Water & Music

What Water & Music does

Water & Music is a research studio and strategic consultancy founded in 2019 by Cherie Hu, focused on helping music companies navigate emerging technologies including AI, Web3, streaming economics, and gaming. The firm operates from Nyack, New York with a team of 1-10 employees and offers three core advisory services: Strategic Research and Intelligence (custom market analysis, competitor mapping, consumer insights), Market Validation and Positioning (customer discovery, market sizing, competitive analysis for music-tech startups and platforms), and Innovation Workshops and Advisory (structured strategy sessions using proprietary frameworks such as the Three Paradigms for AI Music Labeling, Music AI Licensing Evaluation Framework, and Music Tech Investment Market Map). Complementing paid engagements, Water & Music distributes a free newsletter via Buttondown and maintains an archive of 300+ expert articles covering music-tech trends since 2019.

The firm's customer base spans rights organizations (PRS for Music), distributors (TuneCore), music AI startups (Musical AI), marketing platforms (Base for Music), early-stage music-tech companies (MashApp, Mood Works, Harmony, Acrylic), and investment firms (GoldState Music). Typical consulting engagements start at $10,000 for 4-8 week one-off research projects, with custom multi-year pricing for ongoing advisory partnerships. From 2019 to August 2025, the firm operated a paid membership model that welcomed 5,000 music industry leaders and supported community engagement through Discord and the NY MusicTech Meetup series (co-hosted with Seth Hillinger at venues such as Isola Brooklyn and Public Records). The August 2025 strategic pivot ended the paid membership, made the full research archive free, and reoriented the business toward deeper consulting engagements with companies the firm describes as "ready to lead, not follow, in the next wave of technological change."

Water & Music has no disclosed external funding, no parent company, and is privately held by its founder. Its go-to-market combines content-led demand generation (newsletter, free archive, social presence on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram) with direct enterprise sales to rights organizations, labels, publishers, music-tech platforms, distributors, and investors. Notable strategic partnerships include a March 2026 collaboration with AI music toolmaker Moises on a survey of professional musicians' AI adoption, a 2025 engagement with VC-backed Base for Music on marketing ROI validation, and ongoing work with GoldState Music on AI attribution frameworks for investment decisions. The firm has contributed to establishing music-tech as a recognized $15B+ industry category through its research output and network effects.

Name

Water & Music

Legal name

Water & Music

Website

https://waterandmusic.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Water & Music is a New York-based research studio and strategic consultancy founded in 2019 by Cherie Hu, serving music companies, rights organizations, labels, distributors, and investors with custom strategic research, market validation, and innovation workshops on AI, Web3, and music-tech trends.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Industry Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Music Production Workflow & Project Management Tools (Session management, asset/versioning) (MPAIAIAK)

Keywords

• Music technology consulting
• Music industry research
• Strategic advisory services
• Music tech market intelligence
• AI licensing advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Nyack

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Strategic Consulting: Custom research and advisory engagements with music companies, tech platforms, and investors. Most clients start with focused 4-8 week projects, then expand to ongoing advisory relationships. Typical engagements start at $10K for one-off research projects, with custom pricing for ongoing partnerships.
2. Former Membership Model (Discontinued): Water & Music operated a paid membership from 2019-2025 that welcomed 5,000 music industry leaders. The membership model was discontinued on August 1, 2025, with all content made free and the company transitioning to consulting-focused operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Water & Music is a research studio and strategic consultancy that delivers custom research, market validation, and innovation advisory services to music companies, rights organizations, music tech platforms, and investors. Engagements typically take the form of focused 4-8 week research projects starting at $10K or ongoing advisory partnerships, supported by a free public archive of 300+ articles and a monthly newsletter. The firm specializes in cutting through hype around music tech (AI, Web3, gaming, streaming) to produce actionable intelligence for partnerships, products, and positioning decisions.

