The Bothy Society
The Bothy Society is a Glasgow-based, full-service music business that manages, books, releases, publishes, and licenses contemporary Scottish and Irish traditional and folk artists, with an innovative Album Books product combining physical books and augmented reality content.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersGlasgow, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Bothy Society does
The Bothy Society (legally TBS Music Ltd) is a Glasgow-based, remote-first music business founded in 2020 that operates as a full-service hub for contemporary Scottish and Irish traditional and folk musicians. The company provides artist management, live booking, record label services, music publishing administration, and synchronisation licensing, with a managed and booked roster that includes Valtos, Project Smok, HEISK, Moxie, Dlù, Beluga Lagoon, An Dannsa Dub, and others. Its B2B customers include UK, European, and international festivals and concert venues, while B2C customers purchase CDs, Album Books, and merchandise directly through the company's e-commerce storefront.
The company's technology stack centres on an innovative "Album Books" product line that combines liner notes, tune books, and coffee table books with augmented reality content accessible through its proprietary The Fire Side AR Companion App on iOS and Android. When users scan images in the books, the app unlocks exclusive videos, photo albums, notebook scans, artist commentary, and 3D models, creating a physical-digital hybrid product. The business also operates a synchronisation catalogue pitched to film, TV, game, and advertising clients, plus a publishing division administering composition rights for writers including Andrew O'Donnell. The marketing layer is supported by curated "Scotland/Ireland New Neo-Trad Releases" playlists across Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, and YouTube.
The Bothy Society operates on a multi-stream revenue model: recurring management fees, transaction-based booking commissions, one-time record sales, sync licensing royalties, publishing royalties, and professional services for funding applications and release-campaign project management. Consumer pricing is positioned at the premium end of a niche market — CDs at £10, Album Books from £28, merchandise such as tea towels at £12 — reflecting a deliberate physical-and-immersive positioning against streaming-led consumption. The company is privately held with no disclosed external funding, is led by a four-person core team (Director & Manager Jen Anderson, Manager Cam Hughes, Operations & Admin Assistant Ailsa Harper, Sync lead Amber Blake), and in July 2026 consolidated Jen Anderson's live booking work in-house after four years as an agent at Apex Music International.
The Bothy Society firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Bothy Society
- Legal name
- TBS Music Ltd
- Website
- https://thebothysociety.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Bothy Society is a Glasgow-based, full-service music business that manages, books, releases, publishes, and licenses contemporary Scottish and Irish traditional and folk artists, with an innovative Album Books product combining physical books and augmented reality content.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Bothy Society industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Music Artist Management Services
- NAICS
- Music Publishers (512230), Record Production and Distribution (51225), Musical Groups and Artists (71113)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Phonograph Records & Prerecorded Audio Tapes & Disks (3652)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Music Rights Administration & Royalty Processing (Admin, Accounting, Statements) (MPAIAKAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Publishing Administration (Catalog Admin, Global Subpublishing) (MPAIABAB), Global Rights Representation & Sub-Publishing/Reciprocal Collection Services (MPAIAKAI), Neighboring/Related Rights for Publishers (Where Applicable) (MPAIABAJ)
Keywords
Where The Bothy Society is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Glasgow
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Bothy Society business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Artist Management: Career planning, strategy, scheduling, team and financial management for artists including Valtos, Moxie, Limonead, An Dannsa Dub, and HEISK
- Live Booking: Booking Scottish and Irish traditional music acts for festivals, concerts and tours across UK, Europe and beyond
- Record Label: Releasing EPs, albums, and books from artists including Findlay Napier, Evie Waddell, Man of the Minch, Eabhal, HEISK, and Ross Whyte
- Synchronisation: Pitching catalogue of Scottish, Irish and Welsh songs and recordings for film, TV, trailers, games and advertising
- Publishing: Administering composition rights for writers such as Andrew O'Donnell (Beluga Lagoon)
- Album Books: Sale of album books combining physical books with AR content, available with CD, download, or book-only options
- Project Management Services: Assisting Scottish artists with funding applications and project management of release campaigns
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | CD albums from The Bothy Society catalogue |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Album Books with multiple format options |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Artist merchandise items |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
The Bothy Society product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Bothy Society is a full-service music business managing, booking, recording, publishing, and licensing contemporary Scottish and Irish traditional and folk musicians. It operates a record label releasing EPs, albums and Album Books, runs a live booking agency representing a roster of 10+ acts, administers music publishing rights, and pitches a Celtic sync catalogue to film, TV, games and advertising. Its proprietary Album Books format pairs physical books with augmented reality content delivered through The Fire Side AR Companion App.
Product overview
The Bothy Society is a music business offering a unified portfolio of services: artist management, live booking, record label operations, music publishing, synchronisation licensing, and project management for traditional and folk musicians from Scotland and Ireland. The company operates alongside its managed artists including Valtos, Beluga Lagoon, HEISK, Moxie, Dlù, Project Smok, An Dannsa Dub, and others. It has recently launched an innovative product line of Album Books combining physical books with augmented reality content accessed through The Fire Side AR Companion App.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- The Fire Side: Augmented reality companion app for album books, allowing users to scan images to access exclusive content including videos, photos, podcasts, 3D objects and artist commentary.
