Pelagic Records

What Pelagic Records does

Pelagic Records is an independent record label founded in 2009 and headquartered in Berlin, Germany, specializing in post-metal, post-rock, and experimental music. The label is owned and operated by Robin Staps and runs with a lean team of approximately five employees. Its roster spans more than 80 artists, including established acts such as MONO, The Ocean, Cult of Luna, God Is an Astronaut, and Amenra. The business operates without external funding as a bootstrapped private company.

The label's commercial model is multi-stream and centered on a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform at pelagic-records.com. Revenue is generated across (i) physical and digital music releases (vinyl, CD, downloads, boxsets), (ii) branded merchandise (clothing, accessories, posters, patches, novelty items including hot sauce and slipmats), (iii) recurring subscription services for vinyl, CD, and digital formats with subscriber-exclusive editions, (iv) Pelagic Coffee, a branded coffee line themed around roster artists, (v) the annual Pelagic Fest festival at Muziekgieterij in Maastricht, and (vi) wholesale distribution of third-party indie labels including Dunk! Records, Temporary Residence, and Golden Antenna.

Distribution is hybrid: direct sales from the Berlin/EU webshop are complemented by channel partners IndieMerch and A1KA in the US and Wild Thing Music in Australia/New Zealand. Marketing is community-led via Instagram, newsletter, Bandcamp, and the Pelagic Fest event itself. The technology footprint is conventional e-commerce with no disclosed APIs, SDKs, or AI/ML capabilities, and the company's strategic differentiation rests on catalog curation, niche-genre authority, and a sticky fan-artist ecosystem rather than technology.

Name

Pelagic Records

Legal name

Pelagic Records

Website

https://pelagic-records.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Pelagic Records is a Berlin-based independent record label specializing in post-metal, post-rock, and experimental music. Owner-operated by Robin Staps, it releases music from 80+ artists across vinyl, CD, and digital formats, alongside subscription services, merchandise, Pelagic Coffee, and the annual Pelagic Fest festival.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Record Label

NAICS

Record Production and Distribution (51225)

SIC

Retail-Record & Prerecorded Tape Stores (5735)

akta.pro primary industry

Record Labels (Major & Independent) (MPAIAAAA)

Keywords

• Independent record label
• Vinyl music releases
• Music merchandise
• Album subscriptions
• Post-rock distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Record Sales: Revenue from releasing music from signed and distributed artists. Includes vinyl records, CDs, digital downloads, and boxsets across multiple genres including post-metal, post-rock, and experimental music.
2. Merchandise Sales: Sales of band merchandise including t-shirts, hoodies, accessories, posters, patches, and branded items.
3. Subscription Services: Monthly/recurring subscription services for vinyl records, CDs, and digital downloads. Subscriber-exclusive releases and bundled offerings.
4. Pelagic Coffee: Coffee brand extension selling roasted beans, mugs, and bundles featuring artist collaborations.
5. Ticket Sales: Festival and event tickets including Pelagic Fest annual event.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Pelagic Records is an independent record label based in Berlin, Germany, that releases and distributes post-metal, post-rock, and experimental music on vinyl, CD, and digital formats. The label operates monthly subscription services for vinyl, CD, and digital releases, sells branded merchandise (clothing and accessories) and a specialty Pelagic Coffee line, distributes titles from other independent labels through cross-distribution partnerships, and hosts the annual Pelagic Fest festival in Maastricht.

Product overview

Pelagic Records is an independent post-metal and post-rock record label based in Berlin, Germany, operating a multi-channel e-commerce platform. The core offering consists of physical and digital music releases (vinyl records, CDs, downloads, boxsets) from a roster of approximately 80+ artists. The company operates subscription services for vinyl, CD, and digital formats, sells branded merchandise (clothing and accessories), and offers a specialty Pelagic Coffee line featuring artist-themed coffee products. Additional revenue streams include distribution of other independent labels, merchandise bundles, and the annual Pelagic Fest event. The platform is a single unified e-commerce website with no separate modular products—subscriptions, merchandise, and music sales are integrated into one storefront.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pelagic Coffee: Coffee products branded under Pelagic Records, featuring roasted coffee beans and mugs themed around the label's artists and releases
• Pelagic Fest

