LEVITATION

What LEVITATION does

LEVITATION, founded in 2008 in Austin, Texas (originally as Austin Psych Fest and later rebranded), operates a vertically integrated music business combining an annual four-day music festival, a record label (RVRB Records), a live-performance video series (Levitation Sessions), and a direct-to-consumer e-commerce store. The 2026 festival runs September 10-13 across multiple Austin venues including Radio/East, Stubb's, Mohawk, Empire, Hotel Vegas, Elysium, 29th St Ballroom, 13th Floor, and Kingdom, featuring over 20 shows spanning psychedelic rock, punk, metal, darkwave, indie rock, and electronic music. The e-commerce storefront sells vinyl records (including exclusive Levitation Edition colored pressings), CDs, cassettes, box sets, merchandise and apparel, audio equipment (turntables, speakers, headphones, cartridges), posters/art prints, and accessories such as the Wax Beam LED Slipmat, with international shipping available.

The business operates with a small team of 1-10 employees and generates revenue through one-time ticket sales (tiered GA, Deluxe, and Super Deluxe passes priced from $185 to $1,195 plus fees), transaction-based retail and vinyl sales, recurring revenue from a Record of the Month subscription, and hardware sales of audio equipment. Go-to-market is multi-channel: event-driven acquisition through the annual festival, community-led engagement via Spotify playlists, YouTube Levitation Sessions content, and email marketing, and direct e-commerce fulfillment through levitation.fm. Ticketing is distributed through Eventim/See Tickets and Tixel as the official fan exchange, with hotel bundles via THE LINE on South Congress and Crewfare. The company maintains label partnerships with Light in the Attic, ATO Records, Third Man Records, Beggars Banquet, and The Reverberation Appreciation Society, and sponsor relationships with Marshall, Liquid Death, White Claw, Espolon, and Montucky. Critically, the business is not technology-driven: the core platform is a standard e-commerce/ticketing stack with no proprietary technology products, no AI capabilities, and no public API surface.

Name

LEVITATION

Legal name

LEVITATION

Website

https://levitation.fm

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

LEVITATION is an Austin-based music festival and online record store, operating a four-day annual psych/alternative music festival across multiple Austin venues, an e-commerce shop selling vinyl, merchandise, and audio equipment, the RVRB Records label, and a Record of the Month subscription service for music fans and collectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Festival & Independent Record Retail

NAICS

Record Production and Distribution (51225), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Performing Arts Companies (7111), All Other Amusement and Recreation Industries (713990)

SIC

Retail-Record & Prerecorded Tape Stores (5735), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Phonograph Records & Prerecorded Audio Tapes & Disks (3652)

akta.pro primary industry

Physical Recorded Music Manufacturing (Vinyl/CD/Cassette) (MPAIAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Merchandising & Onsite Retail (Concert Merch, Pop-ups) (MPAGAAAJ), Pro Audio & Recording Equipment Retail (MI-adjacent) (CRALAEAC), Hi‑Fi / Audiophile Components (DACs, Amps, Turntables, Streamers) (CRACANAI)

Keywords

• Music festival organization
• Independent record store
• Live music events
• Vinyl record retail
• Concert ticketing

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from festival passes and individual show tickets for the annual Levitation festival and associated club shows in Austin venues.
2. Vinyl & Music Retail: Sales of vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, box sets, and music merchandise through their online record shop. They offer exclusive Levitation Edition vinyl pressings in limited colorways.
3. Record Label Releases: RVRB Records label releases including Levitation Sessions live recordings, Levitation Editions exclusive pressings, and King Gizzard bootlegs.
4. Merchandise & Apparel: Festival merchandise including t-shirts, tie-dye apparel, hoodies, hats, bags, and collectibles.
5. Audio Equipment: Sales of stereo equipment including turntables, speakers, headphones, cartridges, and accessories.
6. Record of the Month Subscription: Monthly vinyl subscription service featuring curated record selections delivered to subscribers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

LEVITATION operates an annual four-day multi-venue music festival in Austin, Texas (formerly branded as Austin Psych Fest), running in 2026 from September 10-13 across venues including Radio/East, Stubb's, and Mohawk. The company also runs a direct-to-consumer online record store selling vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, box sets, merchandise, apparel, and audio/turntable equipment, alongside a record label (RVRB Records), exclusive Levitation Edition colored vinyl pressings, a monthly RecordClub vinyl subscription, and live performance video content via Levitation Sessions.

