What Pop School does

Popskolan (operated by Svenska Popskolan AB) is a private music school headquartered in an 800 sqm facility at Stationsgränd 22 in Åkersberga, Österåkers kommun, Sweden. Founded in 2012 by spouses Richard and Linda Hedlund, the school delivers in-person music instruction across a three-tier course structure: Category A (individual/small-group subject courses such as guitar, drums, piano, vocals, DJ, and music production), Category B (group courses of 5–12 students such as bands, show groups, and collective formats), and Category C (ensembles of 13+ such as choirs, Popstars children's choir, and the Show Ensemble). The company also runs adult courses, instrument rental through the on-site Popshop, and recurring live concerts (PopAid charity events, Popitfestivalen) and operates sub-brands including Pop-Along choir and PopAid.

The school's core go-to-market leverages Österåker municipality's official Studyalong customer-choice system to distribute subsidized courses to children and youth aged 7–20, with course fees set annually by the municipal council (1,561 SEK for Category A, 362 SEK for B and C, and a 2,100 SEK three-course bundle). Non-subsidized students and adults are enrolled directly via email and pay full retail rates. Distribution is overwhelmingly single-geography: the company serves only Österåker municipality and operates one physical site, augmented by authorized teaching in municipal primary schools from autumn 2022.

Business model is built on per-term subscription course fees, pay-as-you-go adult lessons, and ancillary instrument rental, with no external funding rounds, no app or proprietary technology disclosed, and ownership concentrated in the Hedlund founders. All instructional staff are professionally active musicians, songwriters, or producers with credits spanning major Swedish and international acts, and the school has accumulated a YouTube audience of 1,090+ subscribers, regional awards in 2015, and a decade-long charity partnership with the Loszughana orphanage in Ghana.

Name

Pop School

Legal name

Svenska Popskolan AB

Website

https://popskolan.se

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Popskolan is a private Swedish music school in Åkersberga, Österåker, offering in-person instrument, vocal, and production instruction to children, youth, and adults through municipal-subsidized and full-price term-based courses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Åkersberga

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Subsidized Youth Music Courses: Revenue from per-term course fees for youth aged 7-20 in Österåker municipality. Fees are set by the municipal council annually. Students can take up to 3 courses (one from each category) at subsidized rates. Category A (individual/small group): 1561 SEK/term; Category B (groups of 5-12): 362 SEK/term; Category C (ensembles of 13+): 362 SEK/term.
2. Non-Subsidized Courses: Students not eligible for municipal subsidy pay full price. Additional courses beyond the subsidized quota are charged at full price. Contact-based pricing via email inquiry.
3. Adult Courses: Adult students pay per-lesson or per-term fees: 700 SEK per 45-min individual lesson, 3250 SEK for 5 lessons, 6000 SEK for 10 lessons. Band coaching at 1200 SEK/hour. Pop-Along choir at 1800 SEK/term.
4. Instrument Rental (Popshop): The on-site music shop Popshop offers instrument rental services to students.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Pop School (Popskolan) is a music school in Åkersberga, Österåker municipality, Sweden that delivers term-based music lessons and ensemble training for children, youth (ages 7-20), and adults. It operates a three-tier course structure covering individual subject courses (Category A), small group courses (Category B), and larger ensembles (Category C), plus adult courses, taught by professionally active musicians, songwriters, and producers.

Product overview

Popskolan is a modern music school offering a comprehensive portfolio of music education courses and performance opportunities for children, youth, and adults in Åkersberga, Österåkers kommun. The school operates a three-tier course structure: Category A (Subject Courses for 1-4 students) covering individual instrument instruction like Guitar, Drums, Piano/Keyboard, Solo Singing, DJ, Music Production, Songwriting, and various brass/woodwind instruments; Category B (Group Courses for 5-12 students) including Band, Show Group, Artist & Stage, Studio Artist, Collective DJ, and Komp ensembles; and Category C (Ensemble courses for 13+ students) featuring Popstars children's choir, Show Ensemble, Popforum for teens, and Choir. The school also offers dedicated adult courses including individual lessons, band coaching, and the Pop-Along choir. Popskolan's course offerings are designed to be combinable—students can take one course from each category at subsidized rates. Beyond instruction, the school organizes live concerts including the annual PopAid charity festival and Popfestivalen, providing students with real stage experience. The school is operated by Svenska Popskolan AB and maintains facilities including rehearsal rooms, studios, green-screen rooms, a stage, and a lounge.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Popshop: A small music shop operated within Popskolan's facilities
• Pop-Alongkören
• PopAid

