Music Design

What Music Design does

Music Design is a UK-based music production studio founded in 1983 in Leicester, operating as a private, founder/owner-operated business with 1-10 employees. The company produces downloadable backing tracks and bespoke audio productions for the entertainment industry, including professional performers, theatre and drama groups, solo artists and bands, dance schools, songwriters, and media production buyers in film, television, radio, and advertising.

The core commercial platform is a self-serve Shopify e-commerce storefront (backing-tracks.myshopify.com) offering instant digital downloads of backing tracks across categories spanning pre-1950s to present day, plus musicals and films, jazz, country/folk, and Christmas tracks. Standard tracks are priced at $6, musical tracks at $14, and complete show packages (e.g., The Prince of Egypt) at $205. The catalog depth is substantial: thousands of tracks have been produced in-house over 40+ years, with a 35-page storefront and additional archived material not yet uploaded. Bespoke services include Custom Backing Tracks (£200-300 for a standard 4-minute track, up to six weeks delivery), Songwriter Assistance (£150-250 for a four-piece backing), and Audio Production (in-house producer/engineer plus session musicians and vocalists, with remote recording capability). A Special Order shared-cost model and a related entity, Crazy Dog Management (theatre shows, record label services), extend the service surface.

The business is positioned as a craft-driven, human-led production house rather than a software or platform business: there is no public API, no AI/ML capability disclosed, and no institutional funding. Distribution is direct-to-consumer globally via Shopify with email-link fulfillment for international customers, supported by a broad but low-intensity social presence (Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr, Vimeo, Fancy), an email newsletter, and a news blog. The revenue mix blends low-ticket digital downloads (one-time license) with higher-margin professional services (custom production, songwriter assistance, audio production), and the company sources additional session talent through a SoundBetter producer profile held by lead producer David (Buzz) Buswell.

Name

Music Design

Legal name

Music Design

Website

https://backing-tracks.myshopify.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Music Design is a UK music production studio, founded in 1983, that produces and sells downloadable backing tracks and custom audio productions via a Shopify storefront, serving professional performers, theatre groups, solo artists, dance schools, songwriters, and media production buyers globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Backing Tracks & Audio Production

NAICS

Sound Recording Studios (51224), Sound Recording Studios (512240)

SIC

Phonograph Records & Prerecorded Audio Tapes & Disks (3652)

akta.pro primary industry

Production Music Libraries (Library Music, Trailer Music, Stock Cues) (MPAIABAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Custom Music & Original Score/Composition (MPAIALAD), Sample Library & Sound Design Creation (for production use) (MPAIAHAM)

Keywords

• Backing tracks
• Audio production
• Custom music
• Karaoke tracks
• Theatre music

Headquarters

HQ city

Leicester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Downloadable Backing Tracks: One-time purchase of individual tracks and full show packages available for instant digital download. Standard tracks priced at $6.00, full musical shows at $205.00.
2. Custom Backing Track Production: Bespoke track production service creating custom replicas of songs. Standard 4-minute track costs £300 for exclusive rights or £200 if company can list the track. Delivery within six weeks.
3. Songwriter Assistance: Service to help songwriters transform ideas into fully orchestrated recordings. Typical cost £150-250 for four-piece backing (guitar, bass, keyboard, drums) plus backing vocals. Customers receive mp3 download and optional CD copies.
4. Audio Production Services: Professional audio production for any project size. Includes in-house producer/engineer, session musicians, vocalists, and recording capabilities in-house or remotely.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Music Design is an in-house music production studio that produces, sells, and distributes downloadable backing tracks for the entertainment industry. It also offers bespoke custom backing track production, songwriter assistance, and professional audio production services. Tracks are delivered as instant digital downloads via its Shopify storefront, with custom productions created on request.

