sound

What sound does

sound is a non-profit new music incubator based in North East Scotland, founded in 2004 and registered as a Scottish charity (SC037310) and company limited by guarantee (394992). Its core activity is the annual soundfestival — a week-long programme of concerts, workshops, installations, and talks held across Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire, with the 2026 edition scheduled for 22-31 October — alongside year-round programming that includes community ensembles, young-composer development (Go Compose!, Composer Spotlight), and international collaborations through the Northern Connection (Scotland/Finland/Norway) and Legato (France) projects.

The organization has commissioned 225 new works over two decades and presented 28 world premieres at its 2025 festival. Its product portfolio extends beyond the festival to micro-commissioning (soundbytes), community music-making (Get Creative Orchestra, CoMA Festival), education initiatives (Delia Derbyshire Workshops, Go Compose! for ages 8-18), and themed series such as the Endangered Instruments and Aberdeen Harp projects. There is no proprietary technology platform; the organization relies on PayPal for donations, MailChimp for newsletters, Google Analytics for web metrics, and standard social/audio platforms (Vimeo, YouTube, SoundCloud, Spotify, BlueSky) for content distribution.

Revenue is generated primarily through institutional grants from Creative Scotland, Aberdeen City Council, and the PRS Foundation (supported by PPL), supplemented by individual donations via soundbytes, ticket sales, and patronage support from Dame Evelyn Glennie DBE, Sir James MacMillan CBE, and Rohan de Saram. The organization is led by founder Pete Stollery (Festival Chair and Artistic Director of Any Enemy) and operates with 14 employees.

Name

sound

Legal name

Sound Festival

Website

https://sound-scotland.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

sound is a North East Scotland-based non-profit new music incubator founded in 2004, producing the annual soundfestival and year-round commissioning, education, and community programmes for contemporary classical, electro-acoustic, experimental, and jazz music audiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Banchory

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Festival Attendance and Events: Revenue generated through ticket sales and attendance at festival events, workshops, and concerts held across various venues in Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire.
2. Donations and soundbytes: sound accepts donations through PayPal for soundbytes contributions. Donations are processed via PayPal for credit/debit card transactions.
3. Funding and Grants: Primary funding received from Creative Scotland and Aberdeen City Council, with additional support from PRS Foundation as a Talent Development Partner supported by PPL.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

sound is a new music incubator based in North East Scotland that commissions, develops, and presents contemporary classical, electro-acoustic, improvised, experimental, and jazz music. Its core offering is the annual soundfestival held each October, complemented by year-round programmes supporting composers (soundbytes micro-commissioning, Composer Spotlight Q&A), young people (Go Compose!, Get Creative Orchestra, Delia Derbyshire Workshops), and community participation (CoMA Festival, Endangered Instruments Series, Aberdeen Harp Project).

Product overview

sound is a new music incubator and festival organization based in North East Scotland. Its primary offering is the annual soundfestival (22-31 October), a week-long celebration of contemporary and new music featuring concerts, workshops, installations, and talks. The organization operates year-round through multiple programs including the soundbytes micro-commissioning initiative for composers, the Get Creative Orchestra community music project, Go Compose! for young people, the Aberdeen Harp Project, and the Composer Spotlight Q&A feature. Additional programs include soundcast audio series, Delia Derbyshire workshops, the Endangered Instruments Series, and CoMA Festival participation. The portfolio emphasizes supporting emerging composers, community participation, and promoting new music discovery across Aberdeen City and Shire.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• soundbytes: A commissioning initiative that allows individuals to invest in new music compositions
• Any Enemy
• Get Creative Orchestra
• Surroundsound
• In Cahoots

