Barking Owl

What Barking Owl does

Barking Owl is a US-based music and sound production company founded in 2009 that delivers custom audio content — including original music composition, sound design, audio mixing (7.1/5.1), sonic branding, and VO/ADR services — to blue-chip brands and advertising agencies. The company operates through three physical studios in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, and maintains a roster that includes acclaimed composers (Atticus Ross, Dan Deacon, Dan Romer, Kris Bowers, Houston Fry, Jacob Plasse), a lead sound designer, six additional sound designers/mixers, a music supervisor, and a global head of production. Its enterprise client base spans apparel (Levi's, Adidas, Lululemon, Hoka), beverages (Pepsi, Topo Chico), sports media (ESPN), insurance (State Farm), e-commerce (Etsy), technology (Meta), fitness (Tonal), and appliances (KitchenAid), with work typically delivered through top-tier agencies such as TBWA\Chiat\LA, BSSP, Droga5, Translation, Anomaly, and High Dive US. The company has three dedicated revenue streams: (1) project-based professional services fees for custom music, sound design, and sonic branding engagements, (2) a music library (music.barkingowl.com) for licensing of original tracks, and (3) the "Start Without a Shot" initiative, launched in 2024, which provides an electronic symphonic alternative to traditional gunshot race starts developed with neurologists and Harvard Medical School, deployed at 200+ events globally and adopted into the World Athletics rulebook. The company is led by CEO Kirkland Alexander Lynch, Managing Director Carol Dunn, and Creative Director Elijah Torn, and operates as a privately held firm with no disclosed institutional investment.

Name

Barking Owl

Legal name

Barking Owl

Website

https://barkingowlsound.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Barking Owl is a US music and sound production company that delivers custom music, sound design, audio mixing, and sonic branding for blue-chip brands and advertising agencies through studios in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Audio Production Services

NAICS

Sound Recording Studios (51224), Sound Recording Studios (512240), Sound Recording Industries (5122)

akta.pro primary industry

Vocal Production & Coaching (in-studio) (MPAIAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Jingle & Brand Sonic Identity Studios (MPAIALAE)

Keywords

• Music composition services
• Sound design production
• Audio post production
• Sonic branding services
• Music licensing library

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Music & Sound Production Services: Barking Owl generates revenue through custom music composition, sound design, audio mixing, and sonic branding services for brands and agencies. Services include original music, music editing & arranging, music remixing, music supervision, linear sound design, Foley art, SFX editing, 360° sound design, experiential soundscaping, UI/UX sound design, location records, audio mixing (7.1/5.1), VO recording, ADR, and source connect. Revenue appears to be project-based or retainer arrangements with enterprise clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Barking Owl is a professional audio production company that creates custom music, sound design, audio mixing, and sonic branding for blue-chip brands and advertising agencies. Operating from studios in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, the company serves major clients including State Farm, ESPN, Levi's, Pepsi, Adidas, Meta, and Lululemon. Additionally, the company developed the 'Start Without a Shot' alternative electronic symphonic race starting sound system in partnership with the 2024 Kyiv Marathon.

Product overview

Barking Owl is a music and sound production company offering a comprehensive suite of audio services for brands and agencies. The company operates as a single integrated offering across three main service categories: Music (including original composition, editing, remixing, and supervision), Sound Design (covering linear, experiential, UI/UX, and immersive 360° formats), Audio Mixing (7.1/5.1 surround, VO recording, ADR, and remote sessions via Source Connect), and Sonic Branding (mnemonics, audio logos, brand anthems, and playlists). The company also offers a dedicated Music Library for licensing and the 'Start Without a Shot' initiative for alternative race start sounds. Barking Owl maintains studios in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Music Library

Quantifiable outcome

• Alternative starting sounds now used by over 200 events globally, with World Athletics amending its rulebook to allow sanctioned races to use alternative starting sounds.

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• World AthleticsflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024World Athletics amended its rulebook to allow sanctioned races to use alternative starting sounds, following Barking Owl's partnership with the 2024 Kyiv Marathon. This partnership has enabled the adoption of inclusive race starting protocols globally, with Barking Owl's electronic symphonic sound now shared with over 200 events worldwide.
• 2024 Kyiv MarathonflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Barking Owl partnered with the 2024 Kyiv Marathon to replace traditional gunshot race starts with an alternative electronic symphonic sound. The marathon invited thousands of Ukrainian military members, making gunshots inappropriate. Barking Owl tested 70 alternatives with runners and PTSD survivors before settling on a final sound.
• Harvard Medical SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Barking Owl collaborated with neurologists and Harvard Medical School researchers to develop and test alternative race starting sounds, specifically ensuring the sounds would not trigger PTSD symptoms in survivors.
• 2027 Mini-Marathon in IndianapoliscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBarking Owl's executive director Emily Smith Pirrello is targeting the 2027 Indianapolis Mini-Marathon as a key event for implementing alternative starting sounds.
• 2028 Los Angeles OlympicsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerBarking Owl's executive director Emily Smith Pirrello is targeting the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics as a major event opportunity for implementing alternative starting sounds.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MassiveMusic: Global sonic branding and music-for-brands agency with offices across Europe, the Americas, and Asia. Direct peer to Barking Owl in producing original music, audio logos, brand anthems, and music supervision for global advertising clients.
• Antfood: Brooklyn-based sound design and music production studio serving agencies and brands with original composition, sound design, and mix services. Closely comparable to Barking Owl in service mix (music, sound design, sonic branding) and B2B agency/client model.
• Made Music Studio: NYC-based sonic branding and original music studio focused on audio logos, brand anthems, and music supervision for advertising and brand experience work. Directly comparable to Barking Owl's Sonic Branding practice.
• Sixième Son: Independent global sonic branding agency creating audio identities, music, and sound design for brands. Highly comparable to Barking Owl's end-to-end brand audio offering and enterprise client base.
• Mophonics: Sound design and music studio in Brooklyn producing original music, sound design, and audio post for advertising campaigns. Directly comparable in service offering and agency-led client base.
• Butter Music and Sound: Independent music and sound studio in New York and Los Angeles producing original music, sound design, and sonic branding for advertising and brand campaigns. Direct competitor in the same agency-driven workflow.
• JSM Music: Music production company specializing in original composition and licensing for advertising agencies and brands. Closely comparable to Barking Owl's original music and supervision services.
• Squeak E. Clean Studios: UK- and US-based music and sound design studio serving global brands and agencies with original music, sound design, and audio branding. Comparable in scope and client tier to Barking Owl.

Emerging players

• Rumblefish: Music licensing and rights management platform for content creators, with adjacent overlap to Barking Owl's music library licensing service. Partial overlap in the catalog/music-licensing component of the offering.

Broad incumbents

• Universal Music Group: World's largest recorded-music company with vast composer rosters, music libraries, and brand partnership capabilities. Operates broadly across the same underlying music ecosystem as Barking Owl but at a fundamentally different scale and business model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/barkingowl_
• Xx.com/barkingowlsound
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/barking-owl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Barking Owl