Defected Records

What Defected Records does

Defected Records Limited is a London-based independent house music record label founded in 1999 and incorporated in England and Wales (company number 03643252). The company operates a multi-imprint platform of 20+ wholly-owned sub-labels — including the flagship Defected imprint, Glitterbox, Classic Music Company, DFTD, D4 D4NCE, Nu Groove, Soulfuric, 4 To The Floor, Bad Decisions, One People, and others — covering house sub-genres from deep and tech house to Afro-house, UK garage, disco, and nu-disco. Its catalog is distributed globally through every major DSP (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, Tidal, YouTube Music, Beatport, Traxsource, Bandcamp) and sold physically through the Defected Store (store.defected.com).

Revenue is generated across five streams: music streaming/download and physical sales (transaction fees from DSPs and D-Store), live events and ticketing (Defected Ibiza at Chinois and Amnesia, Defected Croatia, Defected Malta, plus Toronto and Bali editions), radio and content (Defected Radio, Glitterbox Radio, Classic Music Company Radio, 4 To The Floor Radio) used for artist discovery and brand engagement, merchandise and vinyl through the D-Store, and licensing. The customer base spans individual house music fans, DJs and producers seeking label representation, nightclub/event venues hosting residencies, and music industry professionals licensing catalog content. The technology stack is conventional: standard digital music distribution infrastructure, DSP integrations, e-commerce payments via Stripe and Amazon Pay, a Defected mobile app, and cookie-based paid advertising through Google Ads, Meta, and TikTok — no proprietary AI/ML platform is disclosed.

The company is privately held with no disclosed parent, institutional investors, or funding rounds. It is led by CEO Wez Saunders and Chief Business Officer James Kirkham, with operations spanning Europe (UK, Ibiza, Croatia, Malta), North America (Toronto), and Asia-Pacific (Bali). Strategic emphasis in recent years has been on launching genre-specialist sub-labels (Bad Decisions for UK garage, One People for Afro-electronic) and expanding direct-to-consumer channels through the Defected Store.

Name

Defected Records

Legal name

Defected Records Limited

Website

https://defected.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Defected Records is a London-based independent house music label operating 20+ sub-labels across deep, tech, Afro, and garage house sub-genres, generating revenue from streaming, global live events (Ibiza, Croatia, Malta, Toronto, Bali), radio shows, merchandise, and licensing for fans, DJs, and venues worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent House Music Label

NAICS

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 industry

Sync Marketplaces & Licensing Platforms (MPAIALAG)

Keywords

• Independent record label
• Music distribution
• Live music events
• Music licensing
• Vinyl merchandise

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Music Releases & Streaming: Revenue from digital music releases distributed across streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Amazon Music, Tidal, YouTube Music) and digital download stores (Beatport, Traxsource, Bandcamp), plus physical vinyl sales through the D-Store.
2. Events & Ticketing: Revenue from event tickets for Defected-branded events including Defected Ibiza (at Chinois, Amnesia), Defected Croatia, Defected Malta, Defected London, Defected Toronto, and other global events. Includes boat parties, club nights, and festival appearances.
3. Radio & Content: Radio shows (Defected Radio, Glitterbox Radio, Classic Music Company Radio, 4 To The Floor) that drive artist discovery and brand engagement, supporting music releases and event attendance.
4. Store & Merchandise: D-Store (store.defected.com) sells physical merchandise including vinyl releases, event merchandise, and branded items.
5. Licensing: The label offers licensing opportunities for recorded music, as indicated by the dedicated licensing contact on the website.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Defected Records is a London-based independent house music record label that releases and distributes recorded music through 20+ sub-label imprints covering house sub-genres (tech house, deep house, vocal house, disco, UK garage, Afro house). The label operates annual live event series in Ibiza, Croatia, Malta and other international destinations, produces 24/7 radio shows across four branded channels, sells vinyl and merchandise through its D-Store, and offers music licensing for its catalog.

