Boosey & Hawkes

What Boosey & Hawkes does

Boosey & Hawkes is the world's largest specialist classical music publisher, formed from the merger of two historic London-based houses dating to 1795 and 1810. The company operates through four imprints — Boosey & Hawkes, Bote & Bock, Anton J. Benjamin, and Sikorski — stewarding the rights to 20th-century masterworks by Britten, Stravinsky, Prokofieff, Copland, Elgar, Bartók, and Rachmaninoff, alongside an actively commissioned roster of contemporary composers including Anna Clyne, Christopher Tin, Steve Reich, James MacMillan, and Karl Jenkins. Its products span printed and digital sheet music (including the Hawkes Pocket Scores series of over 500 works), orchestral hire materials, music licensing for recordings, broadcasts, film, television and advertising, and structured educational series (Microjazz, Mikrokosmos, Windependence, Grade by Grade, Learn as You Play). The technology stack centers on boosey.com, an online perusal system for previewing scores, the Watch & Listen audiovisual portal featuring composer documentaries and performance clips, and a digital distribution partnership with the nkoda subscription platform. Two flagship critical editions anchor the catalogue in 2025: the 15-symphony revised Shostakovich edition (launched 2023, completed 2025) and the 43-volume Offenbach Critical Edition produced with musicologist Jean-Christophe Keck.

Name

Boosey & Hawkes

Legal name

Boosey & Hawkes

Website

https://boosey.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1930

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The world's largest specialist classical music publisher, Boosey & Hawkes operates imprints including Bote & Bock and Sikorski, selling sheet music and orchestral hire materials while licensing works to orchestras, ensembles, educators, and media companies globally. The company is privately held by Concord.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Classical Music Publishing

NAICS

Music Publishers (512230), Music Publishers (51223)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Print Music Publishing (Sheet Music, Scores, Educational Repertoire) (MPAIABAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sheet Music & Music Books Retail (CRALAEAB)

Keywords

• Classical music publishing
• Sheet music sales
• Orchestral rental services
• Music synchronization licensing
• Educational music series

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Sheet Music Sales: Sale of printed sheet music, vocal scores, study scores, and instrumental parts through direct retail and wholesale distribution to music dealers
2. Orchestral Rental: Rental of orchestral materials (full scores, parts) to performing ensembles and orchestras for live performances
3. Licensing: Licensing of music for recordings, broadcasts, film, TV, and advertising use
4. Digital Access: Partnership with nkoda for digital distribution of scores to subscribers

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Boosey & Hawkes is the world's leading classical music publisher, selling printed sheet music, vocal scores, study scores and instrumental parts, renting orchestral performance materials to professional ensembles, and licensing music for recordings, broadcasts, film, TV and advertising. The company distributes its catalogue through its own website, music dealers, regional offices and digital platforms such as nkoda, while also producing editorial-led educational series and critical editions.

