!K7
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1985
- HeadquartersBerlin, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
!K7 firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- !K7
- Legal name
- K7 Music GmbH
- Website
- https://k7.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1985
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where !K7 is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berlin
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
!K7 business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Record Sales (Digital & Physical): !K7 releases music through its in-house label group and distributes digital and physical formats globally via DSPs and its own storefronts.
- Sync & Licensing: !K7 licenses music from its catalogue to film, TV, advertising, and other media, generating licensing fees. The company also represents third-party labels (e.g., Planet Mu) for sync licensing worldwide.
- Label Services: !K7 provides marketing, distribution, licensing, and management services to independent labels and artists for a fee or revenue share.
- Artist Management: !K7 manages artists directly, generating management fees and/or revenue shares from their releases and performances.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
!K7 product offering
Product offeringCore offering
!K7 is a Berlin-headquartered independent music company that operates a group of in-house record label imprints (!K7 Records, Strut, 7K!, Soul Bank Music, AUS, Ever Records) releasing music across electronic, jazz, soul, funk, disco, world, and experimental genres. Alongside the in-house label group, !K7 provides marketing, digital distribution, sync licensing, and artist management services to third-party independent labels and artists worldwide.
Product overview
!K7 Music is a multi-faceted independent music company headquartered in Berlin with additional offices in London and New York. Its offering is built around a group of in-house label imprints — !K7 Records (dance/electronic, home to the DJ-Kicks series), Strut Records (jazz/world music/reissues), 7K! (ambient/experimental), Soul Bank Music (soul/funk/jazz), AUS (electronic), and Ever Records (jazz) — supplemented by a Label Services division that provides marketing, digital distribution, licensing and management services to external labels and artists, and a Sync & Licensing service that places music from the catalogue and third-party publishers into film, TV, advertising and gaming. The company is B Corp certified and publishes annual carbon footprint reports.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Strut Records: Dance, jazz, Afrobeat, and world music label known for reissues and new releases
- 7K!
- Soul Bank Music
- DJ-Kicks
- Ever Records
Products and services
- !K7 Records Core dance and electronic music imprint of !K7 Music, home to the legendary DJ-Kicks mix series and releases from artists such as Kruder & Dorfmeister, Laurel Halo, and Peggy Gou. Sells music to consumers globally via DSPs and the dedicated K7 Records storefront.
- Strut Records Flagship world music and jazz imprint of !K7, renowned for reissues including the Nigeria 70/80 series and Sun Ra Arkestra releases, plus new studio albums from artists such as Mulatu Astatke and Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids.
- 7K! Ambient and experimental label imprint of !K7 Music, releasing albums from artists such as Niklas Paschburg and Shackleton & Zimpel.
- Soul Bank Music Soul, jazz, funk, disco, African and Latin music label imprint of !K7, launched in 2020 and led by Greg Boraman. Releases include music from Craig Charles, Brian Auger, and Mark de Clive-Lowe.
- AUS Electronic music sub-label of !K7 Music Group, releasing music from artists such as Floorplan (Robert Hood).
- Ever Records Jazz-focused sub-label of !K7, relaunched in 2020 with a renewed emphasis on jazz repertoire.
- DJ-Kicks Series Landmark mix album series by !K7 Records spanning over 70 entries since 1995, curated by DJs and producers from across the electronic music spectrum. Distributed on CD, 2LP, and digital formats, and streamed on Apple Music under a rights holder compensation system.
- Sync & Licensing Synchronisation and music licensing service offered by !K7 to place tracks from the label group's catalogue and third-party publishers into film, TV, advertising, and gaming. The service also represents third-party catalogues such as Planet Mu Records.
- Label Services Comprehensive services for independent labels and artists, including marketing, digital distribution, and operational support alongside the in-house label group.
- Artist Management Artist management services provided by !K7 Music, representing artists including Tricky and managing releases across the label group.
Quantifiable outcome
- 28 staff members in Berlin, 26 of 28 commute by sustainable transport
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use !K7
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
!K7 technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration17 records
!K7 partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Catalog (curated sync marketplace)minorCatalog is a new curated sync marketplace backed by Warp, Ninja Tune, and !K7, among other independent labels. The platform aims to provide an alternative to royalty-free stock music, offering over 30,000 tracks from 1,800 artists. It launched after private beta testing with major brands like Hermès and Dior.
- Planet Mu Recordsminor!K7 represents Planet Mu Records for sync licensing worldwide. Planet Mu is an eclectic English electronic music label founded in 1995 by Mike Paradinas, covering IDM, jungle, breakcore, grime, dubstep, and footwork.
- AbletonminorAbleton partnered with !K7 for the second edition of the !K7 x Ernst-Reuter-Schule community project, joining the Berlin Music x ERS initiative. Ableton staff members (including Moritz Paul/Leibniz and Brian Smith, Education Specialist) ran music production workshops using Ableton Push hardware with students aged 12-14, enabling hands-on music creation.
