Cooking Vinyl
Cooking Vinyl is a London-based independent record label founded in 1986 that provides artist services deals, distribution deals, publishing, and royalty administration to a roster of legacy, mid-career, and emerging recording artists across multiple genres, with global reach through an international partner network.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1986
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Cooking Vinyl does
Cooking Vinyl Ltd is a London-headquartered independent record label founded in 1986 by Martin Goldschmidt and Pete Lawrence. The company operates as a full-service artist services platform, offering artist services deals and distribution deals to recording artists across rock, pop, folk/Americana, reggae, and electronic genres. The Cooking Vinyl Group includes a publishing arm (Cooking Vinyl Publishing), Motus Music, and The Music Royalty Co., providing rights management, publishing administration, and royalty collection alongside recorded-music distribution. The roster spans legacy acts (The Darkness, Billy Bragg, UB40, Blue, The Prodigy, The Jesus and Mary Chain), mid-career artists (Shed Seven, Razorlight, Passenger, Embrace, Deacon Blue), and emerging talent (Katherine Priddy, Callum Beattie, Jack Garratt, 'A', Nina Nesbitt).
Core products and services comprise artist services deals (bundling marketing, promotion, distribution, and campaign support in exchange for a share of revenue from album sales and streaming), standalone distribution deals routed through an international partner network, and catalogue services via the Catalogue Masters Initiative launched in 2021. Cooking Vinyl does not operate a proprietary technology platform; distribution relies on third-party digital streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple Music), physical retail including Record Store Day exclusives, direct-to-consumer sales through its own web store, and a partner network with an exclusive Tencent Music Entertainment license signed in 2020. Marketing uses the company's website/blog, social channels, an email newsletter on Mailchimp, industry trade press (Music Week), and Record Store Day events.
The business model is multi-stream and per-artist negotiated: revenue is generated from a share of recorded-music sales and streaming under artist services deals, transaction-fee income from distribution deals, and licensing/royalty income across the publishing subsidiaries. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The company employs 51-100 staff at its North London headquarters (12-13 Swainson Road, W3) and is currently subject to a pending acquisition announced in June 2025 by Exceleration Music.
Cooking Vinyl firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cooking Vinyl
- Legal name
- Cooking Vinyl Ltd
- Website
- https://cookingvinyl.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1986
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Cooking Vinyl is a London-based independent record label founded in 1986 that provides artist services deals, distribution deals, publishing, and royalty administration to a roster of legacy, mid-career, and emerging recording artists across multiple genres, with global reach through an international partner network.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cooking Vinyl industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Independent Record Label / Music Label Services
- NAICS
- Record Production and Distribution (51225), Music Publishers (512230), Music Publishers (51223), Record Production and Distribution (512250)
- SIC
- Phonograph Records & Prerecorded Audio Tapes & Disks (3652)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Record Labels (Major & Independent) (MPAIAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Publishing Administration (Catalog Admin, Global Subpublishing) (MPAIABAB), Royalty Accounting & Payment Services (Statements, Audits, Payee Management) (MPAIABAL), Performance Rights Administration (PRO Affiliation, Cue Sheet/Setlist Processing) (MPAIABAE), Sync Rights Representation (Pitching, Clearance, Negotiation) (MPAIABAF)
Keywords
Where Cooking Vinyl is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Cooking Vinyl business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Artist Services Deals: Cooking Vinyl provides artist services deals to recording artists, handling distribution, marketing, and promotion services in exchange for a share of revenue from album sales and streaming.
- Distribution Deals: The company offers distribution deals to artists, providing access to digital and physical distribution networks globally.
- Publishing (Cooking Vinyl Publishing, Motus Music, The Music Royalty Co.): The Cooking Vinyl Group includes publishing divisions that manage rights and royalties for songwriters and composers.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Cooking Vinyl product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cooking Vinyl is an independent record label that provides artist services deals and distribution deals to recording artists. The company handles recording, marketing, distribution, and promotional support across digital and physical channels worldwide. Its Cooking Vinyl Group includes publishing divisions (Cooking Vinyl Publishing, Motus Music, The Music Royalty Co.) that manage rights and royalties for songwriters and composers, with a Catalogue Masters Initiative for ongoing catalogue promotion.
Product overview
Cooking Vinyl is an internationally successful, artist-focused independent music company established in 1986. The company operates as a unified platform offering artist services deals and distribution deals, supported by its publishing arm Cooking Vinyl Publishing. The Group includes Motus Music and The Music Royalty Co., providing a comprehensive ecosystem for artists. The company provides a Catalogue Masters Initiative for ongoing catalogue promotion and participates in Record Store Day with exclusive releases. Cooking Vinyl has an international network of partner companies offering a global route to market.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Artist Services Deals Comprehensive deal structures for recording artists that may include recording support, marketing, distribution, and promotional services in exchange for a revenue share from album sales and streaming. Targeted at independent and established artists across multiple genres.
- Distribution Deals Distribution agreements that enable recording artists to reach global audiences through Cooking Vinyl's international network of partner companies, digital streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, etc.), and physical retail channels.
- Cooking Vinyl Publishing Publishing division within the Cooking Vinyl Group that manages music publishing rights for songwriters and composers, including rights administration and royalty collection.
