Average Joes Entertainment
Average Joes Entertainment is a Nashville-based independent entertainment company operating a vertically integrated platform spanning a country and country-rap record label (50+ artists), artist management, film/TV production and distribution, and direct-to-consumer merchandise, serving independent country artists and genre fans.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersAtlanta, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Average Joes Entertainment does
Average Joes Entertainment (AJE) is a Nashville, Tennessee-based independent entertainment company founded in Q4 2008 by genre-pioneering artist Colt Ford. Operating from 3728 Keystone Ave. in Nashville with 11-50 employees, the company functions as a vertically integrated entertainment platform rather than a pure record label. Its business spans five core divisions: (1) the Average Joes record label, which manages a roster of 50-plus active and alumni country, country-rap, and Americana artists including Colt Ford, Eddie Montgomery, Montgomery Gentry, Bryan Martin, Creed Fisher, Josh Mirenda, Tyler Booth, and Charlie Farley; (2) Arcade Management, providing artist management services; (3) Hideout Pictures, a film/TV production arm that produced the feature films Old Henry and Spirit Halloween and the CMT scripted series Still The King; (4) Strike Back Studios, a content distribution arm; and (5) the Average Joes Superstore, a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform for artist merchandise. The company also operates jointly-controlled sub-labels Big Gassed Records (with Jamey Johnson), Chayne Gang Records, and Southern Country Music.
AJE generates revenue through four primary streams: streaming royalties and physical/digital music sales distributed via Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, YouTube Music, and Amazon Music; merchandise sales through its Superstore; film/TV production licensing and distribution; and artist management fees. Touring and live performance revenue is enabled through premier agency partnerships with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and United Talent Agency (UTA). The company targets working-class country and country-rap fans as end consumers, independent country artists as primary B2B clients, and country-themed entertainment viewers through its film/TV output. Leadership includes CEO and producer Shannon Houchins, who is credited with developing the country-rap hybrid sound and building the label, alongside co-founder Colt Ford and VP of A&R Forrest Latta. The company is privately held with no disclosed institutional funding or parent company, suggesting founder/management ownership.
Average Joes Entertainment firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Average Joes Entertainment
- Legal name
- Average Joes Entertainment
- Website
- https://averagejoesent.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Average Joes Entertainment is a Nashville-based independent entertainment company operating a vertically integrated platform spanning a country and country-rap record label (50+ artists), artist management, film/TV production and distribution, and direct-to-consumer merchandise, serving independent country artists and genre fans.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Average Joes Entertainment industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Independent Record Label
- NAICS
- Music Publishers (51223), Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512)
- SIC
- Retail-Record & Prerecorded Tape Stores (5735)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Music Aggregators & DIY Distribution Platforms (MPAIAAAD)
Keywords
Where Average Joes Entertainment is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Atlanta
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Average Joes Entertainment business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Music Sales and Streaming: Revenue from physical and digital music sales, streaming royalties from platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, YouTube, and Amazon Music
- Merchandise Sales: Revenue from Average Joes Superstore e-commerce platform selling artist merchandise and branded products
- Film and Television Production: Revenue from film and television projects produced by Hideout Pictures including films like Old Henry and Spirit Halloween, and CMT series Still The King
- Artist Management: Revenue from artist management services through Arcade Management division
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Average Joes Entertainment product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Average Joes Entertainment is a Nashville-based independent entertainment company that operates a record label signing country, country-rap, and Americana artists. Beyond releasing music, the company provides artist management through Arcade Management, film and television production through Hideout Pictures, film/TV distribution through Strike Back Studios, and direct-to-consumer merchandise sales through the Average Joes Superstore e-commerce platform.
Product overview
Average Joes Entertainment is a Nashville-based independent entertainment company founded in Q4 2008 with flagship artist Colt Ford. The company operates as a multi-faceted entertainment platform consisting of: (1) Average Joes Entertainment record label with an active artist roster including Colt Ford, Eddie Montgomery, Montgomery Gentry, Bryan Martin, Josh Mirenda, Tyler Booth, Charlie Farley, Creed Fisher, and others; (2) subsidiary labels Big Gassed Records, Chayne Gang Records, and Southern Country Music; (3) Arcade Management for artist management; (4) Hideout Pictures for film and television production; (5) Strike Back Studios for distribution; and (6) Average Joes Superstore for merchandise. The label specializes in country, country-rap, and Americana genres.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Average Joes Entertainment Record Label Nashville-based independent record label housing a roster of country, country-rap, and Americana artists. Signs artists, releases albums, EPs and singles, and distributes music via streaming platforms and physical sales.
- Arcade Management
Companies that use Average Joes Entertainment
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Average Joes Entertainment technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Average Joes Entertainment partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Arcade ManagementcoreArtist management company division of Average Joes Entertainment providing management services to roster artists. Manages artists including Colt Ford, Bryan Martin, and others.
- Hideout PicturescoreFilm and television production company producing movies such as Old Henry and Spirit Halloween, and CMT scripted series Still The King. Integrated production arm of Average Joes Entertainment.
