Consequence of Sound
Consequence of Sound is an independent digital media company publishing music, film, TV, and pop culture news, reviews, and podcasts via Consequence.net and its podcast network, monetizing audiences through advertising, affiliate partnerships, branded content, and merchandise.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Consequence of Sound does
Consequence of Sound is a privately held digital media company operating Consequence.net, an editorial publication covering music, film, television, and pop culture news, reviews, features, and interviews. The company is organized as Consequence Holdings, LLC under Illinois governing law, with operational offices in Boca Raton, Florida, and a stated Chicago heritage; it employs 11-50 people and operates independently with no disclosed institutional investors. Its product surface is anchored by the WordPress-based flagship website, augmented by the wholly-owned Consequence Podcast Network (eight branded shows including The Opus, co-produced with Sony Legacy Recordings, and Story Behind the Song) and a Firebase-authenticated personalization layer that lets registered users follow artists, venues, and tags. Revenue is generated entirely through indirect monetization: display advertising served via Google AdSense and DoubleClick, affiliate commissions from StubHub, Amazon, and other retail partners, and branded-content campaigns executed through the Consequence Media subsidiary, with a smaller merchandise stream via a Shopify-powered shop. Consequence of Sound serves general consumers interested in mainstream and underground music and entertainment, monetizing that audience against advertiser demand rather than charging readers directly; all editorial access remains free.
Consequence of Sound firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Consequence of Sound
- Legal name
- Consequence Holdings, LLC
- Website
- https://consequence.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Consequence of Sound is an independent digital media company publishing music, film, TV, and pop culture news, reviews, and podcasts via Consequence.net and its podcast network, monetizing audiences through advertising, affiliate partnerships, branded content, and merchandise.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Consequence of Sound is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Consequence of 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, Others
Revenue model
- Advertising: The site generates revenue through display advertising, including Google AdSense and DoubleClick Cookie for serving targeted advertisements to website visitors.
- Affiliate Links: Consequence includes affiliate links to StubHub, Amazon, and other e-commerce platforms. The company earns commissions from qualifying purchases made through these referral links.
- Merchandise Sales: Consequence operates an online shop selling branded merchandise including podcast apparel (hoodies, t-shirts), as well as music merchandise from artists they cover.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels8 records
Consequence of Sound product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Consequence of Sound operates Consequence.net, a free digital entertainment publication covering music, movies, TV, and pop culture through breaking news, reviews, features, interviews, and video content. It monetizes this audience through the Consequence Podcast Network (multiple branded shows), the Consequence Shop merchandise storefront, the Live/Concerts tour discovery tool with ticket affiliate links, Product Guides with retail affiliate links, and display advertising.
Product overview
Consequence of Sound operates as a digital entertainment media platform offering a comprehensive news and content ecosystem centered around music, movies, TV, and pop culture. The core product is the Consequence.net website, which publishes breaking news, reviews, features, interviews, lists, and video content across categories including Music, TV & Movies, Heavy (metal/hard rock), and Pop Culture. Supporting the website is the Consequence Podcast Network, a portfolio of branded podcasts including Story Behind the Song (artist interviews about iconic songs), Kyle Meredith With... (musician/actor interviews), The Opus (produced with Sony, exploring legendary albums), Going There (music and mental health), Stanning BTS (K-Pop focused BTS coverage), Long Time No See (comedy mystery podcast), In Defense of Ska (ska music advocacy), and Consequence Uncut (video interviews and annual report coverage). The platform also includes a Shop (e-commerce merchandise store), Product Guides (deal roundups with affiliate links), and a Live/Concerts discovery tool. The portfolio operates as an integrated media ecosystem where content cross-promotes across properties, with revenue generated through advertising, affiliate links, and merchandise sales.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Heavy Consequence: Metal and hard rock news, features, interviews, premieres, and more
- Consequence Podcast Network
- CoSign
- The Opus
Products and services
- Consequence.net (Website) Free digital entertainment news publication covering music, movies, TV, and pop culture through breaking news, reviews, features, interviews, lists, and video content across categories including Music, TV & Movies, Heavy (metal/hard rock), and Pop Culture. Audience: general entertainment enthusiasts.
- Consequence Podcast Network
Companies that use Consequence of Sound
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Consequence of Sound technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Consequence of Sound partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.
- Sony Legacy RecordingscoreCo-production partnership for The Opus podcast, a monthly show exploring legendary albums and their ongoing legacy. Consequence and Sony collaborate on examining iconic albums and their cultural impact, with Sony Legacy providing access to archival material and artist connections.
