Hope Publishing

What Hope Publishing does

Hope Publishing Company is a privately-held Christian music publisher founded in 1892 and headquartered at 380 S Main Place, Carol Stream, Illinois. The firm publishes physical and digital sheet music across choral (approximately 1,848 active SKUs across SATB, SAB, Two-Part, Unison, TTBB, SSA, and Children's voicings), vocal (146 SKUs), handbell (1,367 SKUs across L1–L5+ difficulty levels), keyboard, instrumental, and hymnal categories, distributed exclusively direct-to-consumer through its e-commerce platform hopepublishing.com, a toll-free phone order line, and a quick-order form. Catalog depth is supported by signed composer relationships with arrangers such as Joel Raney, Lloyd Larson, Mary McDonald, and Mark Hayes, plus curated seasonal releases tied to the liturgical calendar (Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter).

The underlying platform layers digital catalogs (annual PDF releases for Choral, Vocal, Keyboard/Instrumental, and Hymnals), digital download fulfillment, and a suite of free worship-planning tools including a searchable Hymn Search database (by text, tune, hymnwriter, and scripture), a Lectionary Planner, and a Scripture Planner. Subscription products include the Choral Review Club (semi-annual shipments of new choral publications for $30/$55/$75 tiers) and the parallel Handbell Review Club, with active members receiving a 20% discount on website orders. Additional revenue streams include physical accessories (choral folders, handbell folders, filing boxes, music lights, branded merchandise), permissions and licensing for reprint and license requests, and promotional mechanics such as free shipping over $100 and seasonal coupon codes.

Hope Publishing reaches customers through a digital-first go-to-market motion: Constant Contact-managed email lists (segmented into Brenda's Picks – Handbells; Choral/Keyboard/Instrumental & General; and Musicals & Cantatas), downloadable PDF catalogs, and an active social and streaming presence on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Apple Music, and Spotify. The primary customer segments are church music directors, choir directors, handbell ensemble leaders, organists and pianists, and churches purchasing hymnals — predominantly SMB/individual consumers with a horizontal segmentation approach and no disclosed enterprise accounts. The firm is family/privately held with no disclosed external investment, M&A activity, or leadership transitions in the source data.

Name

Hope Publishing

Legal name

Hope Publishing Company

Website

https://hopepublishing.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1892

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hope Publishing Company is a private Christian music publisher founded in 1892 in Carol Stream, Illinois. It publishes physical and digital sheet music across choral, vocal, handbell, keyboard, instrumental, and hymnal categories, sold directly to church music directors, ensembles, and congregations via its e-commerce platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Church Music Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Music Publishers (51223)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Worship & Liturgy Publishing (Liturgical Texts, Missals, Service Books, Hymnals) (MPAJAHAE), Sermon, Homiletics & Ministry Resource Publishing (Preaching Aids, Pastoral Resources) (MPAJAHAD), Religious & Spiritual Print-on-Demand (Bibles, Devotionals) (MPAJANAG)

Keywords

• Church music publishing
• Choral sheet music
• Handbell music catalog
• Sacred vocal music
• Hymnal publications

Headquarters

HQ city

Carol Stream

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Sheet Music Sales: Physical and digital sheet music sales across choral, vocal, handbell, keyboard, and instrumental categories. One-time purchase model for individual pieces and collections.
2. Choral Review Club Subscription: Semi-annual subscription service (June and November) delivering all new Hope choral publications. Active members receive 20% discount on website orders (excluding hymnals and accessories). Subscription tiers: 1 year ($30), 2 years ($55), 3 years ($75).
3. Accessories and Merchandise: Sale of physical products including choral folders, handbell folders, filing boxes, music lights, and branded merchandise (hats, t-shirts).
4. Permissions and Licensing: Copyright licensing services for reprint permissions, license requests and payments, and copyright information resources.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hope Publishing Company publishes and sells Christian-themed sacred music sheet music across choral, vocal, handbell, keyboard, and instrumental categories in both physical and digital formats. The company sells directly to church musicians, choir directors, handbell ensembles, and congregations through an e-commerce storefront, phone ordering, and recurring subscription review clubs (Choral Review Club and Handbell Review Club). It also offers hymnals, branded music accessories, and copyright permissions/licensing services for its published catalog.