Product overview

Boosey & Hawkes operates as a classical music publishing platform with a core publishing business (sheet music sales, rental, licensing), multiple imprints (Bote & Bock, Sikorski, Anton J. Benjamin), and an extensive educational series portfolio. The platform offers digital access through online scores (perusals), audiovisual content (Watch & Listen), and specialized series like Hawkes Pocket Scores, Microjazz, Windependence, and Shostakovich Symphony Editions. The company serves professional musicians, educators, students, and orchestras worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Classical Music Publishing (sheet music, scores, parts) The company's core publishing business: publishing and selling printed sheet music, vocal scores, study scores and instrumental parts from its catalogue of classical and contemporary composers. Sold directly through boosey.com, wholesale via music dealers, and through digital platforms. For professional and amateur musicians, ensembles, educators, students, and dealers.
• Orchestral Rental (Hire) Services Rental of full orchestral scores and parts to performing ensembles, symphony orchestras, opera houses and chamber groups for live performances. Fees vary by ensemble size, performance duration and venue. Operated through a dedicated orchestral hire department with multi-year contractual relationships.
• Music Licensing (Synchronization, Recording, Broadcast) Licensing of music from the Boosey & Hawkes catalogue for recordings, broadcasts, film, television and advertising use. Serves media and entertainment clients including film studios, TV networks, advertising agencies and digital platforms.
• Hawkes Pocket Scores Series A classic series of pocket-sized study scores featuring more than 500 works by 20th century masters including Stravinsky, Rachmaninoff, Bernstein, Copland, Birtwistle, Maxwell Davies, John Adams and Steve Reich, made available at affordable prices for students, conductors, and music enthusiasts.
• Learn as You Play Series Award-winning wind and brass tutor series providing exercises, studies, and pieces that take beginners through structured progression, used by music educators and students.
• Microjazz Series World-famous educational series of pieces combining classical technique with jazz, blues, rock and funk styles, designed for developing musicianship in students.
• Mikrokosmos Series Definitive edition of Béla Bartók's piano teaching classic, edited and introduced by the composer's son Peter Bartók, used as a core pedagogical resource for piano students.
• Windependence Series Major new series of wind band repertoire published at three graded performance levels (Apprentice, Master and Artist), serving wind bands, schools, and conservatories.
• Grade by Grade Series Practical anthology drawing from the Boosey & Hawkes catalogue for aspiring musicians, structured for teaching, exam preparation, and performance across multiple instruments.
• Shostakovich Symphony Editions Revised and corrected new critical edition of all 15 Dmitri Shostakovich symphonies, produced in collaboration with the Sikorski imprint to mark the 50th anniversary of the composer's death. Sold as performance and study scores to orchestras, conductors, and scholars.
• Offenbach Critical Edition (OEK) Authoritative 43-volume critical edition of Jacques Offenbach's operas bouffes, created in collaboration with musicologist Jean-Christophe Keck. Sells to opera houses, scholars, conductors, and educational institutions.
• The Lost Birds Christopher Tin's 45-minute choral-orchestral work for chorus, harp, timpani, percussion, and string orchestra, composed for VOCES8 and addressing the loss of bird species. Available as sheet music and choral score through the Boosey & Hawkes catalogue.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• nkodacoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership with nkoda digital score platform for distribution of Boosey & Hawkes scores to subscribers. Users can view Boosey & Hawkes scores through the nkoda app and platform.
• ConcordcoreOthersBoosey & Hawkes is a subsidiary of Concord, a music publishing company. Concord provides corporate governance, accessibility compliance support, and web accessibility assistance for the Boosey & Hawkes website.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Schott Music: One of the world's oldest classical music publishers (founded 1770), based in Mainz, Germany. Directly comparable to Boosey & Hawkes as a leading global classical and contemporary music publisher with active commissioning, rental libraries, and educational repertoire.
• Edition Peters: Historic classical music publisher (founded 1800) with deep catalogue of study scores and educational editions, now part of Wise Music Group. Directly comparable to Boosey & Hawkes in classical publishing, score production, and rental services.
• Wise Music Group: Parent of Edition Peters, Chester Music, and Novello & Co, making it one of the world's largest independent classical music publishing groups. Highly comparable to the Boosey & Hawkes + Concord group as a multi-imprint classical publisher with global reach.
• G. Schirmer / Associated Music Publishers: Major US-based classical publisher, home to composers such as Barber and Copland (now under Wise Music). Directly comparable to Boosey & Hawkes as a classical sheet music and rental publisher serving orchestras and conservatories.
• Breitkopf & Härtel: Historic German classical music publisher (founded 1719) producing critical editions, Urtext scores, and study editions. Directly comparable to Boosey & Hawkes as a long-standing, scholarly classical publisher with deep Baroque-to-contemporary repertoire.
• Carl Fischer Music: US-based music publisher serving orchestral, band, choral, and educational markets since 1872. Directly comparable to Boosey & Hawkes in educational rentals, band repertoire, and orchestral materials for schools and ensembles.
• Chester Music: British classical and contemporary publisher (now under Wise Music) representing composers such as Maxwell Davies, John Tavener, and Gavin Higgins. Directly comparable to Boosey & Hawkes as a UK-based classical and contemporary publishing imprint.

Broad incumbents

• Universal Music Publishing Classical: Classical arm of the world's largest music publisher, sitting inside Universal Music Group. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering classical publishing, licensing, and administration alongside a much larger pop catalogue.
• Hal Leonard: Largest print music publisher globally, serving school, church, pop, and classical markets. Overlaps with Boosey & Hawkes in classical educational repertoire and choral scores but at a much broader scale.
• Alfred Music: Major US educational music publisher (now part of Alfred Music Group). Comparable to Boosey & Hawkes in education sheet music and method books, particularly in piano pedagogy and band repertoire.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/boosey_london
• YouTubeyoutube.com/booseytube
• Facebookfacebook.com/BooseyandHawkes
• Instagraminstagram.com/booseyandhawkes

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries3 records

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 Boosey & Hawkes