- Lagunitas Brewing CompanysecondaryBranded content partnership producing Six-Pack Stories video series featuring artist interviews conducted over Lagunitas beer. Sponsored content combining entertainment coverage with craft beer brand integration.
- StubHubsecondaryAffiliate partnership for concert ticket sales integration within Consequence's tour and event coverage content.
- AmazonsecondaryAffiliate partnership for e-commerce product links including music merchandise, electronics, and books with commission-based revenue sharing.
- Google (AdSense/DoubleClick)secondaryAdvertising partnership utilizing Google AdSense and DoubleClick Cookie for programmatic advertisement serving and monetization.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Consequence of Sound competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- NME: NME is a global music and entertainment publication with editorial coverage of breaking music news, album reviews, features, and interviews. It overlaps with Consequence's music-first editorial DNA and competes for branded-content and affiliate revenues in the digital music press category.
- BrooklynVegan: BrooklynVegan is a music-focused online publication known for deep coverage of indie, punk, and metal scenes plus concert listings and reviews. It mirrors Consequence's editorial scope and "Heavy Consequence" sub-brand with strong alignment on live-music discovery and ticketing monetization.
- Pitchfork: Pitchfork is the most directly comparable online music publication, covering album reviews, news, features, and artist interviews for a similar mainstream-plus-underground music audience. Now owned by Condé Nast, it competes head-to-head for editorial authority and branded-content budgets in the indie/legacy music press category.
- Paste Magazine: Paste Magazine is a digital publication covering music, movies, TV, and pop culture with a similar indie/alternative editorial orientation. It competes for the same audience as Consequence and runs its own podcast network and branded-content studio.
- Kerrang!: Kerrang! is a rock and metal-focused music publication that closely mirrors Consequence's Heavy Consequence vertical. Both serve enthusiast communities around heavy music, with similar review/interview formats and concert-tour coverage.
- Stereogum: Stereogum is an indie-leaning online music publication with a similar editorial mix of album reviews, artist interviews, and pop culture commentary. It overlaps almost entirely with Consequence's audience and content verticals, including indie rock, electronic, and metal coverage.
- The A.V. Club: The A.V. Club is a digital publication covering music, movies, TV, and pop culture targeted at mainstream-and-enthusiast audiences — a near-direct mirror of Consequence's horizontal entertainment positioning. Both operate with multi-vertical editorial coverage and ad-supported business models.
Broad incumbents
- Billboard: Billboard is a larger, established music industry publication covering chart data, industry news, and mainstream artist coverage. It is broader in scope than Consequence but competes for the same music advertising and sponsored-content budgets and benefits from significantly greater scale.
- Rolling Stone: Rolling Stone is an iconic music and culture publication covering a wide swath of music, entertainment, and politics. It is a much larger incumbent that competes with Consequence for premium branded-content deals, podcasting talent, and artist access.
Emerging players
- Uproxx: Uproxx is a digital-first entertainment publication covering music, sports, and pop culture targeted at younger audiences. It is comparable as a digital-native entertainment media brand competing for advertising and sponsored-video dollars alongside Consequence's vertical.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Customer concentration
Consequence of Sound social profiles
Digital presenceConsequence of Sound financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Consequence of Sound leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Consequence of Sound subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Consequence of Sound funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Consequence of Sound M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Consequence of Sound
What does Consequence of Sound do?
Consequence of Sound operates Consequence.net, a free digital entertainment publication covering music, movies, TV, and pop culture through breaking news, reviews, features, interviews, and video content. It monetizes this audience through the Consequence Podcast Network (multiple branded shows), the Consequence Shop merchandise storefront, the Live/Concerts tour discovery tool with ticket affiliate links, Product Guides with retail affiliate links, and display advertising.
Is Consequence of Sound a public or private company?
Consequence of Sound is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Consequence of Sound founded?
Consequence of Sound was founded in 2007. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Consequence of Sound based?
Consequence of Sound is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does Consequence of Sound make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Advertising is the primary driver. The others are affiliate Links and merchandise Sales.
Who are Consequence of Sound's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are NME, BrooklynVegan, Pitchfork, Paste Magazine, Kerrang!, Stereogum and The A.V. Club. Broad incumbents are Billboard and Rolling Stone. Uproxx is listed as an emerging player.
Does Consequence of Sound have an API?
No public API is recorded for Consequence of Sound.