Organ Media Foundation

What Organ Media Foundation does

Organ Media Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization incorporated in 2011 and headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, whose mission is to promote and fund the art and music of the classical organ through new and traditional media. The foundation operates a portfolio of three commercial-free streaming radio stations — Organlive.com (launched 2003, 24/7 general organ music), Positively Baroque (baroque period music), and The Organ Experience (themed programming blocks of 30 minutes to 2 hours) — all broadcasting from a library of more than 34,500 tracks. Complementary content channels include the At The Organ podcast, a YouTube channel (14,800 subscribers, launched 2018) exploring pipe organ building, and The King of Instruments, a weekly one-hour terrestrial radio show broadcast in St. Louis and available via Soundcloud.

The foundation also offers audio/video recording services for organists and organ builders, and maintains the Aeolian-Skinner Pipe Scales Archive, a public web database of historic pipe organ specifications licensed under Creative Commons. The organization is led by President Eric J. McKirdy, Vice President Bradley Burgess, Treasurer/Secretary David Sinden, and Executive Director Brent Johnson, with board members Damin Spritzer and Armando Siliceo-Roman. Its primary audience is global classical organ music enthusiasts, organists, and organ builders, with broadcast relays serving listeners in North America and Europe.

The foundation is entirely donation-funded, with an annual one-month fundraising appeal each April designed to minimize broadcast interruptions. The estimated annual budget for streaming stations alone is $19,820, covering hosting, royalties, licensing, hardware, library additions, and voiceover talent. Donor recognition is organized into tiered categories (Foundation, Double Open, Principal, Octave, Gedeckt, Gamba), reflecting a distributed base of small-to-mid-level individual donors rather than institutional concentration. There is no commercial revenue model; all content is provided free of charge.

Name

Organ Media Foundation

Legal name

Organ Media Foundation

Website

https://organ.media

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Organ Media Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that operates free streaming stations, a podcast, YouTube channel, and radio show dedicated to classical organ music, serving a global community of enthusiasts, organists, and organ builders through a donation-funded model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Classical Music Streaming Media

NAICS

Sound Recording Studios (512240), Sound Recording Industries (5122)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

Internet Radio & Streaming Broadcast Stations (Simulcast/Online-only) (MPAIAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Non-Interactive Digital Radio (Lean-Back Streaming) (MPAIACAB), Radio Content Production & Studios (On-air Production, Imaging, Jingles) (MPAIAEAL)

Keywords

• Classical organ music
• Nonprofit media broadcasting
• Audio streaming services
• Organ recording services
• Music archival database

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The non-profit receives all funding from listeners who wish to support its mission. An annual one-month fundraising appeal occurs each April to minimize broadcast interruptions throughout the rest of the year. One-time contributions and recurring monthly donations are accepted.
2. Event Revenue: Revenue generated from ticketed events such as cocktail parties. Example: $45 tickets for summer cocktail party including drinks and tapas.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Organ Media Foundation operates three commercial-free streaming radio stations (Organlive.com, Positively Baroque, The Organ Experience) dedicated to classical organ music, broadcasting 24/7 from a library of more than 34,500 commercial recordings. The foundation also produces a podcast (At The Organ), a YouTube video series exploring pipe organs, a weekly terrestrial radio show (The King of Instruments), audio/video recording services for organists and organ builders, and web-based archival databases such as the Aeolian-Skinner Pipe Scales Archive.

Product overview

Organ Media Foundation operates a platform of multiple streaming radio stations and content channels focused on classical organ music promotion. The portfolio includes three commercial-free streaming music stations (Organlive.com, Positively Baroque, and The Organ Experience), a podcast (At The Organ), YouTube video content, and a weekly terrestrial radio show (The King of Instruments). Supporting services include audio/video recording services and web-based archival databases, most notably the Aeolian-Skinner Pipe Scales Archive containing technical pipe organ specifications. The organization maintains a music library of over 34,500 tracks and reaches audiences globally through relays in North America and Europe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Organlive.com: Streaming radio station broadcasting organ music 24 hours a day, free and without commercial interruption. With relays in both North America and Europe, the station reaches listeners around the world.
• Positively Baroque
• The Organ Experience
• At The Organ
• The King of Instruments
• Aeolian-Skinner Pipe Scales Archive