Product overview

Music Design is a single-product music service company with a core Downloadable Backing Tracks platform powered by Shopify, supplemented by several add-on services including Custom Backing Tracks production, Songwriter Assistance, and Audio Production services. The company, established in 1983, operates primarily as a digital download storefront while also offering bespoke production capabilities. A related entity, Crazy Dog Management, handles theatre shows and record label services under the same umbrella.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Downloadable Backing Tracks A digital catalog of downloadable backing tracks spanning multiple genres and eras (Musicals & Films, 1990s-present day, 1970s/1980s, 1950s/1960s, Pre-1950s, Jazz and Swing, Country/Folk/Traditional, Christmas). Tracks are available for instant digital download at $6 per individual track, $14 for musical tracks, and $205 for complete show packages.
• Custom Backing Tracks A bespoke production service that creates near-perfect replicas of any song with optional backing vocals in any musical key. Standard 4-minute track costs £300 for exclusive rights or £200 if the company can list the track, with delivery within up to six weeks.
• Songwriter Assistance A service that helps songwriters transform incomplete musical ideas or poems into fully orchestrated recordings with instrumentation and backing vocals. Typical cost is £150-£250 for a four-piece backing (guitar, bass, keyboard, drums) plus backing vocals; production and copyright percentages negotiated per order.
• Audio Production Professional audio production for projects of any size, providing in-house producer/engineer guidance, session musicians, vocalists, and both in-house and remote recording capabilities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Instant download available for all tracks
• +1 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ShopifycoreTechnology or IntegrationE-commerce platform powering the online store, enabling product listings, shopping cart, checkout, and digital delivery functionality.
• Crazy Dog ManagementminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated entertainment company offering theatre shows, record label services, and audio production. Linked from Music Design site under 'Other Services'.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SBI Karaoke: US-based large-scale karaoke and backing track distributor with a deep multi-genre catalogue sold to performers, venues, and karaoke hosts. Directly comparable to Music Design's catalogue breadth and per-track digital download business model.
• Sunfly Karaoke: UK-based producer and seller of professionally-produced backing tracks and karaoke tracks for singers and entertainers. Highly comparable business model to Music Design: catalogue of downloadable tracks, custom-track services, and B2B/B2C sales to performers and venues — direct UK competitor to Music Design's offering.
• Practice Trax: Producer of practice backing tracks for singers and instrumentalists, including custom track requests. Comparable niche focus to Music Design (solo performers/entertainers buying tracks for practice and performance) with similar custom service model.
• Music Minus One: Long-established US producer of play-along backing tracks for classical and instrumental practice and performance. Comparable to Music Design in in-house production model, downloadable track sales, and multi-key offerings, though more oriented toward classical repertoire.
• Stage Trax: Australia-based producer of backing tracks and musical theatre accompaniment, serving performers, theatre groups, and schools. Directly comparable to Music Design's theatre and drama customer segment and complete-show-package product offering.
• Karaoke Version: Large international catalogue of downloadable backing tracks and karaoke versions across genres and eras, sold as one-time track purchases or subscriptions. Comparable to Music Design in core product (digital backing-track catalogue), custom-track offering, and price-per-track unit economics, with significantly larger international reach.

Broad incumbents

• Abbey Road Studios: Iconic London-based professional recording studio offering recording, mixing, mastering, and bespoke production services. Comparable as a broader incumbent in the same sound-recording-studios category, serving higher-end professional recording and audio-production customers than Music Design's performer-focused niche.

Emerging players

• Karaoke Cloud: Subscription-based streaming service for karaoke backing tracks spanning 80,000+ songs. Comparable end-user use case (performers using backing tracks) but different delivery model (subscription streaming vs. Music Design's one-time track purchase) — represents a different competitive threat within the same buyer segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/MDbackingtracks
• YouTubevimeo.com/user99688542
• Facebookfacebook.com/MusicDesignTracks
• Instagraminstagram.com/musicdesignbackingtracks
• Pinterestpinterest.com/buswell0421

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 Music Design