Shark Attack Records

What Shark Attack Records does

Shark Attack Records is a privately held, Los Angeles-based boutique label-services company founded in 2016 by Madelynn Elyse. The firm provides indie artists of all genres with a unified suite of services spanning four pillars: Education (data literacy, career development, mentoring), Project Management (release timelines, budgets, vendor and partner coordination), Marketing (campaign strategy, DSP relationships, playlist placement, social posting, paid media, video commissioning, copywriting), and Branding & Content (identity, content creation, interactive design, photography, video, and music development). The business model is professional services: engagements are quote-based and tailored per artist, with the company's stated differentiation being an education-first, anti-fake-streams philosophy that aims to build authentic fanbases rather than chase artificial metrics.

The company operates with a 4-person core team (founder/creative direction, creative director, project manager based in Nashville, and social media manager) and has cumulatively worked with 60+ independent artists since founding. Artist acquisition is community-led through direct website submissions reviewed within 3 weeks, supplemented by inbound and label-side referrals. The roster spans mid-market indie acts alongside legacy recording artists such as Macy Gray and Morris Day, and includes label collaborations with GSI Records and Honey Rose Records in addition to distribution through KMG.

Commercially, Shark Attack leverages an ecosystem of label partnerships (Wagram Records, Bungalo Records / UMG-affiliated, KMG Distribution) and has secured synchronization placements of artist work with League of Legends (Riot Games), Netflix, Gibson, and ABC. Founder Madelynn Elyse's industry access includes collaborations with veteran A&R Don Grierson and Grammy-winning mixer Mark 'Spike' Stent. Marketing channels are predominantly organic — Squarespace-hosted website, social media, and thought-leadership publishing on Hypebot and Medium. The company has disclosed no external funding, no proprietary technology platform, no AI/ML capabilities, and no APIs or integrations; revenue is non-public, and pricing is quote-based rather than standardized.

Name

Shark Attack Records

Legal name

Shark Attack Records

Website

https://thisissharkattack.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Shark Attack Records is a Los Angeles-based boutique label-services company, founded in 2016, that provides independent artists with education, project management, marketing, and branding services across a roster of 60+ artists, leveraging label and sync partnerships for release distribution and licensing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Label Services

NAICS

Record Production and Distribution (51225), Sound Recording Industries (5122), Music Publishers (512230), Musical Groups and Artists (71113)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Record Labels (Major & Independent) (MPAIAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Full-Service Artist Management (MPAIAGAA), Jingle & Brand Sonic Identity Studios (MPAIALAE)

Keywords

• Independent label services
• Artist development
• Music marketing
• Brand content creation
• DSP promotion

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Label Services: Shark Attack Records provides comprehensive label-services to independent artists including education, campaign strategies, graphic design, branding/marketing, project management, and DSP relationships. The revenue model appears to be service-based consulting for artists.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Shark Attack Records is a boutique label-services company that provides comprehensive artist development services to independent musicians. The company delivers four interconnected service pillars—Education, Project Management, Marketing, and Branding & Content—encompassing career guidance, campaign strategies, DSP playlist placement, social media management, paid media, video commissioning, graphic design, and branding to help artists build authentic, sustainable fanbases rather than chase artificial metrics.

Product overview

Shark Attack Records is a boutique label-services company offering a unified suite of artist development and music marketing services rather than discrete software products. The company's core offering encompasses four interconnected service pillars: Education (data literacy, career development, and mentoring for artists), Project Management (release timelines, budgeting, vendor coordination, and partner relationships), Marketing (campaign strategy, DSP playlist placement, social media management, paid media, and video production), and Branding & Content (visual identity refinement, content creation, interactive design, and photography/video services). All services are delivered to independent artists to help them build authentic fanbases and achieve sustainable careers without chasing artificial metrics like fake streams.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Artist Education and Career Guidance A service pillar focused on educating independent artists to help them understand industry data, develop their careers through mentoring and career development guidance, and build sustainable, knowledge-based music careers.
• Project Management and Release Coordination
• Music Marketing and Campaign Strategy
• Branding and Content Creation

Quantifiable outcome

• 60+ artists coached since 2016
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Wagram RecordscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor independent label collaboration for artist releases and distribution support. One of the primary label partners listed on the Artists page under 'In collaboration with'.
• Bungalo RecordscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversal Music Group affiliated label partnership for artist releases and distribution. Featured on the Artists page collaboration section.
• KMG DistributioncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partner facilitating physical and digital music distribution for Shark Attack artists. Listed as a key distribution partner on the collaboration page.
• Don GriersonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLegendary A&R executive who has collaborated with Shark Attack and founder Madelynn Elyse on artist development and industry guidance.
• Mark 'Spike' StentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrammy-Award Winning Mixer who has collaborated with Shark Attack on artist projects.
• League of LegendsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSync placement partner - Shark Attack artists have landed music placements with League of Legends (Riot Games).
• NetflixminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSync placement partner - Shark Attack artists have secured music licensing with Netflix productions.
• GibsonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSync placement partner - Shark Attack artists have landed placements with Gibson (guitar brand).
• ABCminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSync placement partner - Shark Attack artists have secured music placements with ABC network.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• AWAL (Artists Without A Label): AWAL is a global distribution and label-services platform for independent artists, owned by Sony Music. It offers artist services including marketing, playlist pitching, and analytics, making it the most directly comparable competitor to Shark Attack's label-services model.
• UnitedMasters: UnitedMasters provides independent artists with distribution, marketing, and brand partnership services, including sync placements. Its hybrid platform-plus-services model competes with Shark Attack's boutique label-services offering for the same indie artist segment.
• Empire Distribution: Empire is an independent label and distribution company that offers marketing, A&R, and label services to indie artists. Its roster breadth and label-services business overlap directly with Shark Attack's value proposition.

Emerging players

• Vydia: Vydia is a music distribution and label services platform serving independent labels and artists with monetization, analytics, and marketing tools. It competes for a similar SMB indie-artist customer segment.
• Stem Disintermedia: Stem provides distribution, royalty splits, and label services for independent artists and labels. As a tech-forward indie services platform, it competes for the same artist-acquisition funnel that Shark Attack relies on.
• TuneCore: TuneCore, owned by Believe, distributes music to digital platforms and offers add-on services for independent artists. While more self-service, it competes for the same indie artist acquisition channel and has expanded into higher-touch label services.

Broad incumbents

• Believe Music: Believe is a global independent music distribution and services company serving indie labels and artists. Its TuneCore subsidiary and label-services arm compete in the same indie artist services market, though at far greater scale.
• Kobalt Music: Kobalt provides music publishing, label services, and royalty administration for independent artists and labels. Its label-services business overlaps with Shark Attack's artist development and distribution support offering.
• Ingrooves: Ingrooves is a Universal Music Group-owned global music distribution and label services company. Its comprehensive marketing and distribution offerings serve a similar indie label and artist base as Shark Attack.
• [PIAS]: [PIAS] is a global independent music group offering label services, distribution, and marketing for indie artists and labels. Its artist-and-label services business closely parallels Shark Attack's core offering.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ThisIsSharkAttack
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shark-attack-records

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 Shark Attack Records