Ladies Association of British Barbershop Singers

What Ladies Association of British Barbershop Singers does

The Ladies Association of British Barbershop Singers (LABBS) is a UK-registered charity and company limited by guarantee (Company No. 08380019; Charity No. 1151161), founded in 1976 to promote four-part unaccompanied barbershop harmony singing among women in the upper voice range. The organisation serves more than 2,250 members organised across approximately 60 choruses and 50+ quartets in England, Scotland, and Wales, with a parallel LABBS Youth Chorus for singers aged 7 to 29. LABBS is one of three barbershop organisations in the United Kingdom and, since March 2021, the first all-women international organisation allied with the US-based Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS) under the BHS Global Alliance.

The core offering is a membership and event platform — built on the third-party HarmonySite software — that supports chorus and quartet directory listings, event registration, contest management, member login, RSS-driven news distribution, and access to music arrangements and copyright guidance. Programmes include an annual national convention with quartet prelims and chorus competitions (most recently the 2025 champions Hot Mess, Ami Quartet, and Steel City Voices), a permanent Mixed Quartet contest hosted jointly with BABS and SAI Region 31, educational offerings such as Harmony College and the Foundation Course, judges seminars, the VoiceBox magazine, podcasts, and Diversity & Inclusion initiatives.

Revenue is generated through three documented streams: recurring membership subscriptions from choruses, quartets, and individual Club At Large members; transaction-based event registration for conventions, prelims, and educational events; and music licensing and resource access through the Making Music insurance scheme. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. Marketing is community-led — relying on word-of-mouth, open rehearsals, public performances, social channels (Facebook, YouTube), the VoiceBox magazine, and the annual convention — rather than paid acquisition. Operating governance rests with an 11-person Board of Directors chaired by Jill Cook, with functional ownership across finance, membership, events, education, communications, youth, and D&I.

Name

Ladies Association of British Barbershop Singers

Legal name

The Ladies Association of British Barbershop Singers

Website

https://labbs.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

LABBS is a UK-registered charity founded in 1976 that organises over 2,250 women barbershop singers across 60 choruses and quartets in England, Scotland, and Wales, delivering membership services, national competitions, education, and youth programmes through its HarmonySite platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Horsforth

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: Revenue generated from membership subscriptions across choruses and Club At Large (CAL) individual members. Members pay dues to access organisation benefits, resources, competitions, and educational events.
2. Event registration and tickets: Revenue from annual convention attendance, quartet prelims contests, Harmony College educational events, and judges seminars.
3. Music licensing and resources: Access to music arrangements, resources through Making Music insurance scheme for public performance licensing.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

LABBS is a UK-based voluntary, non-profit membership organization founded in 1976 that supports women in barbershop singing across England, Scotland, and Wales. It serves over 2,250 members through more than 60 choruses and quartets, delivering competitions, educational programs, member publications, and community-building services.

Product overview

The Ladies Association of British Barbershop Singers (LABBS) operates a membership management platform powered by HarmonySite that serves over 2,250 members across 65 choruses and 50+ quartets in the UK. The platform integrates event management, contest organization, quartet services, and an educational program hub. Key offerings include the Chorus Directory for prospective members, Quartet Services with online registration for competitions including mixed quartets, Convention Services managing the annual October event with prelims and finals, and Education Programs including Harmony College and judges training. Additional services include music resource guidance and quartet booking for external events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LABBS Youth Chorus: Youth chorus for singers aged 7 to 29, bringing young singers together from across the organisation.

Products and services

• LABBS Membership
• Harmony College
• Foundation Course
• LABBS Annual Convention
• Quartet Prelims
• LABBS Youth Chorus
• Judge Training Seminars
• Quartet Booking Service

Quantifiable outcome

• Research consistently shows that group singing boosts mental health, confidence, and social bonds
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2021On March 1st 2021, LABBS became the first all-women international organisation to enter an alliance agreement with the US-based Barbershop Harmony Society. The historic alignment provides greater access to educational resources for all, judge training, and access to the Society's International Contest stage for LABBS quartets and choruses. LABBS maintains its own independence while benefiting from BHS infrastructure and international presence.
• Barbershop in Harmony (BinH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBarbershop in Harmony was created to encourage and promote barbershop singing, with representation from all barbershop organisations in the UK including LABBS, SAI Region 31 and BABS. This body coordinates UK-wide barbershop initiatives and representation.
• Making MusiccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLABBS is an active member of the UK-based Making Music organisation, which provides all members with ready access to education, guidance, and event/individual insurance. Making Music has been a source of knowledge and advice especially during challenging periods like the Covid-19 pandemic.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• National Youth Choirs of Great Britain: A UK nonprofit running national youth choirs for singers aged 9-25. Comparable to LABBS Youth Chorus in mission and demographic focus on young singers, though operating in classical/choral rather than barbershop repertoire.

Others

• Making Music (UK): The UK national membership body for amateur music groups of which LABBS is an active member. Comparable as a nonprofit membership umbrella providing insurance, public performance licensing, and advocacy services to LABBS choruses.
• European Choral Association - Europa Cantat: A pan-European choral umbrella network. Comparable as a federation of singing organizations offering festivals, training, and youth programs relevant to LABBS's educational and youth development activities.
• Barbershop in Harmony (BinH): A UK-wide coordinating body created to represent all three UK barbershop organizations (LABBS, SAI Region 31, and BABS). Functions as an industry-level association rather than a competing membership organization.

Broad incumbents

• Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS): The largest US-based barbershop organization globally, and LABBS's strategic alliance partner since 2021. While not a UK competitor, it provides the educational resources, judge training, and international contest stage that LABBS uses, and is the benchmark for scale in the global barbershop category.

Direct peers

• Sweet Adelines International (Region 31): The international women's barbershop organization whose Region 31 covers the UK. Competes directly with LABBS for the same female barbershop singers in England, Scotland, and Wales and co-hosts the mixed quartet contest.
• British Association of Barbershop Singers (BABS): The UK counterpart men's barbershop organization. BABS is one of the three UK barbershop bodies alongside LABBS and SAI Region 31, sharing conventions, contest coordination (including the mixed quartet contest), and the Barbershop in Harmony umbrella, making it the most directly comparable peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SingLABBS

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Ladies Association of British Barbershop Singers