Shapiro , Bernstein

What Shapiro , Bernstein does

Shapiro, Bernstein & Co., Inc. is a New York City-based independent music publishing company founded in 1900 in Tin Pan Alley, making it one of the oldest continuously operating publishers in the United States. The firm administers a catalog accumulated over more than 120 years, encompassing American standards such as 'In The Mood', 'Ring of Fire', 'Beautiful Ohio', 'Trail of the Lonesome Pine', 'Papa Loves Mambo', and 'Guitar Boogie', along with country titles through its Painted Desert Music sub-brand and film scores from the Columbia Pictures library. Its primary business activities are sync licensing of catalog songs to film, television, advertising, gaming, and streaming productions — solicited via a structured website request form — and royalty administration (mechanical, performance, sync) for its represented songwriters, with payments remitted semi-annually.

The firm is a founding member of ASCAP and authored two landmark copyright precedents (vicarious liability in Shapiro Bernstein v. H.L. Green and joint work doctrine in Shapiro Bernstein v. Jerry Vogel Music Co.), which together form the legal foundation of its rights-protection posture. In 2020, Shapiro Bernstein combined with Reservoir Media (NASDAQ: RSVR), and currently operates as part of Reservoir's portfolio while retaining its distinct legacy brand. The company is led by President Michael Brettler, who has held the role since 2000 and represents the third generation of family ownership. Operationally, Shapiro Bernstein is a small organization (11–50 employees), with licensing inquiries, royalty administration, and contact functions handled via Reservoir Media's infrastructure and email domains.

The business model is a hybrid of two revenue streams: (1) licensing royalties from negotiated, quote-based sync fees that vary by media type, territory, duration, and prominence, and (2) royalty administration income collected from mechanical, performance, and public performance sources and remitted to writers. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; all licensing is project-by-project negotiation. Customer segments are dual-sided — media producers seeking licensed music on the demand side, and songwriters/rights-holders seeking catalog representation on the supply side. The company operates a horizontal segmentation approach and serves primarily the North American market.

Name

Shapiro , Bernstein

Legal name

Shapiro, Bernstein & Co., Inc.

Website

https://shapirobernstein.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1900

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Shapiro, Bernstein is a New York-based independent music publishing company founded in 1900, administering a 120+ year catalog of classic American standards and contemporary titles through sync licensing to media producers and royalty collection for songwriters. Since 2020 it has operated as part of Reservoir Media's portfolio.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Publishing

NAICS

Music Publishers (512230), Music Publishers (51223)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Publishing Administration (Catalog Admin, Global Subpublishing) (MPAIABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Performance Rights Administration (PRO Affiliation, Cue Sheet/Setlist Processing) (MPAIABAE), Music Rights Administration & Royalty Processing (Admin, Accounting, Statements) (MPAIAKAD), Royalty Accounting & Payment Services (Statements, Audits, Payee Management) (MPAIABAL)

Keywords

• Music publishing
• Sync licensing
• Royalty administration
• Catalog management
• Music rights

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Sync Licensing: The company generates revenue by licensing songs from its catalog to film, television, advertising, and other media productions through a sync licensing request process. Fees are negotiated based on usage type, duration, territory, and prominence.
2. Royalty Administration: Shapiro Bernstein collects and distributes royalties from various sources including mechanical royalties, performance royalties (ASCAP, BMI), and other public performance collections. The company remits royalties twice annually to songwriters and rights holders, with a threshold of $50 for checks unless direct deposit is opted into.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Shapiro Bernstein is a New York City-based independent music publishing company that administers a century-old catalog of classic and contemporary songs, offering sync licensing for film, television, advertising, and other media productions, and collecting and distributing royalties (mechanical, performance, and sync) to its represented songwriters. The company remits royalties semi-annually to rights holders and negotiates licensing fees based on usage type, media format, territory, duration, and prominence.

Product overview

Shapiro Bernstein is an independent music publishing company offering a unified suite of services centered around catalog management, sync licensing, and royalty administration. The company maintains a diverse catalog spanning over a century of music, including classic standards and contemporary hits. Services include sync licensing for film, TV, advertising and other media, royalty collection and semi-annual royalty distributions to songwriters. The company operates sub-brands including Painted Desert Music for country music. In 2020, Shapiro Bernstein combined with Reservoir Media, an independent music company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Shapiro Bernstein Music Publishing Full-service music publishing offering sync licensing, catalog management, and royalty collection and distribution for a diverse catalog of classic and contemporary songs. Designed for media producers (film, TV, advertising) and represented songwriters.
• Painted Desert Music Country music publishing sub-brand yielding hits including 'Wolverton Mountain' and 'Ring of Fire', part of Shapiro Bernstein's expanded country music catalog.
• Sync Licensing Service Licensing of songs from the Shapiro Bernstein catalog to film, television, advertising, and other media productions, with fees negotiated based on usage type, duration, territory, and prominence.
• Royalty Administration Collection and distribution of royalties from multiple sources including mechanical royalties, performance royalties (ASCAP, BMI), and sync royalties, remitted to songwriters and rights holders twice annually.

Quantifiable outcome

• Sold 5 million copies of 'Beautiful Ohio' in 1918
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Reservoir MediacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020In 2020, Shapiro Bernstein combined forces with Reservoir Media, an independent music company. This partnership keeps the legacy and history of one of Tin Pan Alley's original publishers alive while pushing forward into the company's second century of business. Shapiro Bernstein operates as part of the Reservoir Media portfolio while maintaining its distinct brand and catalog.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Primary Wave Music Publishing: Independent publisher combining catalog acquisitions, sync, and artist management with a premium on legacy and iconic titles. Competes for the same iconic-catalog assets Shapiro Bernstein owns.

Broad incumbents

• Universal Music Publishing Group: Major global music publisher with deep catalog, sync team, and global sub-publishing network. Competes for high-profile sync placements in film, TV, and advertising.
• Warner Chappell Music: Major publisher with catalog spanning standards and contemporary hits, active sync licensing, and global royalty administration. Direct comparator on catalog breadth and historic titles.
• Sony Music Publishing: World's largest music publisher operating full-scale sync licensing, royalty administration, and A&R across an enormous catalog. Competes for the same sync placements and songwriter signings that Shapiro Bernstein targets.

Direct peers

• BMG Rights Management: Independent music publisher combining publishing administration, sync licensing, and recorded music, with a strategy of acquiring legacy and contemporary catalogs. Closest independent publisher peer post-Reservoir combination.
• Reservoir Media: Parent company since 2020 combination, but also operates as an independent music publisher with sync, administration, and recorded music services. Closest operational peer given full integration of Shapiro Bernstein's licensing, royalty, and administrative functions.
• Concord Music Publishing: Independent publisher with deep catalog across jazz, standards, classical, rock, and country. Comparable business mix spanning legacy catalog monetization and active A&R.
• Spirit Music Group: Independent music publisher focused on catalog acquisition and administration across legacy and contemporary titles. Closely comparable scale, strategy, and acquisition-driven catalog approach.
• Round Hill Music: Independent music publisher focused on acquiring and administering legacy songwriter catalogs with global royalty collection. Comparable size and acquisition-driven catalog business model.
• peermusic: World's largest independent music publisher with global sub-publishing, sync, and administration, and a multi-genre catalog. Direct competitor in the independent publishing tier.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sbmusicpub
• Facebookfacebook.com/shapirobernstein

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Shapiro , Bernstein