Products and services

• Organlive.com 24-hour streaming radio station broadcasting classical organ music commercial-free with relays in North America and Europe, reaching listeners around the world.
• Positively Baroque Second streaming station dedicated to baroque period music, featuring both period and modern organ performances.
• The Organ Experience Third streaming station offering 30-minute to 2-hour themed blocks of curated organ music from an expanding library of commercial recordings.
• At The Organ Occasional podcast featuring interviews, deep explorations of timely topics, and historic recordings related to organ music.
• Organ Media Foundation YouTube Channel YouTube channel featuring organ building explorations, pipe organ site visits, and demonstrations, with over 14,800 subscribers.
• The King of Instruments Weekly one-hour terrestrial radio show hosted by Mark Scholtz and Bill Stein, broadcast in St. Louis, Missouri and available anywhere via Soundcloud.
• Recording Services Audio and video recording services for organists and organ builders to help spread awareness about pipe organs and musical performances.
• Aeolian-Skinner Pipe Scales Archive Public web archive documenting pipe organ scales and dimensions from the Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company, with data presented in HTML tables and JSON format, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Aeolian-Skinner Pipe Shop (via Robert Sipe family)coreOthersThe family of Robert Sipe made available original Aeolian-Skinner pipe shop documents and Tommy Anderson's notebook, which form the basis of the Aeolian-Skinner Pipe Scales Archive. Robert Sipe acquired the Aeolian-Skinner company assets when operations ceased in the 1970s.
• Tommy Anderson (Thomas H. Anderson Organ Pipe Company)minorOthersFormer Aeolian-Skinner Pipe Shop Foreman from 1957 to 1967 who prepared a notebook of organ pipe specifications, now included in the archive.
• Trust (St. Louis venue)minorOthersDowntown St. Louis venue hosting the Organ Media Foundation cocktail party event on July 5.
• Aperi (St. Louis restaurant)minorOthersSpanish-inspired tapas restaurant providing catering for the foundation's cocktail party event.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Pipedreams (American Public Media): A weekly public radio program dedicated exclusively to pipe organ music, distributed across U.S. public radio stations. Directly comparable to Organ Media Foundation in its singular focus on organ repertoire and nonprofit funding model, though distributed via terrestrial/syndicated radio rather than dedicated streaming.
• WFMT Classical: Chicago-based nonprofit classical music radio station with a 24/7 online streaming presence funded by listener donations. Comparable as a donor-supported, commercial-free classical streaming platform, though it serves a much larger metropolitan audience and broader classical repertoire.
• WQXR (New York Public Radio): New York Public Radio's classical music streaming station, operating as a nonprofit with global online streaming and listener-supported funding. Comparable streaming-and-donation model, with a broader classical repertoire than Organ Media Foundation's organ specialization.
• Classical KING (KING-FM 98.1): Seattle-based nonprofit classical music radio station that streams 24/7 commercial-free classical music online. Directly comparable as a nonprofit classical music streaming broadcaster reliant on listener donations, though broader in repertoire than Organ Media Foundation's organ-only focus.
• All Classical Portland (KQAC/KQOC): Portland-based nonprofit classical music radio network with online streaming funded by listener donations. Directly comparable in operating model (nonprofit, commercial-free classical streaming, donor-supported), though broader in repertoire scope.

Emerging players

• IDAGIO: Subscription-based classical music streaming service focused exclusively on classical repertoire. Comparable as a classical-music-focused streaming platform, though commercial rather than nonprofit and with broader repertoire than organ-only specialization.

Broad incumbents

• Apple Music Classical: Major classical-music streaming service from Apple (incorporating Primephonic). Comparable as a classical streaming platform but operates at vastly greater scale with broad repertoire; competes indirectly for classical listening time.
• BBC Radio 3: UK public-service classical and arts radio station with global online streaming, including dedicated organ programming (e.g., Organ Fixations, Choral Evensong). Comparable in nonprofit public broadcasting of classical/organ content, but with vastly larger audience and budget.

Others

• Public Radio Exchange (PRX): Nonprofit public-media distribution platform that supports podcast and radio content including classical programming. Comparable as a public-media infrastructure player relevant to Organ Media Foundation's podcast and radio distribution strategy.
• American Public Media (APM): National public radio distributor that carries classical and organ programming (including Pipedreams) to U.S. public radio stations. Comparable as a nonprofit public-media organization supporting classical/organ content distribution, though it functions as a distributor rather than a single-niche streamer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/OrganMediaFoundation
• Xx.com/OrganMedia
• Facebookfacebook.com/OrganMedia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/organ-media-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Organ Media Foundation