ghostnote

What ghostnote does

Ghostnote, operated by Snowghost Inc. and founded in 2020 by Brett Allen, is a direct-to-consumer online marketplace and mobile application that enables independent musicians and artists to list and sell one-of-one physical collectibles — such as test pressings, self-pressed vinyl, cassette recordings, signed memorabilia, and master recordings — directly to fans. The company is headquartered in Whitefish, Montana, and operates with a seven-person team spanning President (Brett Allen), Artist Relations (Sean Moeller, founder of Daytrotter), Music Industry Relations (Jared Tankel, co-founder of The Budos Band and music attorney), Product (Kim Weller), Marketing (Jake Kelton), Charitable Giving (Linda Grady), and Strategy (Benedict O'Mahoney). The platform serves two primary segments: independent musicians/artists who want to monetize and document unique creative artifacts, and music collectors/fans who want authenticated, story-rich items with traceable provenance.

The core technology is a blockchain-based authentication system in which each physical collectible ("GN" or Ghostnote) is paired with a Digital Twin NFT recording provenance and transaction history on-chain, and each user account is associated with an NFT identity that tracks GN ownership. The platform also uses large language models to auto-generate summaries of artist-provided transcripts and content, supporting the marketplace's narrative-heavy listings. Sales are processed through Stripe under a connected account agreement, with Stripe also handling identity verification and KYC. Supply is generated through relationships with recording studios and pressing facilities including Vinyl Ceremony, Electrical Audio (Steve Albini's studio), Scenic Burrows, and Horse Barn, where artists produce the items listed on the platform.

Ghostnote monetizes via transaction-based take rates: artists (Originators) receive 80% of the initial sale price (net of third-party costs such as transaction fees, marketing, promotion, authentication, and clearance expenses) and 10% of subsequent resale prices. Geographic scope is currently restricted to the United States. Distribution is digital-first via the Ghostnote website and iOS/Android mobile applications, with growth driven primarily through artist network recruitment and content marketing rather than paid acquisition.

Name

ghostnote

Legal name

Snowghost Inc.

Website

https://ghostnote.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ghostnote, operated by Snowghost Inc., is a US-only direct-to-consumer marketplace where independent musicians list one-of-one physical collectibles (test pressings, vinyl, cassettes, memorabilia) for sale to fans, using blockchain-based Digital Twin NFTs for provenance authentication and earning artists royalties on resales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Collectibles Marketplace

NAICS

Art Dealers (45992)

SIC

Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200)

akta.pro primary industry

NFT Authentication, Provenance & Anti-Fraud (verification, provenance graphs, wash-trade detection) (FSAPAFAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Art & 1/1 Digital Art NFT Marketplaces (FSADANAB)

Keywords

• Music collectibles marketplace
• Artist memorabilia platform
• NFT authentication service
• Physical music collectibles
• Artist royalty resale

Headquarters

HQ city

Whitefish

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Marketplace Transaction Fees (Artist Revenue Share): Ghostnote generates revenue through taking a commission on sales. For initial sales, Originators receive 80% of the sale price (less third-party costs like transaction fees, marketing, promotion, authentication costs, and clearance expenses). For subsequent resales, Originators receive 10% of the sale price.
2. Payment Processing: Payment processing services are provided by Stripe. Ghostnote enables payment processing through Stripe's connected account agreement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Ghostnote is a direct-to-consumer online marketplace where independent musicians and artists list and sell one-of-one physical collectibles—such as self-pressed vinyl records, cassette singles, test pressings, signed memorabilia, and artwork—directly to fans. Each item is paired with a blockchain-based NFT Digital Twin that documents authenticity, provenance, and transaction history, while artists earn 80% of the initial sale price and 10% royalties on all subsequent resales.

