Black Phoenix Enterprises

What Black Phoenix Enterprises does

Black Phoenix Enterprises, LLC is a privately held, founder-owned direct-to-fan commerce and community platform operating under the #RENEGADES brand through its e-commerce storefront at mzrt.com. Founded in 2013 by Grammy-nominated producer, artist, and entrepreneur Ryan Leslie after his departure from a traditional record label, the company sells digital music releases (MZRT, Les Is More, You Know My Speed, Fleurier Flows EP, and I Gets Money single), physical branded merchandise (bomber jackets, hoodies, t-shirts, snapbacks, dad hats, socks, bandanas, and limited-edition autographed photobooks), and premium personalized services (studio visits, consulting, audio messages, birthday calls, and private jet experiences). The core commercial infrastructure is a Shopify-powered storefront, with customer acquisition driven by Ryan Leslie's SuperPhone technology — a direct text-message funnel where fans submit their number at textryan.com and receive personal responses, building an engaged community of more than 150,000 people since 2013.

The business model blends one-time purchases (digital albums at $6.99-$12.00, apparel from $20-$189.99, premium photobooks at $164.99), subscription membership via the Renegades Club (starting at $12/month for lifetime access to the Black Mozart album plus monthly content), and high-margin professional services (studio visits at $2,500, 15-minute consulting at $1,500, audio messages at $300). The company operates with a lean team of 1-10 employees, has no disclosed institutional funding or parent company, and has pursued only one major external partnership — a 2019 collaboration with Swiss luxury watchmaker Parmigiani Fleurier that produced the Fleurier Flows EP. Geographic reach is global with documented customer activity in the UK, Germany, and other international markets.

Strategically, the company is built as a bypass of traditional music and retail distribution, capturing full margin and first-party relationships by eliminating intermediaries. Its differentiation rests on the founder's personal brand, the depth of direct communication enabled by SuperPhone, and the curation of scarcity-driven collectibles (sold-out limited editions across multiple product lines). Risks include single-point-of-failure concentration on the founder, a sold-out inventory profile across many SKUs that may indicate either healthy demand or thinning operations, and the absence of disclosed growth investment or scaling signals beyond organic release cadence.

Name

Black Phoenix Enterprises

Legal name

Black Phoenix Enterprises, LLC

Website

https://mzrt.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Black Phoenix Enterprises is a privately held, founder-owned direct-to-fan commerce platform that sells Ryan Leslie's music, branded merchandise, premium personalized experiences, and a subscription fan club membership through its Shopify storefront at mzrt.com, serving a global community of 150,000+ fans.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Direct-to-Fan Music & Branded Merchandise

NAICS

All Other Miscellaneous Retailers (45999)

SIC

Retail-Record & Prerecorded Tape Stores (5735), Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600)

akta.pro primary industry

Recorded Music Retail & D2C Merch Bundles (MPAIAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Download Stores & Digital Music Retail (Transactional) (MPAIACAM)

Keywords

• Direct-to-fan music
• Branded merchandise retail
• Fan club membership
• Artist e-commerce
• Personalized music experiences

Headquarters

HQ city

New York, New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Digital Music Sales: Sale of digital albums, EPs, and singles through the e-commerce platform. Albums include MZRT, Les Is More, You Know My Speed, and Fleurier Flows EP.
2. Physical Merchandise: Sale of branded apparel and accessories including bomber jackets, snapbacks, hats, hoodies, t-shirts, socks, bandanas, and photobooks.
3. Club Membership: Renegades Club Membership provides exclusive access to the Black Mozart album and direct connection with Ryan Leslie's personal address book.
4. Review & Consulting Services: #Renegade Review service provides feedback on music and business strategy for aspiring creators. Limited to 10 submissions per month.
5. Premium Personalized Experiences: #Renegade by Request offers studio visits, personalized audio messages, birthday calls, and consulting sessions.
6. Private Jet Experiences: Fans can join Ryan Leslie on private jet flights by texting and expressing interest through the #flyprivate hashtag.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Black Phoenix Enterprises sells Ryan Leslie's music catalog (albums, EPs, singles) as digital downloads, along with branded physical merchandise including bomber jackets, hoodies, t-shirts, snapbacks, dad hats, socks, bandanas, and limited-edition photobooks. The company also operates the Renegades Club Membership (a subscription providing exclusive access to the Black Mozart album and personal contact with the artist) and offers paid personalized services such as #Renegade Review (music and business feedback) and #Renegade by Request (studio visits, consulting, custom audio messages, birthday calls), plus private jet experiences. All sales occur through the company's own Shopify-powered storefront at mzrt.com.

