Black Acre
Black Acre is a Bristol-based independent music company founded in 2007 offering artist management, record label, music licensing, and merchandise services to recording artists through a small 8-person team.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- Headquarters—
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Black Acre does
Black Acre is a Bristol, United Kingdom-based independent music company founded in 2007 that operates four interconnected service lines targeting recording artists and music consumers. Its core offerings comprise artist Management (career representation), record Label operations (release and promotion of music under the Black Acre brand), and Licensing (commercial and media exploitation of its catalog), supported by a direct-to-consumer Shop for merchandise and music releases via two proprietary e-commerce storefronts.
The company positions itself as "artist centred, music focused" and pursues a direct-to-artist go-to-market approach through an owned website (theblackacre.co.uk, built on Squarespace) supplemented by email newsletter capture for retention. Distribution is conducted primarily through Black Acre's own DTC storefronts (shop.theblackacre.co.uk and blackacre.databeats.com) with claimed global reach. No proprietary technology, pricing, or platform architecture is disclosed beyond standard web and e-commerce tooling.
The business model spans management fees, label revenue (releases and promotions), licensing royalties from catalog usage in media and commercial applications, and merchandise sales. With only 8 employees and no disclosed funding, ownership structure, management team, or revenue figures, Black Acre operates as a boutique music services firm of modest scale. No customer logos, awards, partnerships, patents, certifications, regulatory actions, M&A activity, or AI/technology capabilities are publicly disclosed.
Black Acre firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Black Acre
- Legal name
- Black Acre
- Website
- https://theblackacre.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Black Acre is a Bristol-based independent music company founded in 2007 offering artist management, record label, music licensing, and merchandise services to recording artists through a small 8-person team.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Black Acre industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Independent Music Label Services
- NAICS
- Music Publishers (512230)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Micro-Licensing & Direct Licensing Platforms (UGC, SMB venues, online uses) (MPAIAKAJ)
Keywords
Black Acre business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
Black Acre product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Black Acre is a Bristol-based independent music company that provides artist management, record label, and music licensing services. It also operates an online shop selling music merchandise and physical releases. The integrated service portfolio is designed to support artists across their career lifecycle, from management representation through record releases to commercial exploitation of their catalog via licensing.
Product overview
Black Acre is a music-focused company offering three interconnected core services: artist Management for career representation, Labels for record releases, and Licensing for music usage permissions. The company operates an e-commerce Shop for merchandise and music sales. The services are designed to support artists throughout their career lifecycle, from management through releases to commercial exploitation of their catalog.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Management
Companies that use Black Acre
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles3 records
Black Acre technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Black Acre partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves4 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Black Acre competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Ghostly International: Ann Arbor-based independent label and publishing company. Comparable to Black Acre as a small-scale, artist-focused indie with integrated label and music licensing/sync activity.
- Secretly Group: US-based independent music group comprising Secretly Canadian, Jagjaguwar, Dead Oceans, and Secretly Publishing. Comparable to Black Acre as a multi-service indie group spanning label, management, and publishing/licensing.
- Partisan Records: Brooklyn/London-based independent label with management and label services. Comparable to Black Acre in structure and UK footprint, with a similar mid-sized indie profile.
- Warp Records: Sheffield/London-based independent label with adjacent artist management and publishing activity. Comparable to Black Acre as a UK indie with a focused musical identity, artist-development ethos, and catalog that supports sync licensing revenue.
- Domino Recording Company: London-based independent label with publishing arm. Directly comparable to Black Acre in structure (independent UK label + publishing/licensing), with a similar boutique ethos around artist development.
- Because Music: London/Paris-based independent label group with management and publishing arms. Comparable as a multi-service indie music company competing for similar artists and sync licensing revenue in the European market.
- Kompakt: Cologne-based independent label, distributor, and retailer (incl. distribution arm). Comparable to Black Acre as a boutique European indie with label and adjacent commerce/distribution activity.
- Ninja Tune: London-based independent music group operating a label (Ninja Tune, Big Dada), publishing, and management services. Most directly comparable to Black Acre in structure (label + adjacent services) and UK indie orientation, though at significantly larger scale.
- Stones Throw Records: Los Angeles-based independent label with management. Comparable to Black Acre as a boutique indie label with direct-to-fan commerce, artist-centred ethos, and a focus on catalog and sync revenue.
- XL Recordings: London-based independent label (part of Beggars Group) with a similar artist-centred philosophy. Comparable to Black Acre in the indie label/management space, though XL operates at a much larger commercial scale with global breakthrough artists.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights4 records
Customer concentration
Black Acre social profiles
Digital presenceBlack Acre financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Black Acre leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Black Acre funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Black Acre 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 Black Acre
What does Black Acre do?
Black Acre is a Bristol-based independent music company that provides artist management, record label, and music licensing services. It also operates an online shop selling music merchandise and physical releases. The integrated service portfolio is designed to support artists across their career lifecycle, from management representation through record releases to commercial exploitation of their catalog via licensing.
Is Black Acre a public or private company?
Black Acre is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Black Acre founded?
Black Acre was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Who are Black Acre's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Ghostly International, Secretly Group, Partisan Records, Warp Records, Domino Recording Company, Because Music, Kompakt, Ninja Tune, Stones Throw Records and XL Recordings.
Does Black Acre have an API?
No public API is recorded for Black Acre.
What industry is Black Acre in?
Black Acre's product category is Independent Music Label Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIAKAJ, Micro-Licensing & Direct Licensing Platforms (UGC, SMB venues, online uses). Its NAICS code is 512230.