Product overview

Defected Records is a London-based house music record label operating as a multi-imprint platform with a flagship label (Defected Records) and over 20 sub-brands including Glitterbox, Classic Music Company, DFTD, Bad Decisions, D4 D4NCE, Soulfuric, Nu Groove, 4 To The Floor, One People, Faith, Slip N Slide, Sub-Urban, Mahaba Music, Big Love, Bargrooves, Movin Records, Stay True Sounds, Faya Combo, ITH Ltd, and K4B Records. The platform encompasses music releases across various house music sub-genres, radio shows (Defected Radio, Glitterbox Radio, Classic Radio, 4 To The Floor Radio), curated streaming playlists, live events (Defected Ibiza, Defected Croatia, Defected Malta), and an e-commerce store. Defected distributes its music catalog through major streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, SoundCloud, YouTube Music, Tidal, Bandcamp, Amazon Music, and Beatport/Traxsource.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Glitterbox: House music label and event brand featuring disco and vocal house
• Classic Music Company
• DFTD
• Bad Decisions
• One People
• D4 D4NCE
• Stay True Sounds
• The Remedy Project
• Mahaba Music

Products and services

• Defected Records Music Catalog (Multi-Imprint) Multi-imprint house music catalog of recorded music releases across 20+ sub-labels including Glitterbox, Classic Music Company, DFTD, Bad Decisions, Soulfuric, Nu Groove, 4 To The Floor, D4 D4NCE, One People, Faith, Slip N Slide, Sub-Urban, Mahaba Music, Big Love, Bargrooves, Movin Records, Stay True Sounds, Faya Combo, ITH Ltd, and K4B Records. Distributed globally via Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Tidal, YouTube Music, SoundCloud, Amazon Music, Beatport, Traxsource, Bandcamp and other DSPs. Targets house music listeners and electronic music artists seeking label representation.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration19 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Chinois (Ibiza)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDefected holds residency at Chinois in Ibiza, hosting regular events and the Defected Ibiza season. The venue is a key destination for the label's events calendar.
• Amnesia (Ibiza)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlitterbox Ibiza events held at Amnesia club, featuring high-profile performances including Grace Jones and Jorja Smith.
• Savaya (Bali)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDefected Bali events hosted at Savaya venue.
• Digital Service Providers (DSPs)coreTechnology or IntegrationPartnerships with Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, Tidal, YouTube Music, SoundCloud, Beatport, Traxsource, and other platforms for music distribution and streaming.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Anjunabeats: Electronic/dance label with multi-imprint structure (Anjunabeats, Anjunadeep), flagship weekly radio show, and global event series. Directly comparable release + radio + touring model, with broader electronic/trance focus rather than pure house.
• Spinnin' Records: Major independent electronic dance label with multi-sub-imprint platform, DSP-led distribution, and deep artist roster - comparable independent dance label with similar release cadence and event tie-ins (sold to Warner in 2017 at industry benchmarks).
• Armada Music: Dutch dance music label combining releases, weekly radio shows, and a touring event brand (Armada Invites). Functionally mirrors Defected's release + radio + event architecture within trance/electronic rather than house.
• Strictly Rhythm: Legendary New York house music label with a deep catalog and DSP-driven distribution. Closest US-based house-music peer to Defected, sharing genre focus and master-rights ownership model.
• Toolroom Records: Mark Knight's UK-based house music label of comparable independent scale, with a similar imprint-plus-events-plus-radio operating model. Closest functional comparable to Defected's footprint in the UK house market.
• Ultra Records: US electronic dance music label tied to the Ultra Music Festival brand - pairs global events with a release catalogue distributed through DSPs. Mirrors the release-plus-event hybrid that defines Defected's model.
• Nervous Records: US independent dance/house label with global DSP distribution and event-adjacent artist development. Comparable indie dance catalog economics and artist roster scale to Defected.

Broad incumbents

• Ministry of Sound: Iconic UK dance music brand that combines a label, large-scale venue, compilation series, and global events - broader in scope than Defected, but the closest UK incumbent operating label-plus-events-plus-clubbing at scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/defectedrecords
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/DefectedMusic
• Facebookfacebook.com/defectedrecords
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/defected-records
• Instagraminstagram.com/defectedrecords
• TikToktiktok.com/@defectedrecords

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries14 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 Defected Records