Products and services

• soundfestival The main annual new music festival held in Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire, showcasing contemporary classical, electro-acoustic, improvised, experimental and jazz music across concerts, workshops, installations and talks.
• soundbytes A micro-commissioning initiative that allows individuals to invest in new music compositions, enabling emerging composers to create new works.
• Get Creative Orchestra A community orchestra project welcoming musicians of all backgrounds, ages and abilities to participate in collective music-making.
• Go Compose! Composition program for young people aged 8-18, providing opportunities to learn about and create new music.
• Aberdeen Harp Project Project featuring new works composed for clarsach/lever harp, showcasing compositions by Sally Beamish, Ruth Wall, Şirin Pancaroğlu, Pete Stollery, and other composers.
• CoMA Festival Festival of Contemporary Music for All, providing opportunities for community participation in contemporary music performance.
• Endangered Instruments Series Concert series focusing on instruments considered at risk in contemporary music, including French Horn, Oboe, Viola, and Bassoon, featuring exhibitions and performances.
• Delia Derbyshire Workshops Workshops giving young people the chance to explore electronic sound and follow in the footsteps of the pioneering Radiophonic Workshop.

Quantifiable outcome

• 225 new works commissioned over 20 years
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• Red Note EnsemblecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScotland's contemporary music ensemble serving as Associate Ensemble for soundfestival. Red Note performs established classics of contemporary music, commissions new works, and develops emerging composers. They undertake joint programming and performances at the festival annually.
• Any EnemycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorth East New Music Ensemble founded by sound's artistic director Pete Stollery. Any Enemy is a flexible chamber ensemble that performs contemporary music and was inspired by soundfestival activities.
• New Music ScotlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization promoting new music in Scotland, listed as a partner in sound's network.
• CoMA (Contemporary Music for All)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoMA Festival day partnerships for community music-making events.
• Northern ConnectionflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational collaboration project bringing together composers, ensembles, and organizations from Scotland, Finland, and Norway through the Northern Connection initiative, featuring joint concerts and commissioned works.
• Legato ProjectflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean partnership project with French musicians, expanding international collaborations and artistic dialogues through the Legato initiative.
• defunensemble (Finland)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinnish contemporary music ensemble participating in Northern Connection project.
• Ensemble Temporum (Norway)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorwegian contemporary music ensemble participating in Northern Connection project.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• MaerzMusik – Festival for Time Issues: Berlin-based contemporary music and performance festival within Berliner Festspiele. Comparable in repertoire focus (experimental, contemporary classical) but operates at significantly larger scale as part of a broader institutional portfolio.
• Sound and Music: UK's national charity for new music, supporting composers and audiences across the country. Sound is a Fair Access Principles supporter. Operates as a sector-wide umbrella, broader in scope but thematically aligned.
• Wien Modern: Vienna's annual festival of contemporary music presenting international composers and ensembles. Highly comparable genre and commissioning model, though based in a major European capital with greater resources.

Regional players

• Borealis Festival: Norwegian experimental music festival in Bergen presenting adventurous contemporary and experimental works. Comparable as a regional festival championing experimental music, though operating in a different national market.
• SPOR Festival: Danish contemporary music festival in Aarhus presenting new and experimental works. Comparable presenting model for international new music, though based in a different Nordic geography.
• Ultima Festival: Oslo-based contemporary music festival presenting international and Norwegian composers. Comparable presenting model for new music, though larger in scale and based in a capital city.

Direct peers

• Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (hcmf//): UK's leading international contemporary music festival, presenting new works, premieres, and experimental music programming. Highly comparable as a peer presenting organisation focused on contemporary classical, electroacoustic, and experimental music to UK audiences.
• Red Note Ensemble: Scotland's contemporary music ensemble and sound's Associate Ensemble. Joint programming and performer for new commissions make Red Note a direct operational peer in Scottish contemporary music presentation.
• New Music Scotland: Sector body promoting new music in Scotland, listed as a sound partner. Operates in the same Scottish new music ecosystem with comparable composer-development and audience-building objectives.
• CoMA (Contemporary Music for All): UK charity promoting participation in contemporary music-making across all skill levels. Sound is an active CoMA Festival partner; the mission overlap (community engagement with new music) is direct and operational.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/soundfestival
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC8A-C2Yx-ZH2t6QVa4eaR3g
• Facebookfacebook.com/soundscotland
• Instagraminstagram.com/soundfestival
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sound-festival

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 sound