Product overview

Water & Music is a research studio and strategic consultancy offering a portfolio of advisory services rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include Strategic Research & Intelligence, Market Validation & Positioning, and Innovation Workshops & Advisory services, which are complemented by free content products including a newsletter (via Buttondown) and a publicly accessible research archive of 300+ articles. Typical consulting engagements start at $10,000 for one-off projects, with custom pricing for ongoing advisory partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategic Research & Intelligence Custom market analysis, competitor mapping, and consumer insights delivered through rigorous research that goes beyond automated tools to shape real business decisions for music companies, rights organizations, and investors.
• Market Validation & Positioning Customer discovery, market sizing, and competitive analysis services that validate business theses or identify costly mistakes before commitment, primarily for music tech startups and platforms.
• Innovation Workshops & Advisory Structured strategy sessions using proprietary frameworks that align teams and stakeholders, turning confusion into clarity and debates into actionable decisions, delivered to music companies like TuneCore.
• Free Newsletter A free monthly email newsletter delivered via Buttondown that delivers insights from consulting work, invitations to exclusive industry events, and reflections on 10+ years of music-tech research.
• Research Archive A free public library of 300+ expert analyses covering music industry innovation since 2019, examining topics from streaming economics to fan engagement strategies, organized by industry function and technology.
• NY MusicTech Meetup In-person networking events co-hosted with industry professionals featuring startup demos and presentations on music technology innovation for founders, artists, investors, and industry professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Identified AI, Web3, and gaming trends months before they went mainstream (2019-2025)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered notable and minor.

• MoisesnotableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 March 2026Water & Music collaborated with Moises to conduct a survey study on professional musicians' AI adoption rates. The study found that 78% of professional musicians used AI tools in the past year, higher than amateur adoption rates. Research was published via PR Newswire in March 2026, demonstrating that AI is used to enhance musicians' skills and explore creative possibilities rather than replace human creativity.
• Base for MusicnotableImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2025Water & Music partnered with VC-backed marketing platform Base for Music to validate their marketing ROI approach. W&M tracked real campaign data for artists including KLV SLY and Cerrone, conducted stakeholder interviews, and benchmarked streaming performance against industry standards. Findings revealed connections between fan acquisition and algorithmic amplification, turning marketing attribution into measurable outcomes.
• GoldState MusicminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWater & Music is working with investment firm GoldState Music on a strategic project building on W&M's music AI attribution report. The firm, led by Charles Goldstuck, focuses on strategic AI attribution for investment decisions, informed by Goldstuck's paper on AI-generated music legal and commercial frameworks.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Pollstar: Live-music industry data and trade publication providing box office, touring, and venue intelligence. Adjacent peer serving music-industry professionals with data and research, though primarily focused on live performance rather than recorded music and tech.
• Variety Intelligence Platform: Entertainment-industry research and data subscription service from Variety covering music, film, TV, and digital. Thematically related peer serving entertainment-industry professionals with subscription research and executive intelligence.
• Billboard: Flagship music-industry trade publication with news, charts, and the Billboard Pro subscription research tier. Adjacent peer serving music-industry professionals with intelligence and research, though primarily media/news rather than consulting.

Direct peers

• Soundcharts: Music-industry data and analytics platform covering streaming, airplay, social, and sync for labels, publishers, and distributors. Similar target market of music-industry professionals with comparable research and data products.
• Chartmetric: Music-industry analytics platform offering artist performance, streaming, and audience data for labels, distributors, and managers. Serves the same enterprise music-industry clients with data and research products, though more product-led than consulting-led.
• Music Ally: Long-running independent music-tech publication producing daily news, deep-dive research, and the Music Ally Connect event. Comparable content-led model serving music-industry professionals with subscription research and events, targeting a similar buyer.
• MIDiA Research: Subscription research and advisory firm focused on the music, entertainment, and games industries. Closest direct competitor to Water & Music in music-industry research and consulting, serving overlapping enterprise and investor clients with reports and custom engagements.

Emerging players

• Hypebot: Music-tech news and research site serving indie artists, startups, and industry professionals. Smaller-scale peer with a comparable content-led model and similar audience, but more independent/artist-focused in coverage.

Broad incumbents

• Luminate: Established music-industry data and insights business (formerly Nielsen Music / BuzzAngle Music), providing the industry's most-cited consumption data and broader intelligence services. Larger incumbent with a longer history and wider scope than Water & Music.
• McKinsey (Media & Entertainment Practice): Global management consultancy with a dedicated Media & Entertainment practice serving major music companies on corporate and growth strategy. Broader incumbent that competes for similar enterprise advisory mandates at the largest clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/water_and_music
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/water-and-music
• Instagraminstagram.com/water_and_music

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Water & Music