- IMPALA (European Independent Music Companies Association)core!K7 CEO Horst Weidenmüller initiated and chairs the IMPALA Sustainability Strike Force. IMPALA launched a sustainability programme including a climate charter, overall targets, and voluntary tools for members, aiming for carbon positive membership by 2030 with an interim net zero target for 2026. !K7 also helped initiate the Music Climate Pact through AIM.
- Black Fire RecordsminorStrut (an !K7 imprint) partnered with Black Fire Records for reissues of spiritual jazz and soul titles, following the release of the compilation 'Soul Love Now: The Black Fire Records Story 1975-1993'. Titles reissued include Lon Moshe & Southern Freedom Arkestra, Juju, Oneness of Juju, and Byard Lancaster.
- KDG (Warehouse/Distribution Partner)minor!K7's main warehouse partner is KDG, based in Austria. KDG operates its own solar power system producing the majority of its energy, with additional capacity from 100% renewable sources. The warehouse is also used by !K7's main German distributor, reducing shipping needs for the domestic market.
- EWS (Renewable Energy Supplier)minorEWS is a renewable energy co-operative in Germany and an active member of the environmental movement. Since 2019, !K7's office electricity has been supplied 100% by EWS. All of !K7's business and web servers also run on green energy.
- Julie's BicycleminorJulie’s Bicycle, led by Alison Tickell, was appointed as adviser to the IMPALA Sustainability task force initiated by !K7 CEO Horst Weidenmüller. The organisation specialises in sustainability for the creative industries.
- Murmur (Climate Charity)minor!K7 has a seat on the board of advisors at Murmur, a registered charity founded by leaders in climate strategy and the creative industries, enabling the worlds of visual arts and music to play their part in combating the climate crisis.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
!K7 competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Ninja Tune: London-based independent music label and publisher with a parallel focus on electronic, jazz, and global sounds. Direct peer — also co-founded the Catalog sync marketplace with !K7 and Warp, and operates its own label services arm, comparable in scale and multi-imprint strategy.
- Warp Records: Sheffield/London-based independent electronic music label with deep catalog and a long-running sync/licensing business. Comparable as a heritage electronic-focused indie label and fellow Catalog sync marketplace co-founder.
- Secretly Group: US-based independent music group operating Secretly Canadian, Jagjaguwar, and Dead Oceans. Direct peer — multi-imprint indie label group with comparable artist services, distribution, and sync activities.
- Domino Recording Company: London-based independent record label with comparable artist roster depth and sync licensing activity. Direct peer in the UK/European indie label space.
- Sub Pop Records: Seattle-based independent record label with strong heritage catalog and ongoing artist signings. Direct peer in the global independent label ecosystem.
- PIAS: Belgium-headquartered independent music company providing distribution, label services, and sync licensing across Europe. Directly comparable as an indie label services and distribution peer.
- Merge Records: US-based independent record label with comparable heritage catalog depth and selective artist roster. Direct peer in the curated independent label category.
Broad incumbents
- Beggars Group: UK-based major independent music group operating imprints including 4AD, Matador, Rough Trade, and XL Recordings. Larger, broader-incumbent peer operating in the same independent-label space with overlapping catalog and sync businesses.
- BMG: Germany-headquartered major independent music company combining recorded music, publishing, and sync. Broad incumbent — much larger scale, but operates overlapping catalog acquisition and sync licensing functions.
Emerging players
- AWAL (Sony Music): Artist-services platform offering distribution, marketing, and sync to independent labels and artists. Comparable to !K7's Label Services arm; partial overlap in service offering, now backed by Sony scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
!K7 social profiles
Digital presence!K7 compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
!K7 financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
!K7 leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
!K7 subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
!K7 funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
!K7 M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about !K7
What does !K7 do?
!K7 is a Berlin-headquartered independent music company that operates a group of in-house record label imprints (!K7 Records, Strut, 7K!, Soul Bank Music, AUS, Ever Records) releasing music across electronic, jazz, soul, funk, disco, world, and experimental genres. Alongside the in-house label group, !K7 provides marketing, digital distribution, sync licensing, and artist management services to third-party independent labels and artists worldwide.
Is !K7 a public or private company?
!K7 is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was !K7 founded?
!K7 was founded in 1985. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is !K7 based?
!K7 is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does !K7 make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Record Sales (Digital & Physical) is the primary driver. The others are sync & Licensing, label Services and artist Management.
Who are !K7's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Ninja Tune, Warp Records, Secretly Group, Domino Recording Company, Sub Pop Records, PIAS and Merge Records. Broad incumbents are Beggars Group and BMG. AWAL (Sony Music) is listed as an emerging player.
Does !K7 have an API?
No public API is recorded for !K7.