Product overview

Hope Publishing Company is a comprehensive music publishing company specializing in sacred and church music. The company operates primarily as an e-commerce platform offering physical sheet music and digital products across multiple categories including Choral Music (1,848 products), Handbell Music (1,367 products), Vocal Music (146 products), Keyboard Music, Instrumental Music, and Hymnals. The portfolio includes various product series such as Sing & Ring (combined choral and handbell), Quick Study Chorals (easy-learn arrangements), and the Choral/Handbell Review Club subscription services. Digital offerings include searchable hymn databases, downloadable catalogs, and worship planning tools. The company also provides permissions and licensing services for copyright management. Products are organized by voicing (SATB, SAB, Two-Part, TTBB, SSA, etc.), season (Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, etc.), genre (Spirituals, Gospel, Contemporary, Hymn Arrangements), and difficulty level for handbell music.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Choral Music Sheet music for choral ensembles in multiple voicings (SATB, SAB, Two-Part, Unison, TTBB, SSA, Children's Voices) and genres (Spirituals, Gospel, Contemporary, Hymn Arrangements, Originals), sold in physical and digital formats to church choir directors, worship leaders, and choir members.
• Vocal Music Vocal solo, duet, and trio sheet music (146 products across 7 catalog pages) of sacred vocal repertoire for church and worship use across various voice types, targeted at vocal musicians and soloists.
• Handbell Music Handbell sheet music for 2-8 octave ensembles across difficulty levels L1-L5+, including solos, duets, small ensembles, and piano & bells arrangements, sold to handbell choir directors and ringer ensembles.
• Keyboard Music Piano and organ sheet music including piano solos, organ music, four-hand piano arrangements, and the Creative Use Series, sold to church organists, pianists, and instrumentalists.
• Instrumental Music Sheet music for brass, clarinet, flute, guitar, and string instruments in church and sacred music settings, sold to church instrumentalists and educational settings.
• Hymnals Congregational hymnals including large print editions, author collections, and books about music, sold to churches, religious organizations, and educational institutions for congregational worship use.
• Folders & Filing Boxes Music organization accessories including choral folders, handbell folders, music filing boxes, and Hope Publishing branded merchandise (hats, t-shirts) sold to choir directors and musicians to organize and store sheet music.
• Choral Review Club Bi-annual subscription ($30/year for US; multi-year options available; Canada priced at $75/year due to shipping) delivering single copies of all new Hope choral publications to active members, with 20% discount on website orders (excluding hymnals and accessories). Targeted at church choir directors who want recurring exposure to new releases.
• Handbell Review Club Subscription service for handbell musicians providing new handbell publications delivered to members with member discounts on website orders, targeted at handbell choir directors seeking continuous access to new repertoire.
• Permissions & Licensing Copyright licensing service for reprint permissions, license requests, license payment processing, and copyright information, sold to organizations needing rights to reproduce Hope Publishing sheet music.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Apple MusicminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMusic streaming distribution partnership allowing Hope Publishing catalog to be available on Apple Music platform for discovery and preview purposes.
• SpotifyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMusic streaming distribution partnership allowing Hope Publishing catalog to be available on Spotify for discovery and preview purposes.
• YouTubeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVideo content distribution on YouTube (@HopePublishing) for promotional and educational content related to published music.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Shawnee Press: Sacred and secular choral publisher (now part of Hal Leonard) offering anthems, octavo sheet music, and church choral works — overlapping product set with Hope Publishing's choral catalog.
• Alfred Music: Major print music publisher covering choral, handbell, instrumental, and educational sheet music — competes head-on with Hope Publishing in choral and educational repertoire sold to church and school music directors.
• Musicnotes.com: Largest digital sheet music retailer offering downloadable scores across choral and instrumental categories — overlaps with Hope Publishing's digital-download business for individual titles and collections.
• Sheet Music Plus: Online sheet music retailer carrying choral, vocal, handbell, keyboard, and instrumental titles from many publishers — competing for the same SMB/consumer online sheet music buyer.
• Word Music: Church and worship music publisher with choral anthems and worship resources targeting the same church-music-director segment that anchors Hope Publishing's customer base.
• Hal Leonard Corporation: Largest US sheet music publisher, carrying choral, handbell, vocal, keyboard, and instrumental titles — directly comparable to Hope Publishing across product categories and target buyers (church musicians, choir directors).
• Augsburg Fortress: Publishes hymnals (including Evangelical Lutheran Worship) and choral music for the ELCA and broader mainline Protestant market — competing publisher for hymnal adoptions and church choral repertoire.
• Concordia Publishing House: Denominational publisher (LCMS) producing hymnals, choral music, and worship resources — directly comparable in sacred-music publishing, hymnal production, and church-director customer segment.

Emerging players

• PraiseCharts: Digital-first worship/church sheet music and chord-chart platform competing for the same worship-team buyers, but emphasizing instant digital downloads and worship-band formats over traditional choral octavos.

Broad incumbents

• Oxford University Press (Music): Major academic/religious music publisher of choral anthems, hymnals, and sacred works from a global imprint — adjacent incumbent competing for choir libraries and hymnal adoptions at larger institutions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/HopePublishing
• Facebookfacebook.com/HopePublishing
• Instagraminstagram.com/hopepublishing
• Xx.com/hopepublishing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hope-publishing-company

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Hope Publishing