Wise Music Group
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1972
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Wise Music Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Wise Music Group
- Legal name
- Wise Music Group Ltd
- Website
- https://wisemusic.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1972
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Wise Music Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Music Publishing Services
- NAICS
- Music Publishers (51223), Sound Recording Industries (5122)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Publishing Administration (Catalog Admin, Global Subpublishing) (MPAIABAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Sync Rights Representation (Pitching, Clearance, Negotiation) (MPAIABAF), Music & Synchronization Rights for Film/TV (MPADALAC), Royalty Accounting & Payment Services (Statements, Audits, Payee Management) (MPAIABAL)
Keywords
Where Wise Music Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices14 records
Markets served
Wise Music Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Synchronization Licensing: Licensing of music for use in TV, film, advertising, and other visual media. Wise Music arranges synch licenses for the use of underlying copyright in music, separate from master recordings.
- Music Publishing Rights: Ownership and control of music copyrights, administering over 500,000 copyrighted works including classical, popular, jazz, reggae, blues, and pop/rock songs from all territories.
- Print Licensing: Licensing for reproduction of music and lyrics in print or digital form, including existing arrangements, new arrangements, lyrics permissions, and photocopying.
- Record Label Revenue: Storyville Records (jazz/blues reissues and original recordings) and Node Records (soundtrack music) generate revenue through physical and digital record sales.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Multi-year contract | Print Licensing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels9 records
Wise Music Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Wise Music Group is a family-owned international music publishing company that owns or controls over 500,000 copyrighted works. The company administers catalogues from iconic publishing houses (Chester Music, G. Schirmer, Novello, Edition Wilhelm Hansen, Bosworth, Campbell Connelly, Éditions Alphonse Leduc) and represents more than 100 living composers. Core services include synchronization licensing for TV, film and advertising, grand rights licensing for dramatic performances, and print licensing for sheet music reproduction.
Product overview
Wise Music Group operates as an international family of music publishing companies with three main divisions: Music Publishing (classical and popular music through imprints like Novello, Chester Music, G. Schirmer, Edition Wilhelm Hansen, Bosworth, Campbell Connelly, and Éditions Alphonse Leduc), Record Labels (Storyville Records and Node Records for jazz and soundtrack releases), and Book Publishing (Omnibus Press imprint for music biographies, illustrated titles, and reference books). The company also manages digital education platforms including MusicFirst and Charanga (divested in 2025), and provides licensing services for synchronization, grand rights, and print through international offices spanning the UK, USA, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Iceland, Denmark, Japan, Australia, and Southeast Asia. Wise Music Group owns or controls approximately half a million copyrights.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Wise Music Classical: Classical music publishing division
- Wise Music Creative
- Storyville Records
- Node Records
- Omnibus Press
- The Orchestra
Products and services
- Synchronization Licensing
- Print Licensing Licensing for reproduction of music and lyrics in print or digital form, including existing arrangements, new arrangements, lyrics permissions, and photocopying. Minimum fee of £100.00 + VAT, with a standard two-year term.
- Grand Rights Licensing Licensing of rights for dramatic performances including ballets, operas, musicals, and theatrical concert productions, administered through Wise Music Classical offices and Schirmer Theatrical.
- Music Publishing Administration Ownership and control of music copyrights, administering over 500,000 copyrighted works including classical, popular, jazz, reggae, blues, and pop/rock songs from all territories on behalf of composers and songwriters.
- Storyville Records Legendary jazz label featuring highly collectible re-issues as well as original recordings, generating revenue through physical and digital record sales.
- Node Records
- Omnibus Press
- G. Schirmer / Associated Music Publishers (AMP)
- Novello & Company
- Chester Music
- Edition Wilhelm Hansen
- Schirmer Theatrical
- Bosworth Music
Quantifiable outcome
- Acquired Edition Peters Group, one of the world's oldest and most distinguished music publishing houses, in 2023
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Wise Music Group
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Wise Music Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Wise Music Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered major_divestiture, core and minor.
- Achieve Partnersmajor_divestitureAchieve Partners, a New York-based private equity firm, acquired Wise Music Group's Digital Education division including MusicFirst, Charanga, Rising Software, Focus on Sound, and O-Generator. This transaction enabled Wise Music Group to focus solely on music publishing.
- Sony Music MasterworkscoreStrategic partnership to identify and sign top artist and composer talent. The partnership combines Wise Music Group's catalogue and publishing expertise with Sony Music Masterworks' recording and artist development capabilities.
- Hal Leonard EuropecoreAll print licensing requests for Wise Music Group copyrights are handled by Hal Leonard Europe, including requests to reproduce existing publications, print new arrangements, include lyrics, and permission to photocopy. Hal Leonard Corporation handles US print licensing.