- Strike Back StudioscoreFilm and television distribution company. Part of the integrated Average Joes Entertainment ecosystem for content distribution.
- Big Gassed RecordscorePartner label owned by Jamey Johnson, operating in partnership with Average Joes Entertainment. Tyler Booth signed to this joint venture label.
- Chayne Gang RecordscorePartner label with roster including Chris Linton and Tommy Chayne. Sub-label operating under Average Joes Entertainment umbrella.
- Southern Country MusiccorePartner label with roster including DJ Cannon Banyon and Drawde. Sub-label operating under Average Joes Entertainment umbrella.
- Play Dead ManagementminorManagement company representing Bryan Martin. Third-party management partner for specific artists on the AJE roster.
- United Talent AgencycoreMajor talent agency handling booking for Colt Ford and other AJE artists. Premier agency representation for touring and live performances.
- Creative Artists Agency (CAA)corePremier talent agency handling booking for Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry. Major agency partnership for live event representation.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Average Joes Entertainment competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Thirty Tigers: Independent Nashville-based label and distribution company representing Americana, country, and roots artists. Comparable as an indie label serving the country/Americana-adjacent segment where AJE operates, with similar multi-genre distribution model.
- Big Machine Records: Nashville-based independent country label founded by Scott Borchetta, home to Taylor Swift (early career) and Tim McGraw. Closest analog as a country-focused independent label with label-plus-publishing-plus-merch operations, though at substantially larger scale than AJE.
- Big Loud Records: Independent Nashville label home to Morgan Wallen, Jake Owen, and HARDY. Direct competitor in country and country-rap-adjacent signings, with comparable genre-blending positioning and similar artist-development model.
- Broken Bow Records: Independent Nashville label group (now BMG-owned) featuring Jason Aldean, Lainey Wilson, and Craig Morgan. Direct competitor in country talent acquisition and A&R, with a similar focus on radio-active country acts.
- Curb Records: Long-running independent Nashville label with Lee Brice, Tim McGraw (later career), and Hank Williams Jr. Comparable as a multi-decade independent country label with deep catalog and ongoing artist signings outside the major-label system.
Emerging players
- Make Wake Records: Independent Nashville label focused on Southern country, country-rock, and Americana artists. Comparable as a smaller independent label competing in the same non-mainstream Nashville segment where AJE operates, including similar festival and touring circuit presence.
- Maverick (Country Music): Independent country-rap and Southern hip-hop crossover label founded by Shannon Houchins' peers. Comparable genre focus on country-rap and Southern crossover, with similar target audience to AJE's sub-labels.
Broad incumbents
- Sony Music Nashville: Major-label Nashville division (Sony) with artists like Luke Combs, Kenny Chesney, and Maren Morris. Represents the upper bound of capital and distribution scale against which AJE competes for artist signings and streaming visibility.
- Warner Music Nashville: Major-label Nashville division (WMG) with Blake Shelton, Cole Swindell, and Morgan Evans. Comparable competitive set as the third major-label Nashville division bidding for breakout country talent.
- Universal Music Group Nashville: Major-label Nashville division (UMG) and dominant country-music label group. Competes broadly for the same artist talent and streaming/playlist attention, but with vastly greater capital, marketing spend, and roster scale.
Market position
Strengths1 record
Weaknesses1 record
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Average Joes Entertainment social profiles
Digital presenceAverage Joes Entertainment financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Average Joes Entertainment leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Average Joes Entertainment subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries7 records
Average Joes Entertainment funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Average Joes Entertainment 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 Average Joes Entertainment
What does Average Joes Entertainment do?
Average Joes Entertainment is a Nashville-based independent entertainment company that operates a record label signing country, country-rap, and Americana artists. Beyond releasing music, the company provides artist management through Arcade Management, film and television production through Hideout Pictures, film/TV distribution through Strike Back Studios, and direct-to-consumer merchandise sales through the Average Joes Superstore e-commerce platform.
Is Average Joes Entertainment a public or private company?
Average Joes Entertainment is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Average Joes Entertainment founded?
Average Joes Entertainment was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Average Joes Entertainment based?
Average Joes Entertainment is headquartered in Atlanta, United States, in the North America region.
How does Average Joes Entertainment make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Music Sales and Streaming is the primary driver. The others are merchandise Sales, film and Television Production and artist Management.
Who are Average Joes Entertainment's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Thirty Tigers, Big Machine Records, Big Loud Records, Broken Bow Records and Curb Records. Emerging players are Make Wake Records and Maverick (Country Music). Broad incumbents are Sony Music Nashville, Warner Music Nashville and Universal Music Group Nashville.
Does Average Joes Entertainment have an API?
No public API is recorded for Average Joes Entertainment.
What industry is Average Joes Entertainment in?
Average Joes Entertainment's product category is Independent Record Label. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIAAAD, Music Aggregators & DIY Distribution Platforms. Its NAICS code is 51223 and its SIC code is 5735.