The Backline Company

What The Backline Company does

The Backline Company (TBC) is a privately held music gear rental and live-event support company headquartered in Clarkston, Georgia, operating four branch offices across the Southeast United States in Atlanta, Charlotte, New Orleans, and Asheville. The company was formed in Fall 2022 through the consolidation of five legacy regional backline operators—Carolina Backline Company (est. 2003, Charlotte), Asheville Backline (est. 2004), True South Artist Services (est. 2011, New Orleans), and Atlanta Backline Company (est. 2014)—bringing 75+ years of combined industry experience into a unified platform. TBC rents professional-grade musical instruments and equipment spanning guitars and fretted instruments, DJ equipment, drums and percussion, amplifiers, keyboards, and electronics, and complements rentals with stage managers, backline technicians, and touring professionals. Four product lines comprise the core offering: Backline Rental (per-event instrument/equipment rental), Professional Techs (event staffing), Long Term Rentals (touring, venue outfitting, and residencies), and Storage (equipment warehousing between events).

The revenue model is usage-based and quote-driven: clients submit a gear list or artist rider with dates and locations, and the company responds with a custom quote that reflects rental duration, equipment complexity, technician staffing, and delivery/cartage logistics; multi-day discounts and rush surcharges for orders inside 24 hours of load-in are standard. Acquisition is enterprise-field-sales-led, with marketing conducted through the company website, social media accounts, direct phone/email engagement, and—most importantly—professional network referrals and industry reputation, particularly among tour production managers, festival promoters, and venue operators. The customer base is concentrated in live entertainment: major music festivals (Essence, Voodoo, Buku, Hangout, French Quarter Festival, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage), touring artists (Trombone Shorty's Voodoo Threauxdown), sports and televised events (Super Bowl LIII, NBA All-Star, NASCAR, Kentucky Derby), major venues (Mercedes Benz Stadium, New Orleans Saints & Pelicans), and TV/film productions (HBO's Treme, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass TV). The company employs 51–100 staff under founder/partner ownership with no disclosed institutional investor or parent company, and maintains global delivery and pickup capability extending beyond its core Southeast US footprint.

Name

The Backline Company

Legal name

The Backline Company

Website

https://thebacklinecompany.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Backline Company is a Southeast US-based music gear rental and live-event support firm serving touring artists, festivals, sports events, TV/film productions, and venues with instruments, equipment, professional technicians, and storage across four regional branches.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Event Production Services

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Equipment Rental & Leasing (7350)

akta.pro primary industry

Instrument Rental & Backline Services (MPAIAJAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Backline & Musical Instrument Rental (MPAGAKAJ), Touring Logistics & Crew Services (Backline, Transport, Staffing) (MPAIAFAG), Touring & Event Logistics (Trucking, Freight, Backline, Crew) (MPAGAAAH)

Keywords

• Live event backline rental
• Music instrument rental
• Touring production support
• Concert equipment rental
• Live event production services

Headquarters

HQ city

Clarkston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Backline Rental: Rental of musical instruments including guitars, fretted instruments, DJ equipment, drums, percussion, amps, keyboards, and electronics to events and productions. Pricing based on rental duration with discounts available for multi-day rentals.
2. Professional Technician Services: Provision of stage managers, backline techs, and touring professionals for event support, setup, strike, and maintenance services.
3. Long-term Rentals: Extended rental arrangements for touring, venue outfitting, and artist residencies with custom pricing based on schedule and gear needs.
4. Storage Services: Storage accommodation for backline equipment, sets, risers, audio, automation, carts, hampers, lighting, and other equipment during breaks between events or projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Backline Company is a music gear rental house that rents professional-grade musical instruments, DJ equipment, drums, percussion, amplifiers, keyboards and electronics to touring artists, festivals, venues, recording sessions, religious concerts, and TV/film productions across the US Southeast and globally. The company complements its equipment rentals with professional technician staffing (stage managers, backline techs, touring professionals), long-term rental packages for tours and artist residencies, and secure storage services for instruments and production gear between events.

Product overview

The Backline Company operates as a unified entity formed in Fall 2022 by combining five backline companies, offering a portfolio of interconnected equipment rental and event support services. The core offering consists of Backline Rental (comprehensive instrument and equipment inventory), Professional Techs (skilled staffing for events), Long Term Rentals (touring and venue packages), and Storage services. The company also maintains four acquired regional brands—True South Artist Services (New Orleans, est. 2011), Carolina Backline Company (Charlotte, est. 2003), Atlanta Backline Company (Atlanta, est. 2014), and Asheville Backline (Asheville, est. 2004)—each contributing specialized inventory, expertise, and client relationships to the unified TBC platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Backline Rental Rental of professional-grade musical instruments and equipment from major manufacturers for live events, tours, festivals, recording sessions and TV/film productions. Covers guitars and fretted instruments, DJ equipment, drums, percussion, amplifiers, keyboards and electronics. Available across the entire US Southeast and surrounding areas with global delivery capability.
• Professional Techs Staffing service supplying a network of professional technicians — stage managers, backline techs and touring professionals — across multiple cities to handle setup, strike and all-day maintenance for live events and tours.
• Long Term Rentals Extended-duration rental arrangements for touring needs and venue outfitting, including venue packages at various levels for artist residencies or ongoing performances. Custom-priced based on schedule and gear needs.
• Storage Secure storage accommodation for backline equipment, sets, risers, audio, automation, carts, hampers, lighting and other production gear during breaks between events or between recording sessions.

Named customers15 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles7 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.

• Preferred Audio ProvidersminorOthersThe company does not rent audio equipment but maintains relationships with preferred audio providers to connect clients with comprehensive production solutions. These are referenced partners who can assist with audio production needs beyond backline services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Soundcheck: Soundcheck is a backline and production rental company providing musical instruments, equipment, and tech services for touring and live events — directly comparable in core offering to The Backline Company.
• Atomic Productions: Atlanta-based event production and backline rental company serving concerts, festivals, and corporate events; competes head-to-head with TBC's Atlanta branch in the same regional market.
• ProBackline: Backline rental company providing musical instruments, amps, drums, and tech services to touring artists and productions — a direct niche competitor to The Backline Company in instrument rental and event support.

Broad incumbents

• Solotech: Major North American provider of audio, video, lighting, and backline rental for live entertainment; competes for the same premium touring and festival customers as TBC, with a much wider service portfolio.
• Clair Brothers: Large-scale live event production company offering audio, lighting, and backline services for major tours and festivals; broader portfolio than TBC but overlapping in the premium touring/festival customer segment.
• PRG (Production Resource Group): Global provider of entertainment and event production solutions including equipment rental for concerts, sports, and broadcasts; competes with TBC for high-profile event contracts as a full-service alternative.
• Guitar Center: Largest U.S. musical instrument retailer with an instrument rental program; competes at the entry-level and school-band segment of the rental market, and is a potential upstream supplier/customer relationship for TBC.
• ShowPro: Event production and rental company providing staging, audio, and backline services for concerts, festivals, and corporate events; broader scope than TBC but overlapping in the event-rental customer segment.
• SES (Special Event Services): Event production and rental company serving concerts, corporate events, and festivals across the U.S. Southeast; broader production scope than TBC but overlapping customer base and service line.

Others

• Rock-it Cargo: Specialist freight forwarding company for the entertainment and touring industry; not a direct competitor but a closely adjacent service provider that many of TBC's touring clients also rely on for logistics.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/thebacklinecompanyusa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/backlinecare

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries4 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 The Backline Company