- BFD/The Orchard SonyminorNode Records, Wise Music Group's boutique soundtrack label, partners with BFD/The Orchard Sony for marketing and distribution purposes.
- STEF (Icelandic collecting society)minorWise Music Iceland works with STEF, the Icelandic collecting society, for royalty collection and rights management in Iceland.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Wise Music Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Boosey & Hawkes: Boosey & Hawkes is a major classical music publishing house (Stravinsky, Bartók, Britten, Copland) and a direct peer in classical publishing with overlapping composer rosters. Both firms compete for premier contemporary classical commissions and estate representations.
- BMG: BMG is the world's second-largest independent music publisher and a direct peer to Wise Music, offering combined publishing and recorded-music services with comparable catalogue scale, sync licensing capabilities, and a global office network — competing head-to-head for songwriter/composer signings and catalogue acquisitions.
- Concord Music Group: Concord is a US-based independent music publisher and rights owner that acquired the Hipgnosis Songs Fund catalogue in 2024 for ~$1.4B. It is a direct peer to Wise Music in independent publishing, with overlapping classical/jazz publishing assets and a similarly acquisitive catalogue-growth strategy.
- Hal Leonard: Hal Leonard is the world's largest print music publisher and a direct peer in print licensing and educational repertoire. Wise Music is structurally tied to Hal Leonard (outsourced print licensing partner), but the two compete for representation rights and print catalogue acquisitions.
- Schott Music: Schott Music is a leading German classical music publisher (Beethoven, Mahler, Henze, Henze) and a direct peer in classical publishing with global distribution and a comparable high-prestige catalogue of European concert works.
Emerging players
- Kobalt Music Group: Kobalt is a tech-forward music publisher and rights administrator with an alternative, technology-led model. It is an emerging player overlapping with Wise Music in publishing administration and royalty accounting, though it operates a more pop-focused, direct-to-creator model without legacy classical imprints.
- Primary Wave Music Publishing: Primary Wave is a US-based independent music publisher and IP investor with $4B+ in catalogue assets (Prince, Stevie Nicks, Whitney Houston estates). It is an emerging player competing in the same catalogue acquisition market as Wise Music, with a more pop-focused and PE-driven model.
Broad incumbents
- Sony Music Publishing: Sony Music Publishing is the second-largest global music publisher and a broad incumbent with the largest active popular catalogue. Sony Music Masterworks is also a strategic partner to Wise Music, making this a hybrid peer/partner relationship.
- Warner Chappell Music: Warner Chappell is the third major global music publisher and a broad incumbent with strong pop, film/TV sync, and emerging songwriter presence. It competes with Wise Music in the sync licensing and catalogue acquisition markets.
- Universal Music Publishing Group: UMPG is the world's largest music publisher, majority-owned by Universal Music Group, and a broad incumbent operating across pop, classical, and production music. It competes with Wise Music for catalogue acquisitions and composer signings at the top of the market.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Wise Music Group social profiles
Digital presenceWise Music Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Wise Music Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Wise Music Group subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries32 records
Wise Music Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Wise Music Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A2 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Wise Music Group
What does Wise Music Group do?
Wise Music Group is a family-owned international music publishing company that owns or controls over 500,000 copyrighted works. The company administers catalogues from iconic publishing houses (Chester Music, G. Schirmer, Novello, Edition Wilhelm Hansen, Bosworth, Campbell Connelly, Éditions Alphonse Leduc) and represents more than 100 living composers. Core services include synchronization licensing for TV, film and advertising, grand rights licensing for dramatic performances, and print licensing for sheet music reproduction.
Is Wise Music Group a public or private company?
Wise Music Group is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Wise Music Group founded?
Wise Music Group was founded in 1972. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Wise Music Group based?
Wise Music Group is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Wise Music Group make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Synchronization Licensing is the primary driver. The others are music Publishing Rights, print Licensing and record Label Revenue.
Who are Wise Music Group's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Boosey & Hawkes, BMG, Concord Music Group, Hal Leonard and Schott Music. Emerging players are Kobalt Music Group and Primary Wave Music Publishing. Broad incumbents are Sony Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music and Universal Music Publishing Group.
Does Wise Music Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for Wise Music Group.
What industry is Wise Music Group in?
Wise Music Group's product category is Music Publishing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIABAB, Publishing Administration (Catalog Admin, Global Subpublishing), with a secondary code of MPAIABAF, Sync Rights Representation (Pitching, Clearance, Negotiation). Its NAICS code is 51223 and its SIC code is 2731.