Products and services
- Artist Management Full-service artist management for Scottish and Irish traditional and folk musicians, providing career strategy, artistic development, scheduling, team and financial management. Currently manages acts including Valtos, Moxie, Limonead, An Dannsa Dub and HEISK.
- Live Booking Booking agency representation for festivals, concerts and tours across the UK, Europe and beyond, covering a roster of 10+ acts ranging from electronic-trad and indie-folk to full soundsystem shows.
- Record Label Independent record label releasing EPs, albums and Album Books across Scottish Traditional and Folk music, with a roster including Findlay Napier, Evie Waddell, Man of the Minch, Eabhal, HEISK, Alasdair Whyte and Ross Whyte.
- Synchronisation Licensing Sync licensing service pitching a varied catalogue of Scottish, Irish and Welsh songs and recordings for placement in film, TV, trailers, games and advertising, extending the reach of traditional music and generating additional revenue for artists and composers.
- Music Publishing Music publishing division administering composition rights for writers across Traditional and Folk music genres, with the goal of bringing more creative and financial opportunities to writers in Scotland and the Scottish music industry.
- Release Project Management Project management of release campaigns for Scottish artists including funding applications, strategy, registrations, manufacture and marketing. Worked with Dlù on their album campaign from initial strategy and funding application through to marketing.
- The Fire Side AR Companion App
Quantifiable outcome
- Valtos performed at Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use The Bothy Society
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
The Bothy Society technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
The Bothy Society partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Island Life RecordscoreIsland Life Records is the label releasing Valtos' 2026 album 'The Last Light'. The Bothy Society works with the label for distribution of Valtos' releases.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
The Bothy Society competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- ATC Management: Large-scale international music management company. Comparable to The Bothy Society's artist management arm in function but operating at much greater scale across mainstream and alternative music categories.
- Raw Power Management: Independent UK music management company handling artist careers across multiple genres. Comparable to The Bothy Society's management arm in operating model and integrated service offering.
- Primary Talent International: Major UK and European live music booking agency. Directly analogous to The Bothy Society's live booking function but at significantly larger scale and broader genre coverage.
Direct peers
- Compass Records: Independent Nashville-based label with a strong Celtic, folk, and traditional music catalogue. Comparable to The Bothy Society's record label arm in terms of genre focus, artist roster profile, and approach to niche folk/roots releases.
- Greentrax Recordings: Scotland's longest-running independent traditional/folk music label, releasing Scottish Gaelic and folk recordings. Closely comparable to The Bothy Society in geographic origin, genre focus, and artist roster composition.
- Shanachie Entertainment: Independent world/Celtic/folk label with a long-standing Irish and Scottish traditional catalogue. Comparable to The Bothy Society's label arm in genre and physical-release orientation.
- Foot Stompin' Records: Scottish traditional and folk music label releasing Celtic albums. Direct peer to The Bothy Society's record label arm, operating in the same trad/folk genre with a similar Scottish artist roster and physical-release focus.
- Green Linnet Records: Long-running Irish/Celtic traditional music label with an artist roster including many of the same trad acts The Bothy Society books. Directly comparable in catalogue genre, target listener, and release philosophy.
Others
- Mad for Trad: Scottish traditional music organisation that promotes trad acts and runs festivals/awards. Ecosystem participant comparable to The Bothy Society in shared genre and Scottish audience, but operating as a promoter/events body rather than a management/label business.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Bothy Society social profiles
Digital presenceThe Bothy Society financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Bothy Society leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
The Bothy Society funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Bothy Society 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 Bothy Society
What does The Bothy Society do?
The Bothy Society is a full-service music business managing, booking, recording, publishing, and licensing contemporary Scottish and Irish traditional and folk musicians. It operates a record label releasing EPs, albums and Album Books, runs a live booking agency representing a roster of 10+ acts, administers music publishing rights, and pitches a Celtic sync catalogue to film, TV, games and advertising. Its proprietary Album Books format pairs physical books with augmented reality content delivered through The Fire Side AR Companion App.
Is The Bothy Society a public or private company?
The Bothy Society is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Bothy Society founded?
The Bothy Society was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Bothy Society based?
The Bothy Society is headquartered in Glasgow, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does The Bothy Society make money?
Seven revenue lines are on record. Artist Management is the primary driver. The others are live Booking, record Label, synchronisation, publishing, album Books and project Management Services.
Who are The Bothy Society's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are ATC Management, Raw Power Management and Primary Talent International. Direct peers are Compass Records, Greentrax Recordings, Shanachie Entertainment, Foot Stompin' Records and Green Linnet Records. Mad for Trad is listed as an others.
Does The Bothy Society have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Bothy Society.
What industry is The Bothy Society in?
The Bothy Society's product category is Music Artist Management Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIAKAD, Music Rights Administration & Royalty Processing (Admin, Accounting, Statements), with a secondary code of MPAIABAB, Publishing Administration (Catalog Admin, Global Subpublishing). Its NAICS code is 512230 and its SIC code is 7900.