The Manhattan Transfer
The Manhattan Transfer is a four-member vocal harmony quartet founded in 1972 that performs four-part arrangements across jazz, pop, R&B, swing, a cappella, and symphonic genres for global audiences through touring, album releases, and merchandise.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1972
- HeadquartersNew York City, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Manhattan Transfer does
The Manhattan Transfer is a four-member vocal harmony quartet founded in 1972 by Tim Hauser, performing four-part arrangements across pop, jazz, R&B, swing, a cappella, and symphonic settings. The group's current lineup consists of Janis Siegel, Alan Paul, Cheryl Bentyne, and Trist Curless (the latter joining in 2014 after founder Tim Hauser's passing). The core product is the live vocal performance itself, augmented by a recorded catalog spanning multiple decades and genres, with European orchestral collaborations such as the 2022 FIFTY project with the WDR Funkhausorkester expanding the repertoire into symphonic territory.
The business model combines three revenue streams: recorded-music sales and licensing through labels (originally Atlantic Records, signed by Ahmet Ertegun in 1975; more recently Concord/Craft Recordings); live performance fees from worldwide touring across the US, Europe, and Asia; and ancillary merchandise sold through partners like Threadless. The group has won 10 Grammy Awards, was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999, and received the American Eagle Award, supporting a brand that has sold millions of records. Operations are run with a small team of approximately 9 employees, consistent with an independent touring/recording entity rather than a label-backed operation.
Customer reach is broad and consumer-facing: the group sells to general music audiences, jazz festival attendees, and special-event organizers globally. Recent strategic activity has emphasized anniversary milestones and peer collaborations (the Summit Tour with Take 6, the FIFTY album with WDR Funkhausorkester) to refresh audience engagement rather than to pursue aggressive commercial expansion.
The Manhattan Transfer firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Manhattan Transfer
- Legal name
- The Manhattan Transfer
- Website
- https://manhattantransfer.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1972
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Manhattan Transfer is a four-member vocal harmony quartet founded in 1972 that performs four-part arrangements across jazz, pop, R&B, swing, a cappella, and symphonic genres for global audiences through touring, album releases, and merchandise.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Manhattan Transfer industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Live Music and Recording Entertainment
- NAICS
- Musical Groups and Artists (711130), Sound Recording Industries (5122)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Hybrid Concerts & Live Shows (Venue + Remote Audience) (MPAGAOAE)
Keywords
Where The Manhattan Transfer is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
The Manhattan Transfer business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Album Sales and Recordings: Record sales through major labels (Atlantic Records, Concord/Craft Recordings) and digital music platforms.
- Live Performances and Touring: Worldwide concert tours, jazz festival appearances, and special event performances.
- Merchandise: Official merchandise including clothing, accessories, and music-related items sold through Threadless online store.
- Collaborations and Special Projects: Collaborations with other artists, symphony orchestras (WDR Funkhausorkester), and special anniversary projects.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
The Manhattan Transfer product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Manhattan Transfer is a four-part vocal harmony quartet that records and releases studio albums spanning pop, jazz, R&B, swing, symphonic, and a cappella styles, and performs live concerts and tours worldwide. Their catalog includes landmark recordings such as Vocalese (1985), Extensions (1979), and FIFTY (2022), and they sell official merchandise through their online store.
Product overview
The Manhattan Transfer is a legendary vocal harmony quartet that has performed together for over 50 years. The group's core offerings include studio album recordings and live concert performances. Their discography spans multiple albums including their self-titled debut (1975), Coming Out (1976), Pastiche (1978), Extensions (1979), Vocalese (1985), The Chick Corea Songbook (2009), The Symphony Sessions (2006), A Capella Christmas (2005), Vibrate (2004), Couldn't Be Hotter (2003), The Junction (2018), and FIFTY (2022). They also offer official merchandise through their Threadless store. The group is known for their versatility across pop, jazz, R&B, rock and roll, swing, symphonic, and a cappella music styles.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- FIFTY album (50th anniversary recording) Studio album featuring new songs and reimagined favorites arranged for vocal quartet and symphony orchestra, released to commemorate the group's 50th anniversary and distributed through Concord/Craft Recordings.
- The Junction album Studio album featuring the third incarnation of the group with new member Trist Curless, produced by five-time Grammy winner Mervyn Warren and showcasing eclectic vocal arrangements.
- Vocalese album Studio album of vocalese performances—vocalized versions of instrumental jazz classics—featuring collaborations with Dizzy Gillespie, Ron Carter, and the Count Basie Orchestra.
- Live Performances and Concert Tours Live vocal harmony concerts and worldwide tours featuring the group's catalog of pop, jazz, R&B, swing, symphonic, and a cappella music, performed for general audiences, jazz festival programmers, and special event organizers.
- Official Merchandise Store Direct-to-consumer merchandise including 50th anniversary items, apparel, and music-related accessories sold through the group's Threadless storefront.
Companies that use The Manhattan Transfer
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Manhattan Transfer technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
The Manhattan Transfer partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.
- WDR FunkhausorkestermajorThe WDR Funkhausorkester collaborated on the 2022 album 'FIFTY' celebrating the group's 50th anniversary with symphony orchestra arrangements.