Product overview

LEVITATION is a combined music festival and online record store. The core offerings include the annual LEVITATION festival (four-day event in Austin, Texas) and a comprehensive vinyl record store. The product portfolio consists of vinyl records across multiple genres, festival tickets and events, a Record of the Month vinyl subscription service, merchandise and apparel, audio equipment (turntables, speakers, headphones), and exclusive Levitation-branded sub-products including Sessions (video performances), Live at Levitation albums, Levitation Editions (exclusive colored vinyl), King Gizzard Bootlegs, RVRB Records label releases, and the Wax Beam LED Slipmat accessory. The ecosystem centers on psychedelic and indie music culture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LEVITATION Music Festival Four-day annual multi-venue music festival in Austin, Texas featuring over 20 shows spanning psychedelic rock, punk, metal, darkwave, indie rock, and electronic genres. Includes tiered pass options (GA, Deluxe, Super Deluxe) and individual show tickets for music fans attending in person.
• Vinyl Records (Online Record Shop) Online retail store for vinyl records (new releases, pre-orders, catalog, box sets), CDs, cassettes, and DVDs across multiple psychedelic and alternative genres, offered with international shipping to music collectors and fans.
• RecordClub (Record of the Month Subscription) Monthly recurring subscription delivering curated vinyl record selections, often featuring exclusive color variants and limited editions, targeted at vinyl collectors and music enthusiasts seeking ongoing discovery.
• Levitation Editions (Exclusive Vinyl Variants) Limited-edition colored vinyl pressings produced in collaboration with artists, pressed in unique colorways and small quantities (e.g., 500 copies) and sold exclusively through Levitation's online store to collectors.
• RVRB Records (Record Label Releases) In-house record label (RVRB Records) releasing curated psychedelic, heavy psych, and indie rock albums distributed through the Levitation online store and associated with the festival brand.
• Live At Levitation (Live Album Recordings) Live album recordings of festival performances by artists such as The Black Angels and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, sold as physical editions through the Levitation online store.
• Festival Merchandise & Apparel Branded festival merchandise and apparel including t-shirts, tie-dye items, sweatshirts, hoodies, hats, bags, and collectibles featuring Levitation branding and artist merchandise, sold directly to fans.
• Stereo & HiFi Equipment Audio gear and turntable equipment including turntables, speakers, headphones, cartridges, and accessories sold through the Levitation online store for vinyl enthusiasts and home audio setups.
• Posters & Art Prints Concert posters and art prints from Levitation, Austin Psych Fest, and the Tour & Artist Series, including signed editions, sold to collectors and festival attendees.
• Levitation Sessions (Live Performance Video Series) Online video series of live performance recordings from festival artists, distributed through YouTube to drive discovery and community engagement with the Levitation brand.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Marshall AmplificationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMarshall is a sponsor of Levitation festival. Partnership provides cross-promotion and brand alignment with music equipment. 60th anniversary celebration of Marshall and Hendrix featured.
• White ClawminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWhite Claw is a sponsor of the Levitation festival, providing alcoholic beverage sponsorship for the event.
• Espolon TequilaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEspolon Tequila sponsors Levitation festival with branded presence at the event.
• Liquid DeathminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLiquid Death is a sponsor of Levitation festival and Austin Psych Fest, providing beverage options for attendees.
• MontuckyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMontucky is a sponsor partner for the Levitation festival.
• Eventim (See Tickets)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial ticketing partner for Levitation festival passes and individual show tickets. Handles online ticket sales and distribution.
• TixelcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial fan ticket exchange for Levitation. Provides safe and transparent marketplace for fans to buy and sell tickets with verification.
• THE LINE on South CongressminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial hotel partner of Levitation 2026. Offers 25% discount with promo code 'LEVITATION' for festival attendees.
• CrewfareminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHotel deal partner providing bundled hotel and festival pass packages for Levitation attendees.
• Austin Venues (Radio/East, Stubb's, Mohawk, etc.)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with multiple Austin venues including Radio/East (festival hub with two stages), Stubb's, Mohawk, Empire, Hotel Vegas, Elysium, 29th St Ballroom, 13th Floor, and Kingdom for festival shows and late-night events.
• Record Labels (Light in the Attic, ATO Records, Third Man Records, etc.)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLevitation serves as a retailer and partner for releases from labels including Light in the Attic (The Black Angels), ATO Records (King Gizzard), Third Man Records (Sleep), Beggars Banquet (Bauhaus), and The Reverberation Appreciation Society (Frankie and the Witch Fingers).

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Desert Daze: Annual multi-day psychedelic and heavy psych music festival. Directly comparable to LEVITATION in genre focus (psych rock, heavy psych, shoegaze), boutique multi-stage format, and target audience of psych and indie music enthusiasts.
• Rough Trade: Iconic independent record store chain and label with in-store events and label partnerships. Highly comparable to LEVITATION's specialty retail-plus-events model and curatorial indie/psych positioning.
• Amoeba Music: Legendary independent music retailer with flagship stores, used and new vinyl, and in-store events. Comparable to LEVITATION's record store plus live-event programming model serving vinyl collectors.
• ATO Records: Independent label representing artists in psych, indie and jam-rock including King Gizzard releases. Closely comparable to LEVITATION as a label partner with overlapping artist roster and psych/indie audience.
• Light in the Attic Records: Independent reissue label with strong vinyl retail presence and a catalog spanning psych, folk and indie. Directly comparable as a label partner and similar specialty-retail channel for psych and alternative vinyl.
• Third Man Records: Jack White-founded independent record label with flagship retail store and exclusive vinyl pressings. Comparable to LEVITATION as an integrated label-retail-content operation focused on limited-edition vinyl and artist exclusives.
• Psycho Las Vegas: Heavy psych, doom and metal-focused music festival. Closely aligned with LEVITATION's heavy psych and metal programming, multi-day format, and dedicated genre-community audience.

Broad incumbents

• Coachella: Large-scale destination music festival run by Goldenvoice/AEG. Comparable to LEVITATION as a multi-stage music festival brand but at vastly larger scale, broader genre programming and significantly bigger marketing and sponsor footprint.
• SXSW: Austin-based multi-format music, film and tech festival and conference. Overlaps with LEVITATION on the Austin live-music calendar and competes for the same local venue infrastructure, sponsor base and artist attention.
• Austin City Limits Music Festival: Major multi-genre Austin music festival operated by C3 Presents. Competes with LEVITATION for Austin festival audience, venue capacity, sponsor dollars and headliner bookings, but at significantly larger scale and broader genre mix.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/results?search_query=levitation+sessions
• Xx.com/levitation
• Facebookfacebook.com/austinpsychfest
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-reverberation-appreciation-society

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries4 records

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 LEVITATION