturers teaching hands-on skills using industry-standard equipment.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Studio Engineering Program
Quantifiable outcome
- 94% placement rate for Live Sound Engineering graduates
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Blackbird Academy
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Blackbird Academy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Blackbird Academy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Clair GlobalcoreThe Blackbird Academy is affiliated with Clair Global, the largest sound company in the world. Live Sound Engineering students learn from and have access to professional Clair Global engineers with lengthy industry credits. The Live Sound program utilizes Clair Global's massive warehouses of professional touring equipment and staff for instruction.
- Blackbird StudiocoreThe Blackbird Academy is located inside and operates in partnership with Blackbird Studio, the world-renowned recording complex founded by John and Martina McBride in 2002. Students in the Studio Engineering program train in Blackbird's nine world-class studios (Studios A through I).
- Blackbird Audio RentalsminorBlackbird Audio Rentals, located at 2805 Bransford Ave, Nashville, Tennessee 37204, is a related entity offering professional audio equipment rentals. Contact: +1 (615) 279-7368 or +1 (615) 573-5118.
- Rock NashvillecoreThe Live Sound Engineering program is hosted at Rock Nashville, which serves as the dedicated live sound training facility. This 14,000-square-foot space provides professional-grade equipment for hands-on student instruction.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Blackbird Academy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Full Sail University: Florida-based for-profit institution offering intensive Recording Arts, Show Production, and Film programs. Closest direct competitor in the for-profit, career-focused audio engineering education space with similar equipment-forward, mentor-driven pedagogy.
- Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences (CRAS): Arizona-based for-profit audio recording school with comparable program length, hands-on curriculum, and tuition structure. Targets the same aspiring studio engineers and live sound professionals segment as Blackbird Academy.
- SAE Institute: Global network of audio engineering and creative media schools with campuses across North America. Offers comparable Audio Engineering and Live Sound diplomas with a similar vocational, intensive-format model.
- Los Angeles Film School: For-profit entertainment school offering Music Production and Recording Arts programs with similar hands-on, intensive curriculum and tuition positioning. Targets a parallel career-focused, non-traditional student segment.
- Dark Horse Institute: Nashville-based for-profit audio engineering and music business school founded by a former Blackbird Academy instructor. Most direct local competitor for aspiring Nashville audio professionals, with overlapping curriculum and target student.
Broad incumbents
- Berklee College of Music: Premier accredited music school offering Music Production & Engineering and related majors. Competes for the same top-tier audio engineering talent but operates a broader, four-year academic model at much higher cost and scale.
Regional players
- Middle Tennessee State University (Recording Industry Program): Local Nashville-area public university with one of the largest recording industry programs in the US. Directly competes for Nashville-region students pursuing audio careers, though it offers a four-year degree rather than an intensive 24-week program.
- Belmont University (Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business): Nashville-based private university with Music Production and Audio Engineering tracks. Competes for the same Nashville-resident and Tennessee-recruited students and benefits from local industry adjacency.
- Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology (OIART): Canadian audio engineering diploma school with a comparable intensive, mentor-driven curriculum. Competes for North American (and specifically Canadian) audio students who might otherwise consider Nashville-based programs.
Others
- Clair Global: Largest touring sound company in the world and strategic partner of the Blackbird Academy's Live Sound program. Comparable as an ecosystem participant — not a direct competitor — but anchors the Live Sound program's equipment and instructor pipeline.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Blackbird Academy social profiles
Digital presenceBlackbird Academy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Blackbird Academy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
Blackbird Academy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Blackbird Academy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Blackbird Academy
What does Blackbird Academy do?
The Blackbird Academy is a professional audio engineering school operating inside Blackbird Studio in Nashville, TN. It sells two intensive 24-week tuition-based programs — Studio Engineering (700+ hours) and Live Sound Engineering (720+ hours) — plus three-day High School Summer Recording Camps, delivering mentor-driven, hands-on training on the same professional consoles, microphones, and touring equipment used in the recording industry.
Is Blackbird Academy a public or private company?
Blackbird Academy is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Blackbird Academy founded?
Blackbird Academy was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Blackbird Academy based?
Blackbird Academy is headquartered in Nashville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Blackbird Academy make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Professional Audio Engineering Programs are the primary driver. The others are high School Summer Recording Camps and application and Seat Deposits.
Who are Blackbird Academy's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Full Sail University, Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences (CRAS), SAE Institute, Los Angeles Film School and Dark Horse Institute. Berklee College of Music is listed as a broad incumbent. Regional players are Middle Tennessee State University (Recording Industry Program), Belmont University (Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business) and Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology (OIART). Clair Global is listed as an others.
Does Blackbird Academy have an API?
No public API is recorded for Blackbird Academy.
What industry is Blackbird Academy in?
Blackbird Academy's product category is Audio Engineering Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAAGAC, Music (Instruments, Voice, Music Theory), with a secondary code of EDAMALAJ, Music Camps (Band, Choir, Instrument Intensive). Its NAICS code is 61161 and its SIC code is 8200.