What Carus-Verlag does

Carus-Verlag GmbH & Co. KG is a privately held German music publishing house founded in 1972 by Günter Graulich and headquartered in Leinfelden-Echterdingen, Germany. The company specializes in choral music and maintains a catalog of approximately 45,000 vocal works spanning composers from the 15th century to the present. Its core products include printed and digital choral sheet music, the Stuttgart Urtext Editions (historical-critical scholarly editions recognized worldwide in sacred choral music), complete critical editions of major composers (Bach, Mozart, Handel, Schütz, Mendelssohn, Vivaldi, Reger, Rheinberger, Puccini), recordings released on the in-house Carus label, and two proprietary practice applications — carus music (the Choir Coach app) and Conductor's Coach, described as the world's first conducting app, with tutorials by professor Jan Schumacher.

The technology layer consists of a digital music publishing platform that delivers PDF sheet music downloads (4,804 digital choral publications), MP3 audio samples, and browser- and device-based practice apps with features such as animated score tracking, a coach function, and offline rehearsal mode. The company operates a global direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront at carus-verlag.com, complemented by a regional retailer/reseller network, with orders received by 11am dispatched the same day. WhatsApp-based customer service and an active social presence across Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, and Spotify extend direct customer interaction. Scholarly content collaborations with the Rheinberger-Archiv Vaduz (Rheinberger Complete Edition, initiated 1987) and Edition Bach-Archiv Leipzig (Bach vocal project, Musical Monuments series) anchor the editorial pipeline; mutual recording partnerships with conductors Frieder Bernius and Hans-Christoph Rademann and ensembles such as Kammerchor Stuttgart and Gaechinger Cantorey support the in-house label.

The business model is primarily transactional B2B/B2C: revenue is generated through per-copy unit pricing on sheet music (with minimum order quantities that apply equally to physical and digital editions), one-time sales of CDs/DVDs/MP3s on the Carus label, one-time app purchases, and book sales. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and bulk discounts are available for choral collections. Customer segments include church choirs, professional and amateur choirs, children's and youth choirs, choir conductors as a persona, and music schools. The company is independently owned, with no parent company, no subsidiaries, no institutional investment, and no recorded M&A activity in the available sources.

Name

Carus-Verlag

Legal name

Carus-Verlag GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://carus-verlag.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Carus-Verlag is a German music publishing house founded in 1972 that publishes and sells choral sheet music, Stuttgart Urtext Editions, practice apps, and recordings on its own label. It serves choirs, churches, music schools, and conductors globally through direct-to-consumer e-commerce, supported by a catalog of approximately 45,000 vocal works.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Publishing

NAICS

Music Publishers (512230), Music Publishers (51223), Record Production and Distribution (51225)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Phonograph Records & Prerecorded Audio Tapes & Disks (3652)

akta.pro primary industry

Print Music Publishing (Sheet Music, Scores, Educational Repertoire) (MPAIABAG)

Keywords

• Choral music publishing
• Vocal sheet music
• Sacred choral editions
• Choral practice apps
• Music education resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Leinfelden-echterdingen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Sheet Music Sales (Physical and Digital): Sale of choral sheet music, vocal scores, and instrumental parts in both physical print and digital PDF formats. Minimum order quantities apply for digital editions.
2. Recordings and Audio: Sale of audio recordings on their own Carus label including CDs, DVDs, and MP3 downloads
3. Practice Apps: Sale of carus music (Choir Coach) and Conductor's Coach applications for choir singers and conductors
4. Books on Music: Sale of music-related books including E-Books, songbooks, and facsimiles

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Carus-Verlag is a German music publishing house specializing in choral music. The company publishes and sells physical and digital sheet music (choral scores, vocal scores, complete editions, organ music, and books), audio recordings on the Carus label, and develops mobile practice apps (carus music and Conductor's Coach) for choir singers and conductors worldwide. The catalog covers over 45,000 vocal works with a focus on sacred and secular choral literature.

Product overview

Carus-Verlag is a German music publishing house founded in 1972, offering a comprehensive portfolio of vocal music products centered around choral sheet music (both physical and digital) with approximately 45,000 vocal works. The core offering consists of choral sheet music and Urtext editions, complemented by two practice apps (carus music the Choir Coach for singers and Conductor's Coach for conductors), digital vocal scores, opera publications, organ music, instrumental music, recordings on the Carus label, and music books. The company also publishes thematic series including LIEDERPROJEKT (children's singing project), chorissimo! (school choirs), and SPLENDID SONORITY (arrangements for small choirs), along with complete critical editions of major composers. Products are available in print and as digital downloads (PDFs, MP3s).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LIEDERPROJEKT: A charitable project to support singing with children, encouraging singing in the family and wider society.
• Conductor's Coach
• carus music, the Choir Coach
• chorissimo!
• carus contemporary
• modern a cappella
• carus crossover
• carus novus
• SPLENDID SONORITY
• Carus Classics
• Carus Opera