Product overview

Black Phoenix Enterprises operates mzrt.com (#RENEGADES), Ryan Leslie's direct-to-fan e-commerce platform. The portfolio consists of music releases (MZRT Album, Les Is More Album, You Know My Speed Album, Fleurier Flows EP, I Gets Money Single) available as digital downloads and physical merchandise, alongside fan engagement services including the Renegades Club Membership (providing exclusive Black Mozart album access) and consulting services (#Renegade Review, #Renegade by Request). The merchandise line includes branded apparel (bomber jackets, sweatshirts, t-shirts, hats, socks, bandanas) and premium photobooks. A distinctive private jet experience allows fans to join Ryan Leslie at 30,000 feet. The store leverages Shopify for e-commerce infrastructure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MZRT Album Digital music album (6th studio release) featuring collaborations with WondaGurl, !LLMind, No Genre, and members of the Black Phoenix Beat Club, sold for $12.00 as a digital download on mzrt.com.
• Les Is More Album Rap album featuring collaborations with Fabolous and Kanye West, follow-up to the Grammy-nominated album Transition, sold for $12.00 as a digital download.
• You Know My Speed Album Full-length album blending smooth melodies, razor-sharp lyricism, and forward-thinking production exploring themes of ambition, resilience, and chasing greatness, available as a digital download on mzrt.com.
• Fleurier Flows EP EP collaboration with Swiss watchmaker Parmigiani Fleurier featuring four original recordings ('Forever My Love', 'First Place', 'Thankful', 'Gorgeous'), sold for $6.99 in hi-quality 320kbps digital format.
• I Gets Money Single 2007 throwback single (with over 3.6MM YouTube views) sold for $1.99 as a digital download including single version, instrumental, and lyrics.
• Renegades Club Membership Subscription fan club membership starting at $12 monthly that provides exclusive access to the Black Mozart album plus one single per month, and adds the member to Ryan Leslie's personal address book for direct communication.
• #Renegade Review Paid feedback service where aspiring creators submit their work for review by Ryan Leslie's team on music and business strategy, priced at $99.99 and limited to 10 submissions per month.
• #Renegade by Request Custom personalized experiences including studio visits ($2,500), 15-minute consulting ($1,500), backing/TV track edits ($300), and personalized audio messages ($300); birthday Skype calls previously sold out.
• Ryan Leslie Private Jets Invitation-only private jet experience that allows fans to join Ryan Leslie at 30,000 feet for conversations and networking, accessed by texting and using the #flyprivate hashtag.
• Ground Zero Tour '19 Premium Photobook (Autographed) 174-page autographed hardcover photobook with over 100 unpublished images from the fall 2019 Ground Zero tour of Germany, limited edition of 100 numbered copies, priced at $164.99.
• #Renegades Crest Bomber Jacket Black MA-1 Pilot Jacket with embroidered #Renegades Crest, priced at $189.99; currently sold out.
• MZRT World Tour Bomber Jacket Black MA-1 Pilot Jacket with embroidered MZRT World Tour on rear, worn during the 2014 MZRT World Tour; currently sold out.
• MZRT x HFLA Tank Exclusive collaboration tank with Homme Femme LA, two-ply heavyweight poly construction with white appliqué '09', priced at $80.00; currently sold out.
• #RENEGADES Bandana Polyester and cotton bandana (21.5" x 22") sold for $20.00 (originally $25.00) including a retro 'LES IS MORE' silicone rubber bracelet.
• Ryan Leslie 'Mozart 13' Crew Neck Sweatshirt 100% Ring Spun and Pre-Shrunk Cotton crew neck sweatshirt worn during the 2013 Black Mozart Tour with 'R' crest on front chest pocket; currently sold out.
• Signature 'MZRT' Hooded Sweatshirt Exclusive 50% Cotton/50% Polyester hooded sweatshirt with white 'MZRT' script graphic print, made in USA, priced at $65.00 in sizes S-XXL.
• Signature 'MZRT' T-Shirt Exclusive 100% cotton T-shirt with white 'MZRT' script graphic print, 6.0 oz fabric weight, pre-shrunk, priced at $45.00 in sizes S-XXL.
• Ryan Leslie 'Signature R' Black on Black Snapback Black 'Signature R' embroidered on black 5-panel cotton twill snapback with green under-visor; 1-of-1 piece from MZRT Tour.
• Ryan Leslie 'Signature R' Snapback White 'Signature R' embroidered on black 5-panel premium wool blend snapback with green under-visor, priced at $40.00.
• Signature 'MZRT' Classic Dad Hat Classic dad hat with white signature 'MZRT' embroidery, 100% Chino Cotton Twill, adjustable buckle strap, priced at $40.00 in black, cranberry, and dark grey.
• Signature 'MZRT' Socks Crew length socks (60% Nylon, 22% Cotton, 18% Spandex) with cushioned bottom and ribbed leg, priced at $35.00 in sizes M, L, XL.

