Exceleration Music
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Exceleration Music firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Exceleration Music
- Legal name
- Exceleration Music
- Website
- https://excelerationmusic.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Exceleration Music industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Independent Music Label Services
- NAICS
- Music Publishers (51223), Record Production and Distribution (51225)
- SIC
- Phonograph Records & Prerecorded Audio Tapes & Disks (3652)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Publishing Administration (Catalog Admin, Global Subpublishing) (MPAIABAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Royalty Accounting & Payment Services (Statements, Audits, Payee Management) (MPAIABAL), Global Rights Representation & Sub-Publishing/Reciprocal Collection Services (MPAIAKAI)
Keywords
Where Exceleration Music is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Exceleration Music business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Label Services and Distribution: Exceleration provides comprehensive services to independent labels including digital and physical sales, marketing, creative services, accounting, and global distribution. Revenue is generated through service fees and revenue sharing arrangements with partner labels.
- Catalog Acquisition and Licensing: Exceleration acquires catalogs of independent labels (such as Dangerbird Records with approximately 120 albums and over 30 artists), promoting these catalogs through their distribution network. Revenue is generated from catalog exploitation and rights management.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
Exceleration Music product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Exceleration Music is a partnership of independent music industry veterans that delivers label services to independent record labels, including digital and physical sales, marketing, creative services, accounting, and global distribution through its owned subsidiary Redeye Worldwide. The company invests in music rights by acquiring catalogs of independent labels (e.g., Dangerbird Records, Mack Avenue Music Group, Cooking Vinyl) and provides deal structures, distribution, and operational infrastructure so indie labels can launch new artists, reinvigorate catalogs, and grow rights value while retaining their independence.
Product overview
Exceleration Music is a partnership of global music industry leaders serving the independent music sector ('indieverse'). The company operates as a platform combining multiple services and brands: its core Exceleration Music entity provides label services, marketing, and sales support for independent labels; Redeye Worldwide provides global distribution capabilities (acquired 2023); and Red Zero Records operates as a sub-brand launched with Kingfish Partners. The portfolio includes numerous acquired and affiliated label brands spanning genres like jazz (Mack Avenue), rock (Dangerbird, Kill Rock Stars), Americana (Bloodshot, Yep Roc), electronic, classical, and more. Recent acquisitions include Cooking Vinyl, Dangerbird Records catalog, and Mack Avenue Music Group.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Exceleration Music Label Services End-to-end label services partnership for independent music labels, delivering digital and physical sales support, marketing, creative services, accounting, and global distribution under flexible, transparent deal terms tailored to each label's needs.
- Redeye Worldwide Distribution Global distribution service for physical and digital music formats, serving Exceleration's acquired catalogs and partner labels across worldwide markets.
- Red Zero Records Record label joint venture with Kingfish Partners, releasing and promoting artist projects through Exceleration's Redeye Worldwide distribution network.
- Independent Label Portfolio (Partner and Acquired Labels) Roster of independent record labels spanning jazz, rock, Americana, electronic, classical, blues, and other genres, supported by Exceleration's label services and Redeye Worldwide distribution.
Companies that use Exceleration Music
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Exceleration Music technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Exceleration Music partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.
- Music Declares EmergencymajorExceleration Music joined Music Declares Emergency, The Music Climate Pact, and other major indie labels (Secretly Group, Warp Records, Beggars Group, Ninja Tune) in launching a Recycled Vinyl Campaign with releases pressed on 100% reclaimed vinyl material.
- The Music Climate PactmajorPartnered with The Music Climate Pact as part of the Recycled Vinyl Campaign initiative to promote sustainability in vinyl production.
- Independent Record PressingminorIndependent Record Pressing produces recycled vinyl material used in the Recycled Vinyl Campaign. Their recycled vinyl produces approximately 16% less carbon footprint than traditional vinyl.
- Kingfish PartnerscoreKingfish Partners partnered with Exceleration Music to launch Red Zero Records, a joint venture label expanding their distribution and label network.
- Red Zero RecordscoreJoint venture label between Exceleration Music and Kingfish Partners, launched to expand the distribution and promotion of independent music catalog.
- Redeye WorldwidecoreExceleration Music acquired Redeye Worldwide in 2023, making it their owned distribution company that handles global physical and digital sales for all of Exceleration's partner labels and acquired catalogs.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Exceleration Music competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- AWAL: Artist-friendly distribution and label services platform (now part of Sony Music) that provides marketing, distribution, and rights services to independent artists and labels. AWAL's services-led model and indie-focused positioning overlap with Exceleration's label services offering, though AWAL lacks the catalog-acquisition focus.