Products and services

• Music Releases (Vinyl, CD, Downloads, Boxsets, DVDs) Physical and digital music releases including vinyl records, CDs, digital downloads, boxsets, and DVDs from Pelagic Records' signed artists across post-metal, post-rock, and experimental genres, sold to fans and collectors.
• Vinyl Subscription Monthly subscription service delivering vinyl records to subscribers, with exclusive subscriber editions and limited color variants for collectors.
• CD Subscription Monthly subscription service delivering CD releases from Pelagic Records artists to subscribers.
• Download Subscription Digital subscription providing access to downloadable music releases from the Pelagic Records catalog on a recurring monthly basis.
• Merchandise (Clothing and Accessories) Branded merchandise including t-shirts (male and female cuts, €10-25), long sleeves, hoodies, jackets, bags, patches, pins, posters, stickers, slipmats, and hot sauce, sold to fans of Pelagic Records artists.
• Pelagic Coffee Coffee brand extension selling roasted coffee beans and mugs themed around Pelagic Records artists, featuring coffee named after albums from bands such as God Is An Astronaut, MONO, The Ocean, and Envy.
• Other Labels Distribution Distribution of vinyl and CDs from other independent labels including Dunk! Records, Temporary Residence, and Golden Antenna, offered through Pelagic Records' webshop under a permanent cross-distribution trade agreement.
• Festival Tickets (Pelagic Fest) Tickets for the annual Pelagic Fest festival held at Muziekgieterij in Maastricht, Netherlands, featuring Pelagic Records artists and the broader post-metal and post-rock community, including limited hard tickets and standard festival passes.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dunk! RecordscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPermanent trade agreement for cross-distribution of titles between Pelagic Records and Dunk! Records. Regular shipments between labels. Includes titles like Kokomo 'Whip' LP and Immanu El 'Woven Light' LP.
• IndieMerchcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUS-based distribution partner operating pelagicrecords.indiemerch.com storefront for US market distribution.
• A1KAminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUS regional distribution partner via athousandarmsstore.com.
• Wild Thing MusiccoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAustralian distribution partner at wildthingmusic.com for Australia/New Zealand market.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Dunk! Records: Belgian independent label focused on post-rock, post-metal, and instrumental music. Most direct comparable — also operates a permanent cross-distribution partnership with Pelagic, sharing catalog distribution across physical formats in similar genres.
• Profound Lore Records: Canadian independent label focused on doom, progressive, post-metal, and experimental music. Comparable size and genre overlap, with similar vinyl-first release strategy and curated roster approach.
• Sargent House: US-based independent label representing post-metal, progressive, and experimental artists (Russian Circles, Mamiffer, Helms Alee). Directly comparable in genre focus and curated roster strategy with a similar size and operating model.
• Southern Lord Recordings: US independent label (founded by Greg Anderson of Sunn O))) specializing in doom, drone, and post-metal. Comparable in genre overlap, vinyl-heavy physical catalog, and curated underground roster approach.
• Temporary Residence Limited: US-based independent label focused on post-rock and experimental music (Explosions in the Sky, Mono US releases). Cross-distribution partner of Pelagic with directly comparable post-rock catalog and physical-format release strategy.
• Consouling Sounds: Belgian independent label specializing in post-metal, doom, and experimental rock. Operates with a similarly small team and curated roster, distributing vinyl and CDs across Europe — closely comparable in scale, genre focus, and D2C e-commerce model.
• Robotic Empire: US independent label focused on post-metal, hardcore, and experimental rock. Comparable in genre overlap, vinyl-first approach, and small-team independent operations in the underground heavy music scene.

Broad incumbents

• Earache Records: UK-based established independent metal label with broader extreme-music portfolio (Napalm Death, Bolt Thrower). Overlaps in genre (extreme metal roster) but operates at significantly larger scale with broader genre scope than Pelagic's niche focus.
• Century Media Records: Major independent metal label (Sony Music subsidiary) with broad metal/rock roster globally. Significant overlap in metal roster distribution but operates at much larger scale and broader genre scope than Pelagic.
• Relapse Records: US-based established independent label for extreme metal, doom, and experimental music (Deafheaven, Baroness, Obituary). Overlaps in post-metal/extreme roster but operates with much broader catalog and larger scale than Pelagic.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pelagicrecords
• YouTubeyoutube.com/pelagicrecords
• Facebookfacebook.com/pelagicrecords
• Instagraminstagram.com/pelagic_records
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pelagic-records

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 Pelagic Records