Brak

What Brak does

Brak (Musikkontoret Brak) is a regional music office (musikkontor) headquartered at Nygårdsgaten 2 in Bergen, Norway, serving musicians and music industry professionals in Vestland county. Established in 2016, it operates as one of seven regional offices within the national Musikkontoret network and is funded by Vestland County (Vestland fylke) and Bergen Municipality (Bergen kommune). The organization is a non-profit, government-aligned entity — not a commercial product company — with no proprietary technology stack, no app, and no disclosed APIs or integrations.

Its portfolio of programs includes free one-on-one guidance (Veiledning) covering production, releases, rights, contracts, live events, and marketing; the annual international Bergen Songs songwriter camp (running since 2016); the annual Vill Vill Vest music and industry festival in Bergen; the Braksnakk podcast; the Brakstart music industry support program; and the Grønn Festival environmental certification scheme for festivals. Brak also maintains the Studioer i Vestland directory of regional recording studios and runs workshops, courses, and networking events. All services are provided free of charge to end users.

The business model is grant-funded: Vestland County and Bergen Municipality provide core operating funding, supplemented by participation in the MI-RAP European collaboration (2023–2026, 2.6 million euro budget across 8 partners in 7 countries), which extends Brak's programming reach beyond Norway. Distribution occurs through the Bergen office for in-person guidance, regional workshops and events, the national musikkontoret.no website, social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube), newsletter, and the Braksnakk podcast. The organization employs four staff members spanning press/partnerships, courses/communications, counseling/podcast, and songwriter camp project management.

Name

Brak

Legal name

Brak

Website

https://musikkontoret.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Brak (Musikkontoret Brak) is a publicly-funded, non-profit regional music office in Bergen, Norway, part of the national Musikkontoret network. It provides free guidance, workshops, songwriter camps, and festivals to musicians and music industry professionals in Vestland county.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Oslo

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Public Funding: Funded by Vestland County (Vestland fylke) and Bergen Municipality (Bergen kommune) as part of the national Musikkontoret network.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Brak provides free guidance and programs for musicians and the music industry in the Vestland region of Norway. Its core services include one-on-one counseling on music career topics, workshops and courses, an annual international songwriter camp (Bergen Songs), an annual music festival and conference (Vill Vill Vest), the Braksnakk podcast, the Grønn Festival environmental certification scheme, and a directory of music studios in the region.

Product overview

Musikkontoret Brak is a regional music office for the music community in Vestland, Norway, part of the Musikkontoret network. It offers a portfolio of programs and services including Bergen Songs (international songwriter camp since 2016), Vill Vill Vest (music and industry festival), Braksnakk (podcast), Grøn Festival (environmental certification), guidance services, and a directory of recording studios. Brak operates as a resource and support organization for musicians and music industry professionals, not as a software product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bergen Songs: Annual international songwriter camp organized by Brak since 2016
• Vill Vill Vest
• Braksnakk
• Grøn Festival

Products and services

• Veiledning (Music Industry Guidance)
• Bergen Songs
• Vill Vill Vest
• Braksnakk
• Grønn Festival
• Studio Directory (Studioer i Vestland)

Quantifiable outcome

• Bergen Songs has been running annually since 2016 as an international songwriter camp
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hamburg Music BusinesscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2023Lead partner in the MI-RAP (Music Industry Resilience Acceleration Programme) European collaboration project 2023-2026. Partners from 7 countries developing competence programs for music industry resilience.
• Music EstoniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean partner in MI-RAP project focusing on music industry development and resilience.
• Open Creative House (Espoo, Finland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean partner in MI-RAP project, bringing Finnish music industry perspective.
• Latvian Music Export OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean partner in MI-RAP project, contributing to cross-border music industry cooperation.
• Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre/Music Innovation Studies CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean partner in MI-RAP project, contributing research and innovation perspective.
• Göteborg & CocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwedish partner in MI-RAP project, contributing to music city development initiatives.
• Leuphana University LüneburgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in MI-RAP project providing research expertise.
• Musikkontoret MØSTcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorwegian regional partner in MI-RAP project, representing Eastern Norway.
• Vestland County (Vestland fylke)coreOthersPrimary public funding source for Brak operations in the Vestland region.
• Bergen Municipality (Bergen kommune)coreOthersMunicipal funding partner supporting music office operations in Bergen.
• BandorgminorOthersPartner organization in Musikkontoret's network, supporting musicians and bands.
• GramArtminorOthersPartner organization representing performing artists in popular music.
• Music NorwayminorOthersNational music industry export and promotion organization.
• NOPAminorOthersOrganization for composers and songwriters in Norway.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Music Estonia: Music Estonia is the Estonian music industry export office and a co-partner in the MI-RAP project with Brak. It plays a comparable role in Estonia to what Brak plays in Vestland, providing industry support to musicians and music companies.
• Hamburg Music Business (HMB): Hamburg Music Business is the lead partner in the MI-RAP European collaboration with Brak. It is a comparable music industry support organization operating in Hamburg, Germany, with a similar mission of supporting musicians and music professionals in its region.

Broad incumbents

• Music Norway: Music Norway is the national music export and promotion organization for Norway, providing international showcasing, funding guidance, and industry support to Norwegian musicians. It is referenced as a Brak partner but operates at a national/export level rather than regional.

Direct peers

• Musikkontoret STAR: Musikkontoret STAR is a sister regional music office under Musikkontoret, delivering the same menu of guidance, workshops, and industry events to musicians in its region. Brak and STAR are direct operational counterparts.
• Musikkontoret Nord: Musikkontoret Nord is the regional music office for Northern Norway within the same national network. It provides identical services (guidance, courses, industry support) to Brak, just in a different region, making it a structural twin.
• Musikkontoret MØST: Musikkontoret MØST is the sister regional music office serving Eastern Norway under the same national Musikkontoret network. It offers the same menu of guidance, courses, and workshops to musicians and music industry professionals, making it the most directly comparable peer to Brak.
• Musikkontoret Tempo: Musikkontoret Tempo is another regional musikkontor in the same Norwegian network, offering free music industry guidance and courses to musicians in its respective region. Functionally identical to Brak in scope and funding model.
• Musikkontoret Sørf: Musikkontoret Sørf is the regional music office for Southern Norway under the same network. It mirrors Brak's service portfolio (counseling, courses, workshops) and serves as a direct peer in the southern region.
• Musikkontoret ØKS: Musikkontoret ØKS provides regional music industry support services in Norway under the same network. Comparable to Brak in service mix, funding structure, and target beneficiaries.

Emerging players

• Bandorg: Bandorg is a Norwegian partner organization in the Musikkontoret network that supports musicians and bands. Its mission overlaps with Brak's but it appears more niche, focused on bands and emerging artists rather than the full industry ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCn63czUmSnVh_59VZtX0n3g
• Facebookfacebook.com/musikkontoret
• Instagraminstagram.com/musikkontoret_brak
• TikToktiktok.com/@brak_musikk
• Xx.com/tempomidtnorge
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/musikkontoret

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

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 Brak