- Primary Wave Music: Independent music publishing and rights acquisition company that acquires catalogs from legacy artists and songwriters, providing marketing, branding, and sync services. Comparable to Exceleration in its catalog-acquisition-led model and focus on undervalued independent music rights, though Primary Wave is more publishing-centric.
- BMG: Bertelsmann-owned BMG is the most direct comparable: a global music company combining recorded music, music publishing rights acquisition, and label services for independent artists and catalogs. BMG's integrated rights + services model closely mirrors Exceleration's catalog-acquisition-plus-label-services thesis, and both target indie artists and rights holders disenchanted with major-label treatment.
- Believe: Paris-based digital music company providing distribution and label services to independent artists and labels globally, with a strong catalog-acquisition arm. Believe competes head-to-head with Exceleration in providing infrastructure and services to indie labels and acquiring rights assets in the same seller universe.
- Beggars Group: UK-based independent music group comprising 4AD, Matador, Rough Trade, XL Recordings, and Young Turks. Beggars is a long-standing standard-bearer for the independent music model Exceleration champions and competes for similar artist signings and catalog acquisition opportunities.
- Secretly Group: Independent music group comprising Secretly Canadian, Jagjaguwar, Dead Oceans, and Numero Group, providing label and distribution services to artists and acquired catalogs. Direct indie-philosophy peer to Exceleration; both explicitly positioned as alternatives to major-label models and both active in catalog acquisitions.
- Ingrooves: Independent music distribution and label services company (acquired by Universal Music Group) that provides digital and physical distribution, marketing, and rights administration to independent labels. Comparable to Exceleration's Redeye Worldwide operation; the founder Amy Dietz was previously Ingrooves' EVP/GM, highlighting direct industry overlap.
- [PIAS]: Belgium-headquartered independent music company combining a record label group, distribution services, and a neighboring-rights/royalty-collection business. [PIAS]'s combination of label services, distribution, and rights administration is structurally similar to Exceleration's full-stack indie platform model.
- Reservoir Media: Publicly-traded music publisher and rights acquirer that invests in music catalogs and publishing rights, with adjacent recorded music operations. Reservoir is a directly comparable music rights investor that competes for similar catalog acquisition opportunities and serves a similar indie and legacy-artist client base.
Broad incumbents
- Concord Music Group: Large independent music company (now majority-owned by Sony) operating recorded music, publishing, and theatrical rights across multiple genres. Highly relevant as the company Exceleration founder Glen Barros built into a major independent over 25 years; competes for similar catalog assets and operates as a broader incumbent in the same indie space Exceleration targets.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Exceleration Music financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Exceleration Music leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Exceleration Music subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
Exceleration Music funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Exceleration Music M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A3 records
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Exceleration Music
What does Exceleration Music do?
Exceleration Music is a partnership of independent music industry veterans that delivers label services to independent record labels, including digital and physical sales, marketing, creative services, accounting, and global distribution through its owned subsidiary Redeye Worldwide. The company invests in music rights by acquiring catalogs of independent labels (e.g., Dangerbird Records, Mack Avenue Music Group, Cooking Vinyl) and provides deal structures, distribution, and operational infrastructure so indie labels can launch new artists, reinvigorate catalogs, and grow rights value while retaining their independence.
Is Exceleration Music a public or private company?
Exceleration Music is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Exceleration Music founded?
Exceleration Music was founded in 2019. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Exceleration Music based?
Exceleration Music is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does Exceleration Music make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Label Services and Distribution is the primary driver. The others are catalog Acquisition and Licensing.
Who are Exceleration Music's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are AWAL, Primary Wave Music, BMG, Believe, Beggars Group, Secretly Group, Ingrooves, [PIAS] and Reservoir Media. Concord Music Group is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Exceleration Music have an API?
No public API is recorded for Exceleration Music.
What industry is Exceleration Music in?
Exceleration Music's product category is Independent Music Label Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIABAB, Publishing Administration (Catalog Admin, Global Subpublishing), with a secondary code of MPAIABAL, Royalty Accounting & Payment Services (Statements, Audits, Payee Management). Its NAICS code is 51223 and its SIC code is 3652.