Products and services

• Choral Sheet Music (physical and digital) Physical and digital editions of choral works for various voicings, including sacred and secular compositions. Available as print copies and PDF downloads with MP3 samples. Serves choir singers, conductors, music schools, and church choirs.
• Stuttgart Urtext Editions Authoritative scholarly editions of choral and vocal works, recognized for editorial accuracy and authenticity. For choir conductors, singers, and students seeking reliable source texts.
• Complete Editions of major choral works Comprehensive performance editions of major choral-orchestral works, including oratorios and large-scale sacred compositions. Designed for professional ensembles, conductors, and concert performances.
• carus music - The Choir Coach app Mobile practice app for choir singers that supports individual learning of choral parts. For amateur and professional choir singers seeking self-study tools.
• Conductor's Coach app Mobile practice app for choir conductors to prepare rehearsals and study scores. Targets professional and amateur choir conductors.
• Carus label recordings Audio recordings of choral works released on the Carus label, available in physical (CD) and digital formats. For choir singers, conductors, and music enthusiasts.
• LIEDERPROJEKT A charitable project publishing well-known art songs (Lieder) as soprano-alto and tenor-bass volumes, with proceeds supporting charitable causes related to song. For choral singers, vocal students, and music lovers.
• Books on music (Carus-Verlag book publications) Editorial books on choral music, music history, and related topics published by Carus-Verlag. For musicians, musicologists, students, and choral enthusiasts.

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Frieder BerniuscoreOthersProminent German conductor and founder of Kammerchor Stuttgart, featured as a key recording artist on the Carus label with multiple acclaimed Bach and Baroque recordings
• Hans-Christoph RademanncoreOthersDistinguished German choral conductor featured as a primary recording artist on the Carus label
• Jan SchumacherminorOthersChoir conducting professor and author who created content for Conductor's Coach app and recommends contemporary composers for Carus catalog
• Rheinberger-Archiv VaduzcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInitiated the Rheinberger Complete Edition in 1987, a critical scholarly project for complete works of Josef Gabriel Rheinberger
• Edition Bach-Archiv LeipzigcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership for Edition Bach-Archiv Leipzig - Musical Monuments thematic series

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Hal Leonard: Hal Leonard is the world's largest music publisher with broad choral, educational, and pop repertoire catalogs. While not focused on classical Urtext, it competes with Carus in school choir materials (chorissimo! vs. Hal Leonard choral collections) and represents the broader digital-first incumbent Carus must defend against.
• Alfred Music: Alfred Music is a large US-based music publisher with educational choral methods and school choir repertoire that overlap with Carus's chorissimo! and children's/youth choir segments. It is a broader incumbent rather than a direct classical peer, but competes for the same music-school institutional budgets.
• Oxford University Press (Music): Oxford University Press's music division publishes scholarly editions of sacred choral works, hymns, and Anglican repertoire that overlap with Carus's sacred music catalog. It competes for church choir and academic institutional customers across multiple liturgical traditions.

Direct peers

• Schott Music: Schott Music is a major German music publisher with broad classical and contemporary repertoire, including significant choral and operatic editions. Its scale and global distribution overlap with Carus in choral sheet music, opera publications, and complete scholarly editions.
• G. Henle Verlag: G. Henle Verlag is a German music publisher specializing in Urtext editions of piano, chamber, and vocal works. It shares Carus's scholarly editorial philosophy and competes in vocal Urtext editions serving conservatories, professional performers, and advanced amateurs.
• Edition Peters: Edition Peters is a classical music publisher with a long-standing Urtext reputation and choral, operatic, and instrumental scores. It competes with Carus for the same scholarly choral editions and conductor-grade performance materials globally.
• Bärenreiter: Bärenreiter is a German classical music publisher and one of the most direct competitors to Carus-Verlag, with a comparable focus on scholarly Urtext editions (especially of Bach, Mozart, and Handel) and choral repertoire. Both companies serve choirs, conductors, and music schools globally with both print and digital scores.
• Breitkopf & Härtel: Breitkopf & Härtel is one of the world's oldest music publishers, headquartered in Germany, with deep Urtext and complete-edition catalogs covering composers like Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms. It competes head-to-head with Carus in choral and vocal Urtext editions and serves the same conductor/choir customer base.
• Boosey & Hawkes: Boosey & Hawkes is a leading Anglo-German classical music publisher with strong choral and contemporary vocal catalogs. It directly competes with Carus for professional choir repertoire and shares similar institutional customer segments (professional choirs, festivals, broadcasters).
• Wiener Urtext Edition: Wiener Urtext Edition is a Vienna-based Urtext publishing consortium focusing on critical piano, vocal, and chamber editions. It overlaps with Carus's Stuttgart Urtext brand on vocal scores and serves comparable academic and professional performer segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/carusverlag
• Facebookfacebook.com/CarusVerlag
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carus-verlag

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 Carus-Verlag