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Parmigiani FleuriercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Swiss luxury watchmaker collaboration with Ryan Leslie resulting in the Fleurier Flows EP. Inspired by Leslie's visit to Parmigiani Fleurier headquarters in Fleurier, Switzerland. The EP was a first-of-its-kind collaboration between a music artist and the watch brand, featuring music videos and exclusive content.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• UnitedMasters: Independent music distribution and artist services company that helps artists retain rights and access D2C monetization tools. Comparable in enabling independent artists to bypass labels and own the artist-to-fan relationship.
• Audius: Decentralized music streaming and artist monetization platform with token-based tipping and direct artist revenue. Adjacent peer in the alternative-to-mainstream-distribution music ecosystem targeting independent artists.
• Stem (music distribution): Music distribution platform offering transparent royalty splits, distribution to streaming, and artist services. Adjacent D2C infrastructure for independent artists releasing recorded music commercially.
• Bandsintown: Artist-to-fan platform for concerts and direct engagement, including messaging and ticketing. Comparable in helping independent artists build owned, direct relationships with superfans and convert engagement into commerce.

Broad incumbents

• Shopify: Commerce platform that powers mzrt.com and provides the underlying storefront, payments, and fulfillment infrastructure. Indirect peer as the broader incumbent enabling this D2C business model at scale.

Direct peers

• Bandcamp: D2C marketplace for independent artists to sell recorded music and merchandise directly to fans. Closest peer in product model — artists selling digital albums, physical merch, and fan experiences without a traditional label intermediary.
• Vinyl Me, Please: Subscription-based music discovery club that ships curated vinyl records monthly alongside exclusive content. Direct comparable in the 'artist/curator-driven D2C music + membership' model that bundles recorded music with member-only perks.
• Gumroad: Creator commerce platform used by independent creators to sell digital downloads, memberships, and physical goods directly to fans. Comparable infrastructure for an artist-led storefront selling albums, merch, and premium services.
• Moment (House Studios): Creator-led commerce brand (run by photographer Jesse Driftwood) selling premium physical goods and experiences to a curated community. Closely comparable model: founder-operated D2C storefront monetizing a passionate niche audience with merch and unique experiences.
• Patreon: Subscription platform that lets creators monetize superfans via recurring memberships and exclusive content. Comparable business model mechanic: recurring paid membership from dedicated fans in exchange for direct access and exclusive releases.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/blkphx

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Black Phoenix Enterprises