Barking Owl
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.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
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.
Barking Owl firmographics
Firmographics- 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
Barking Owl industry classification
Industry- 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
Where Barking Owl is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Barking Owl business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- 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
Barking Owl product offering
Product offeringCore 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.
Companies that use Barking Owl
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Barking Owl technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Barking Owl partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- World AthleticsflagshipWorld 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 MarathonflagshipBarking 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 SchoolcoreBarking 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 IndianapoliscoreBarking 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 OlympicsflagshipBarking 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
Barking Owl competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect 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
Barking Owl social profiles
Digital presenceBarking Owl financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Barking Owl leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Barking Owl funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Barking Owl 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 Barking Owl
What does Barking Owl do?
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.
Is Barking Owl a public or private company?
Barking Owl is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Barking Owl founded?
Barking Owl was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Barking Owl based?
Barking Owl is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does Barking Owl make money?
One revenue line is on record: music & Sound Production Services.
Who are Barking Owl's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are MassiveMusic, Antfood, Made Music Studio, Sixième Son, Mophonics, Butter Music and Sound, JSM Music and Squeak E. Clean Studios. Rumblefish is listed as an emerging player. Universal Music Group is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Barking Owl have an API?
No public API is recorded for Barking Owl.
What industry is Barking Owl in?
Barking Owl's product category is Audio Production Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIAHAI, Vocal Production & Coaching (in-studio), with a secondary code of MPAIALAE, Jingle & Brand Sonic Identity Studios. Its NAICS code is 51224.