- Motus Music Part of the Cooking Vinyl Group offering music industry services as a wholly-owned subsidiary, operating alongside artist services and distribution.
- The Music Royalty Co. Part of the Cooking Vinyl Group focused on music royalty collection and administration services, wholly owned subsidiary handling royalty processing.
- Catalogue Masters Initiative Department dedicated to optimizing and growing catalogue offerings for artists and labels, handling ongoing retail, consumer, and media promotion beyond initial release campaigns. Launched April 2021 under Steve Bunyan (formerly Head of Catalogue at Union Square Music and BMG).
Quantifiable outcome
- Artists have achieved multiple No.1 albums
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Cooking Vinyl
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Cooking Vinyl technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Cooking Vinyl partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Exceleration MusicminorExceleration Music announced plans to acquire Cooking Vinyl. The transaction details, timing, and strategic implications were not specified in the source.
- Tencent (Tencent Music)coreCooking Vinyl signed an exclusive license and distribution deal with Tencent to help artists collaborate with Chinese acts and give them an international audience. Chairman Martin Goldschmidt noted the world spotlight is opening up opportunities for non Anglo-American music.
- The Orchard (formerly Essential Music)minorCooking Vinyl historically set up Essential Music, an independent distribution company which was bought by Sony Red in 2016 and soon after became The Orchard UK. This represents a past distribution partnership.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Cooking Vinyl competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- BMG: Major music company combining recorded music and publishing rights administration; competes with Cooking Vinyl Publishing and The Music Royalty Co. in catalog acquisition and rights admin while also offering artist services for select repertoire.
Emerging players
- Warp Records: UK independent label with strong catalog (Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada) emphasising electronic and alternative artists; overlapping with Cooking Vinyl's catalog exploitation focus but narrower genre footprint.
- Merge Records: US-based independent indie label (Arcade Fire, Neutral Milk Hotel) operating a similar artist-focused, owner-friendly model with strong catalog releases — comparable in ethos though smaller scale.
Direct peers
- Beggars Group: Long-standing UK-based independent music group (4AD, XL Recordings, Matador, Rough Trade) operating the same artist services and label services model as Cooking Vinyl, with a comparable roster breadth across rock/indie genres and similar international distribution ambitions.
- Secretly Group: Independent music group operating multiple indie labels (Secretly Canadian, Jagjaguwar, Dead Oceans, Numero Group) with strong artist services and catalog cultivation — closely comparable in scale, philosophy, and roster depth.
- Domino Recording Company: UK independent record label working with critically-acclaimed indie and alternative artists (Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand) via worldwide deals, mirroring Cooking Vinyl's artist services approach and chart success pattern.
- AWAL (Sony-owned): Artist services and distribution platform signed artists retain ownership while AWAL handles global marketing and distribution — the closest direct competitive analogue to Cooking Vinyl's artist services deals, now backed by Sony's distribution scale.
- [PIAS]: Belgian-headquartered independent music company providing label services, distribution, and marketing to indie artists globally — directly comparable in business model and target artist segment.
Regional players
- Because Music: France-headquartered independent music company and label group with artist services and distribution capabilities across Europe; comparable in model though primarily focused on French and Francophone repertoire rather than UK/Anglo acts.
Others
- Exceleration Music: US-based independent music company acquiring and partnering with indie labels (Yep Roc, Mom+Pop, Bloodshot); strategic acquirer of Cooking Vinyl (announced June 2025) — relevant as the parent platform and owner of complementary indie assets.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Cooking Vinyl social profiles
Digital presenceCooking Vinyl financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cooking Vinyl leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Cooking Vinyl subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Cooking Vinyl funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cooking Vinyl 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 Cooking Vinyl
What does Cooking Vinyl do?
Cooking Vinyl is an independent record label that provides artist services deals and distribution deals to recording artists. The company handles recording, marketing, distribution, and promotional support across digital and physical channels worldwide. Its Cooking Vinyl Group includes publishing divisions (Cooking Vinyl Publishing, Motus Music, The Music Royalty Co.) that manage rights and royalties for songwriters and composers, with a Catalogue Masters Initiative for ongoing catalogue promotion.
Is Cooking Vinyl a public or private company?
Cooking Vinyl is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Cooking Vinyl founded?
Cooking Vinyl was founded in 1986. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Cooking Vinyl based?
Cooking Vinyl is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Cooking Vinyl make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Artist Services Deals are the primary driver. The others are distribution Deals and publishing (Cooking Vinyl Publishing, Motus Music, The Music Royalty Co.).
Who are Cooking Vinyl's main competitors?
BMG is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are Warp Records and Merge Records. Direct peers are Beggars Group, Secretly Group, Domino Recording Company, AWAL (Sony-owned) and [PIAS]. Because Music is listed as a regional player. Exceleration Music is listed as an others.
Does Cooking Vinyl have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cooking Vinyl.
What industry is Cooking Vinyl in?
Cooking Vinyl's product category is Independent Record Label / Music Label Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIAAAA, Record Labels (Major & Independent), with a secondary code of MPAIABAB, Publishing Administration (Catalog Admin, Global Subpublishing). Its NAICS code is 51225 and its SIC code is 3652.