Sound On Sound

Music Technology Trade Publishingsoundonsound.com

Company typePrivate
Founded1985
HeadquartersCambridge, United Kingdom
Headcount11–50
GTM typeB2C
OfferingDigital Commerce or Content

What Sound On Sound does

Sound On Sound, operated under the legal entity SOS Publications Group, is a privately held music recording technology magazine publisher founded in 1985 and based in Cambridge, United Kingdom. The company produces a monthly print and digital magazine covering reviews of recording equipment, mixing and production techniques, industry interviews, and music business content, distributed to a global readership of professional recording engineers, music producers, and home studio enthusiasts. Its core product surface spans the Sound On Sound Magazine (with a free interactive digital Replica Edition for subscribers), the SOS Website (reviews, news, techniques, articles), a phpBB-based SOS Forum community, SOS Podcasts, SOS Videos, SOS eBooks, and an SOS Shop for subscriptions, back issues, and merchandise.

The business model combines recurring revenue from print and digital magazine subscriptions with advertising and sponsorship placements on the website and in print, ancillary e-commerce through the SOS Shop (selling eBooks, merchandise, back issues, and classified reader ads), and contribution-driven content loops via the 'Write for SOS' and Readers' Ads surfaces. The company serves a horizontally segmented niche audience: three primary personas (music recording engineers, music producers, home studio enthusiasts) and two secondary personas (synthesizer/MIDI users and guitar players). Underlying technology consists of a standard CMS-driven publishing platform, a digital page-turning replica edition, a phpBB community forum, and structured search across a 27,284-record content database covering reviews, techniques, news, people, and music business articles.

Go-to-market is content-led and largely self-serve: the free digital replica, free website articles, free-to-browse news, and free entry-level forum access serve as top-of-funnel acquisition, while paid magazine subscriptions, the e-commerce shop, and forum participation form mid- and post-funnel monetization. The company operates without disclosed institutional investment, M&A activity, or leadership turnover beyond its two founders (Godfrey Davies and Paul Gilby), and has maintained continuous publication for roughly four decades.

Sound On Sound firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Sound On Sound
Legal name: SOS Publications Group
Website: https://soundonsound.com
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1985
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 11–50 employees
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Sound On Sound industry classification

Industry

Product category: Music Technology Trade Publishing
akta.pro primary industry: Audio Production & Podcasting (BPAFAIAE)

Keywords

Music recording magazine
Production technology reviews
Studio equipment guides
Audio production tutorials
Music gear reviews

Where Sound On Sound is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Cambridge
HQ country: United Kingdom
HQ region: Europe

Markets served

Sound On Sound business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Digital Commerce or Content
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

Magazine Subscriptions: Print and digital subscriptions to the monthly Sound On Sound magazine
Advertising & Sponsorships: Marketing and advertising opportunities on the website and in the magazine
Shop Products: Sale of eBooks, digital content, and merchandise through the SOS Shop
Readers' Ads: Classified advertising section for readers to buy and sell equipment

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Subscription	Annual	Magazine Subscription

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Sound On Sound product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Sound On Sound is a monthly music recording technology magazine and associated digital content platform that publishes equipment reviews, production techniques, industry news, and interviews aimed at recording professionals and home studio enthusiasts. Its offerings span a print magazine, a free digital replica edition, an article-rich website, community forum, podcasts, videos, and a shop selling eBooks, subscriptions, and merchandise.

Product overview

Sound On Sound is a music recording technology magazine offering both print and digital content. The core product is the monthly Sound On Sound Magazine, which is available as a physical publication and as a free digital replica edition for subscribers. The company's digital ecosystem includes the SOS Website providing access to articles, news, reviews, techniques, and community forums; SOS Podcasts featuring audio content; and SOS Videos offering visual content. Additional offerings include the SOS Shop for subscriptions and merchandise, and SOS eBooks for specialized digital publications on music production topics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Sound On Sound Magazine Monthly print music recording technology magazine featuring equipment reviews, production techniques, interviews, and industry news aimed at recording professionals and home studio users.
Digital Magazine / Replica Edition

Companies that use Sound On Sound

Customer profile

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Sound On Sound technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Sound On Sound partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Sound On Sound competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

Future Music: Music production magazine (now primarily digital via MusicRadar) covering DAWs, synths, and studio gear. Strongly comparable audience of producers and home-studio musicians, with overlapping editorial topics.
Mix Magazine: Long-running US publication covering recording, live sound, and audio production technology. Comparable in audience (audio professionals) and editorial scope (gear reviews, techniques, industry news), though with a stronger live-sound emphasis.
Electronic Musician: US-focused magazine and website for electronic music producers, covering synthesizers, software, and production gear. Comparable in targeting electronic-music creators and providing reviews of DAWs, plug-ins, and hardware.
MusicTech Magazine: UK-based monthly magazine and website covering music production technology, DAWs, plug-ins, and gear. Closely aligned with SOS in geography, audience (home-studio and pro producers), and editorial categories.
Audio Media International: UK and international publication covering pro audio, broadcast, and music production technology. Comparable editorial coverage of gear, techniques, and industry developments with a similar audience.
Tape Op Magazine: Independent bi-monthly magazine focused on music recording and production techniques, with a print/digital model and a respected interview-driven editorial voice. Directly comparable to SOS as a niche pro-audio publication serving recording engineers and producers.
Recording Magazine: US-based publication targeting project and home-studio recordists with gear reviews and technique tutorials. Direct competitor for the home-studio enthusiast segment SOS also serves.

Broad incumbents

Pro Sound News: Trade publication covering professional audio across recording, live sound, broadcast, and post-production. Comparable in covering pro audio but broader in scope than SOS's music-recording-technology focus.

Regional players

SoundPro: Audio retailer that also publishes editorial content around pro audio gear. Adjacent rather than a pure publisher peer, but comparable in serving the pro-audio information/purchase decision workflow.

Others

Sound on Sound (no relation — distinct entity caveat): Excluded as duplicate of subject; flagged to confirm no second 'Sound on Sound' peer was used.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Sound On Sound financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Sound On Sound leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Sound On Sound funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

Sound On Sound M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Sound On Sound

What does Sound On Sound do?

Is Sound On Sound a public or private company?

Sound On Sound is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.

When was Sound On Sound founded?

Sound On Sound was founded in 1985. It employs 11 to 50 people.

Where is Sound On Sound based?

Sound On Sound is headquartered in Cambridge, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.

How does Sound On Sound make money?

Four revenue lines are on record. Magazine Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are advertising & Sponsorships, shop Products and readers' Ads.

Who are Sound On Sound's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Future Music, Mix Magazine, Electronic Musician, MusicTech Magazine, Audio Media International, Tape Op Magazine and Recording Magazine. Pro Sound News is listed as a broad incumbent. SoundPro is listed as a regional player. Sound on Sound (no relation — distinct entity caveat) is listed as an others.

Does Sound On Sound have an API?

No public API is recorded for Sound On Sound.

What industry is Sound On Sound in?

Sound On Sound's product category is Music Technology Trade Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFAIAE, Audio Production & Podcasting.