Product overview

Ghostnote is a platform operated by Snowghost Inc. that provides artists with tools to document, market and sell unique physical collectibles to fans. The core Ghostnote Platform serves as the marketplace, while the Ghostnote Cassingle Series represents a product category of unique cassette recordings. Additionally, GNs (Ghost Notes) are the customized physical collectibles that artists create and sell on the platform. Artists benefit by receiving royalties on all sales and resales, while fans enjoy items whose provenance has been authenticated with blockchain-based digital twins.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ghostnote Platform Online marketplace platform where independent musicians and artists document, market, and sell one-of-one physical collectibles directly to fans, with blockchain-backed NFT Digital Twin authentication and ongoing artist royalties on resales.
• Ghostnote Cassingle Series A series of one-of-a-kind cassette tape recordings sold by artists on the Ghostnote platform, typically featuring single tracks or limited recordings with unique stories tied to the recording process.
• GNs (Ghostnotes / Customized Physical Collectibles) Customized physical collectibles created by artists on the Platform, which may incorporate creative works such as master recordings, musical compositions, artwork, videos, NIL Materials, and/or other content featuring an Originator's performances.

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationStripe provides payment processing services for Ghostnote, including the Stripe Connected Account Agreement. They also handle identity document verification for users.
• Vinyl CeremonycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVinyl pressing facility used by artists like Reggie Watts and The Budos Band to produce limited vinyl runs. Artists self-press records at the facility and list the resulting items on Ghostnote.
• Electrical AudiominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSteve Albini's recording studio in Chicago where artist Shannon Lay recorded a session reel that is listed on Ghostnote.
• Scenic BurrowsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecording studio in Vancouver, WA used by multiple Ghostnote artists including Dean Johnson, Samwise Carlson/Tispur, and Elaina Tardif for recording cassette singles.
• Horse Barn (Joey's Horse Barn)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecording studio used by artists including Andrea Maddox, Gabriel Dresdale, Nic Panken, and Jared Samuel for Ghostnote Cassingle series recordings.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Discogs: Discogs is the largest global marketplace for physical music collectibles (vinyl, cassettes, CDs) with a strong collector community. It is directly comparable to Ghostnote because both serve music memorabilia buyers and sellers, but Discogs operates at much larger scale without Ghostnote's blockchain authentication or artist-royalty structure.
• Bandcamp: Bandcamp is a direct-to-fan music marketplace where independent artists sell physical and digital music, merchandise, and special editions. It overlaps with Ghostnote on the artist-to-collector D2C music commerce model and the emphasis on artist-friendly economics, though Bandcamp focuses on recordings rather than memorabilia.
• Goldin Auctions: Goldin is a leading auction house for trading cards and high-end memorabilia with authentication services. It is comparable to Ghostnote as a destination for authenticated, high-value collectibles, though it focuses on sports cards and uses traditional third-party grading rather than blockchain Digital Twins.

Emerging players

• Royal: Royal is a music-NFT platform that lets fans buy royalty-bearing digital collectibles from artists. It is comparable to Ghostnote's music-collectible + ongoing-royalty thesis, but is digital-only and uses tokenized royalties rather than physical items with Digital Twins.
• Zora: Zora is a crypto-native marketplace protocol for creators (including musicians and artists) to mint and sell NFTs with on-chain provenance. It overlaps with Ghostnote's blockchain-provenance angle and artist-royalty approach, but is a general creator protocol rather than a music-collectibles vertical.
• Foundation: Foundation is a curated NFT marketplace for 1/1 digital art and music drops. It shares Ghostnote's emphasis on one-of-one creator collectibles and on-chain provenance, but operates in the digital-only NFT space rather than authenticated physical memorabilia.
• Audius: Audius is a decentralized music streaming platform that has integrated artist NFTs and token-gated collectibles. It overlaps with Ghostnote on the music + Web3 + artist-monetization thesis, but is primarily a streaming platform rather than a collectibles marketplace.

Broad incumbents

• StockX: StockX is a leading authenticated collectibles marketplace (sneakers, trading cards, apparel) using a bid/ask model. It is comparable to Ghostnote as an authentication-led resale platform for collectible goods, but operates at much larger scale and in non-music categories.
• OpenSea: OpenSea is the largest general NFT marketplace, including music and 1/1 collectible NFTs. It shares Ghostnote's use of blockchain provenance and one-of-one listings, but is a broad digital-only NFT platform versus Ghostnote's physical-plus-digital-twin approach.
• Sotheby's (Collectibles): Sotheby's is a global auction house that sells authenticated memorabilia, music artifacts, and collectibles. It is comparable to Ghostnote as a destination for authenticated high-value memorabilia, but operates at the opposite end of the price spectrum with traditional rather than blockchain-based authentication.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ghostnotable

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 ghostnote