Products and services

• Solosång (Solo Singing) Individual vocal training for solo singing, taught by professionally active vocal teachers; available to youth and adults.
• DJ (Discjockey) DJ training and disc jockey skills development for students interested in electronic music performance.
• Musikproduktion (Music Production) Music production and recording studio skills training using the school's studio facilities.
• Alla kan spela (Everyone Can Play) Group introduction to multiple instruments including piano, guitar, bass, drums, and vocals in a small group setting.
• Gitarr (Guitar) Electric and acoustic guitar instruction delivered as a Category A subject course.
• Elbas (Electric Bass) Electric bass guitar lessons taught by active professional bassists.
• Piano/Keyboard Piano and keyboard skills development delivered as a Category A subject course.
• Trummor (Drums) Drum and percussion instruction for students interested in rhythm performance.
• Låtskrivare (Songwriter) Songwriting and composition training covering lyrics, melody, and arrangement.
• Band Band formation training where 5-12 musicians learn to play together, create unified sound, and record demos.
• Artist & Scen (Artist & Stage) Stage presence, microphone technique, and song interpretation training with live performance opportunities.
• Studioartist (Studio Artist) Professional studio singing and recording process; students select a song and produce a professional demo recording.
• Collective DJ Group DJ training and development of disc jockey skills with other students.
• Collective Keys Individualized piano/keyboard/synth instruction delivered in a small group format.
• Collective Gitarr Individualized guitar instruction in a group setting; only for students also enrolled in a Category A course.
• Popstars Modern children's choir for ages 7-9 (grades 1-3) singing pop music with simple choreography; rehearsals at Popskolan and Fredsborgskolan.
• Showensemble (Show Ensemble) Performance ensemble of 13+ students combining singing, dancing, and theater; must be combined with Showgrupp.
• Popforum Program for high school students featuring workshops, clinics, live performances, and gig opportunities for music-interested youth.
• Kör (Choir) Choir singing disco, soul, pop, R&B, and gospel music in an ensemble of 13 or more members.
• Vuxenkurser (Adult Courses) Music education for adults including individual lessons (700 kr/45 min), band coaching (1200 kr/hour), and Pop-Along choir (1800 kr/term).
• Pop-Alongskören (Adult Choir) Adult choir led by Frida Sollerhag with 12 rehearsal sessions per term including a concert; meets Mondays 19:45-21:15.
• Popshop Instrument Rental On-site music shop offering instrument rental services to students.
• Saxofon (Saxophone) Saxophone wind instrument instruction delivered as a Category A subject course.
• Trumpet Trumpet brass instrument lessons delivered as a Category A subject course.
• Ukulele Ukulele playing instruction delivered as a Category A subject course.
• Singer Songwriter Combined singing and guitar/piano performance training for singer-songwriters.

Quantifiable outcome

• 14 lesson sessions per semester plus one concert session for full-term courses; 8 sessions plus one concert for half-term courses
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

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

One partnership is on record.

• Loszughana Orphanage (Kumasi, Ghana)minorOthers · 1 January 2012Since 2012, Popskolan has run PopAid, a charity project supporting the Loszughana orphanage in Kumasi, Ghana. In 2013, Popskolan raised 80,000 SEK through events and parent contributions to build a new house for orphaned children. The school continues annual contributions through voluntary entrance fees at events, supporting food, clothing, musical instruments, animals, school materials, toys, and septic tank for the orphanage village.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• ArtistWorks: Online music school offering pre-recorded video lessons and 'Video Exchange' personalized feedback from professional touring musicians across instruments. Directly comparable to Popskolan's 'taught by working pros' differentiator, but delivered online rather than in a community facility.
• Soundfly: Online music education platform focused on songwriting, production, and theory with mentorship from professional musicians. Comparable to Popskolan's songwriting, music production, and 'music as a language' pedagogy, though delivered digitally.
• TakeLessons: U.S.-based online marketplace connecting students to instructors across instruments, voice, and music production. Comparable to Popskolan in the lesson-by-lesson / subscription instruction layer, though serving a much broader geography and customer base without the subsidized-municipal-school angle.
• Yousician: Helsinki-based digital music education platform serving learners of guitar, piano, bass, ukulele, and vocals. Comparable to Popskolan as a Nordic music-learning provider targeting youth and adults learning contemporary popular music, though delivered via app rather than a physical school.
• Fender Play: Fender's subscription-based online guitar, bass, and ukulele lesson platform. Comparable to Popskolan in the guitar/instrument instruction niche and youth-adult learner base, but as a digital-first product rather than a bricks-and-mortar music school.

Broad incumbents

• School of Rock: International music school franchise offering in-person individual and ensemble instruction (performance-based bands, private lessons) anchored by a teaching faculty of working musicians. Closest large-scale analog to Popskolan's performance-driven, contemporary-pop, ensemble-heavy pedagogy, but operating as a global franchise rather than a single community-anchored site.

Others

• MasterClass: Subscription video platform featuring celebrity instructors (including world-class musicians) teaching creative disciplines. Compares to Popskolan's emphasis on learning from recognized industry professionals, though MasterClass is celebrity-curated content rather than live interactive instruction.
• Berklee Online: Online extension of Berklee College of Music offering courses, certificates, and degrees in music production, performance, and songwriting. Adjacent to Popskolan in the 'active-musician-as-instructor' and contemporary music production curriculum, but aimed at older/credential-seeking learners.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/POPSKOLAN
• Facebookfacebook.com/popskolan
• Instagraminstagram.com/popskolan
• Xx.com/popskolan
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/svenska-popskolan-ab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Pop School