Artist Partner Group
Artist Partner Group is a privately held independent record label and music publisher founded in 2012 in Los Angeles, serving entrepreneurial artists, songwriters, and producers through recording, publishing, distribution, sync licensing, and in-house studio services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Artist Partner Group does
Artist Partner Group (APG) is a privately held independent record label and music publishing group founded in 2012 by veteran music executive Mike Caren and headquartered in Los Angeles, California. The company operates two integrated arms — Artist Partner Group for record label services and Artist Publishing Group for publishing administration — that share studio facilities, A&R resources, and administrative infrastructure. APG serves forward-thinking and entrepreneurial artists, songwriters, and producers, offering recording agreements, publishing contracts, distribution to digital service providers (Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, TikTok), and sync licensing for film, TV, advertising, and video games. The company also operates four recording rooms and one writing room built in 2016, available for hourly rental ($100-$175/hour) to affiliated and external clients.
The business generates revenue primarily through licensing and royalties from streaming, publishing, and sync placements, supplemented by studio rental fees. APG's roster includes artists whose catalogs have accumulated billions of streams (Ava Max, Kevin Gates, YoungBoy Never Broke Again) and songwriters credited on hundreds of Top 40 Billboard tracks, with notable alumni including Charlie Puth and Don Toliver. The company has actively expanded its emerging-artist roster across genres from hip-hop (BabyChiefDoit, Jontae) to genre-bending pop and dream-pop (Odetari, Baby Nova, Flawed Mangoes). Operations are supported by partnerships with Kobalt Music Group for publishing administration and Curve for royalty processing. APG has a small core team of 1-10 employees and is described as well-funded, with no public funding rounds or acquisition activities disclosed. The company maintains a presence in the USA and Canada.
Artist Partner Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Artist Partner Group
- Legal name
- Artist Partner Group
- Website
- https://artistpg.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Artist Partner Group is a privately held independent record label and music publisher founded in 2012 in Los Angeles, serving entrepreneurial artists, songwriters, and producers through recording, publishing, distribution, sync licensing, and in-house studio services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Artist Partner Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Record Label & Music Publishing
- NAICS
- Music Publishers (512230), Music Publishers (51223), Musical Groups and Artists (711130)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Full-Service Artist Management (MPAIAGAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- A&R / Artist Development Services (MPAIAGAL), Songwriting & Composition (Topliners, Co-writers, Camps) (MPAIABAA), Music Producers & Production Teams (MPAIAHAB), Trailer Music & Promo Music Providers (MPAIALAH)
Keywords
Where Artist Partner Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Artist Partner Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Record Label Services: APG releases recorded music for artists, providing marketing support, distribution to DSPs, and career development. Revenue is generated through streaming royalties, music sales, and sync licensing placements.
- Publishing Administration: APG administers and monetizes compositions, collects royalties from performing rights organizations, and may co-own copyrights. They work with Curve for royalty processing and Kobalt for publishing portal management.
- Studio Rental: APG operates four recording rooms and one writing room available for hourly rental to external artists and producers, generating direct revenue from studio bookings.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Studio A - Premium recording room |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Studio B, C, D - Standard recording rooms |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
Artist Partner Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Artist Partner Group is a modern independent record label and music publishing group that signs entrepreneurial artists and songwriters, administers their compositions, distributes recorded music to all major DSPs, places songs in film/TV/advertising/video games via sync licensing, and operates in-house recording studios for hourly rental. The company provides A&R, artist development, marketing, royalty collection, and creative support under one integrated roof alongside its sister entity Artist Publishing Group.
Product overview
Artist Partner Group (APG) is a modern, independent record and publishing group operating as a platform with multiple interconnected service modules. The core offering combines record label services for artists and music publishing administration for songwriters, supplemented by sync licensing services, professional recording studios, and distribution capabilities. The company supports forward-thinking and entrepreneurial artists and songwriters through A&R guidance, unmatched resources, creative development, and operational infrastructure including royalty management through partners like Curve and Kobalt.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use Artist Partner Group
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Artist Partner Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability3 records
Artist Partner Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Atlantic RecordscoreAPG was founded in 2012 and partnered with Atlantic Records for eight years through 2020. This partnership focused on developing and releasing recorded music for artists on the Atlantic roster, with APG providing A&R, artist development, and publishing support.
- Artist Publishing GroupcoreAPG (Artist Partner Group) operates alongside Artist Publishing Group as an integrated entity. Together they provide combined record label and publishing services under one roof, sharing studio facilities, administrative infrastructure, and A&R resources.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Artist Partner Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- 10K Projects: Independent label and publisher signing emerging artists in hip-hop and pop — directly comparable to APG in artist-development focus and integrated label/publishing structure.
- 300 Entertainment: Independent multi-genre label with strong roster in hip-hop and pop, now backed by Warner Music — directly comparable to APG in operating model (A&R-driven indie label) though at larger scale.
- Kobalt Music Group: Independent music publisher and royalty administrator serving songwriters and labels — directly comparable to APG's publishing arm and operations, while also being an existing technology/integration partner.
- Quality Control Music: Independent hip-hop label and publishing company with a roster of multi-billion-stream artists — directly comparable to APG in genre focus, integrated label/publishing model, and proven ability to develop breakout artists.
- Empire Distribution: Independent record label and distributor offering label services, distribution, and publishing across hip-hop, R&B, and pop — directly comparable to APG's integrated label + publishing + distribution model.
Broad incumbents
- Atlantic Records: Major-label imprint (Warner Music Group) and APG's former 8-year partner — broader incumbent whose A&R reach, marketing budgets, and distribution scale set the competitive benchmark APG must match as an independent.
- BMG: Major music company combining recorded music and publishing — broader incumbent offering integrated label/publishing services at significantly larger scale than APG.
- Interscope Records: Major-label imprint with deep roster across pop and hip-hop — broader incumbent whose DSP promotion leverage and marketing spend compete directly for signings APG targets.
Emerging players
- Big Loud Records: Independent label and publisher focused on country music — comparable to APG as a genre-focused integrated label/publisher operating outside the major-label system.
- Rostrum Records: Independent label and publisher with hip-hop and pop roster — comparable to APG as a smaller indie with integrated publishing, competing for similar artist signings.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Artist Partner Group social profiles
Digital presenceArtist Partner Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Artist Partner Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Artist Partner Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Artist Partner Group 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 Artist Partner Group
What does Artist Partner Group do?
Artist Partner Group is a modern independent record label and music publishing group that signs entrepreneurial artists and songwriters, administers their compositions, distributes recorded music to all major DSPs, places songs in film/TV/advertising/video games via sync licensing, and operates in-house recording studios for hourly rental. The company provides A&R, artist development, marketing, royalty collection, and creative support under one integrated roof alongside its sister entity Artist Publishing Group.
Is Artist Partner Group a public or private company?
Artist Partner Group is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Artist Partner Group founded?
Artist Partner Group was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Artist Partner Group based?
Artist Partner Group is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does Artist Partner Group make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Record Label Services are the primary driver. The others are publishing Administration and studio Rental.
Who are Artist Partner Group's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are 10K Projects, 300 Entertainment, Kobalt Music Group, Quality Control Music and Empire Distribution. Broad incumbents are Atlantic Records, BMG and Interscope Records. Emerging players are Big Loud Records and Rostrum Records.
Does Artist Partner Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for Artist Partner Group.
What industry is Artist Partner Group in?
Artist Partner Group's product category is Record Label & Music Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIAGAA, Full-Service Artist Management, with a secondary code of MPAIAGAL, A&R / Artist Development Services. Its NAICS code is 512230 and its SIC code is 2741.