- Concord / Craft RecordingsmajorConcord/Craft Recordings released the 2022 album 'FIFTY' celebrating the group's 50th anniversary, continuing the group's tradition of working with major record labels.
- International Jazz DaymajorPerformed at the 2018 International Jazz Day Global Concert at St. Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre alongside artists including Herbie Hancock, Branford Marsalis, and Cyrille Aimée.
- Mervyn WarrencoreFive-time Grammy winner Mervyn Warren produced the 2018 album 'The Junction', bringing sparkling vocal arrangements and production oversight that helped create one of their strongest musical statements.
- Take 6coreJoint 'The Summit Tour' across the United States from October 2016 through March 2017, featuring ten singers performing together. The collaboration combined two of the world's greatest vocal groups in a special touring show.
- Atlantic RecordsmajorOriginally signed to Atlantic Records by legendary label head Ahmet Ertegun in 1975. Their self-titled debut album was released on Atlantic.
- Ed Keane AssociatescoreUS and worldwide management representation based in Winthrop, MA. Contact: Ed Keane, 617-846-0067, [email protected]
- The Kurland AgencycoreUS, worldwide, and parts of Asia booking agency. Contact: Jack Randall, 617-254-0007
- Just Jazz InternationalcoreEurope and Asia booking representation. Contact: Catherine Mayer, Immendorfer Weg 5, 50968 Köln, Germany, +49 (221) 250 81 89
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Manhattan Transfer competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Rockapella: A cappella vocal group with a comparable business model of recordings, touring, and television exposure. They operate in a similar small-team, label-licensed framework within the vocal group industry.
- The King's Singers: Long-established British vocal ensemble with a similar decades-long catalog of recordings, classical and contemporary repertoire, and international touring. Comparable in longevity and prestige-arts positioning.
- M-pact: Los Angeles-based contemporary vocal group and former group of Trist Curless, the current bass vocalist of The Manhattan Transfer. Closely comparable in vocal style and a cappella contemporary jazz positioning.
- New York Voices: Jazz vocal harmony quartet operating in the same vocalese and jazz arrangement niche as The Manhattan Transfer. They share the same touring ecosystem of jazz festivals and vocal jazz audiences.
- Take 6: Grammy-winning a cappella vocal group that has been a direct collaborator with The Manhattan Transfer, including the joint 'The Summit Tour' (2016-2017). Both groups operate in the jazz/contemporary vocal harmony space with overlapping touring circuits and label relationships.
- Pentatonix: Contemporary a cappella vocal group with massive crossover success and a comparable business model of recordings, touring, and merchandise. They represent the modern mainstream counterpart that the Manhattan Transfer historically helped pioneer.
- Singers Unlimited: Jazz vocal group famous for vocalese arrangements produced by Gene Puerling, who also arranged for The Manhattan Transfer's 'Vocalese' album. Highly comparable in repertoire, arrangement style, and vocal jazz audience.
- Swingle Singers: Internationally touring vocal ensemble with a similar catalog of jazz, classical, and contemporary arrangements. Comparable in their emphasis on vocal craftsmanship and global tour routing.
Emerging players
- The Hi-Lo's: Influential 1950s-60s jazz vocal quartet whose vocal harmony and jazz-pop crossover style directly influenced The Manhattan Transfer's formation. They are a historical thematic peer in the vocal jazz lineage.
Broad incumbents
- The Four Tops: Legacy Motown vocal group that shares The Manhattan Transfer's era of prominence and reliance on a stable four-member configuration. They illustrate the same longevity and touring economics playbook for multi-decade vocal acts.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Manhattan Transfer social profiles
Digital presenceThe Manhattan Transfer financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Manhattan Transfer leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
The Manhattan Transfer funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Manhattan Transfer M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Manhattan Transfer
What does The Manhattan Transfer do?
The Manhattan Transfer is a four-part vocal harmony quartet that records and releases studio albums spanning pop, jazz, R&B, swing, symphonic, and a cappella styles, and performs live concerts and tours worldwide. Their catalog includes landmark recordings such as Vocalese (1985), Extensions (1979), and FIFTY (2022), and they sell official merchandise through their online store.
Is The Manhattan Transfer a public or private company?
The Manhattan Transfer is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was The Manhattan Transfer founded?
The Manhattan Transfer was founded in 1972. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Manhattan Transfer based?
The Manhattan Transfer is headquartered in New York City, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Manhattan Transfer make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Album Sales and Recordings are the primary driver. The others are live Performances and Touring, merchandise and collaborations and Special Projects.
Who are The Manhattan Transfer's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Rockapella, The King's Singers, M-pact, New York Voices, Take 6, Pentatonix, Singers Unlimited and Swingle Singers. The Hi-Lo's is listed as an emerging player. The Four Tops is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does The Manhattan Transfer have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Manhattan Transfer.
What industry is The Manhattan Transfer in?
The Manhattan Transfer's product category is Live Music and Recording Entertainment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGAOAE, Hybrid Concerts & Live Shows (Venue + Remote Audience). Its NAICS code is 711130.