Music Brokers

What Music Brokers does

The Musicbrokers (legal entity: Tom Nevermann & Hauke von der Brelje GbR, later joined by Eike Freese) is a Hamburg-based full-service music industry agency founded in 2013 and operating as a German civil-law partnership. The firm bundles five interconnected service lines under one roof: TMB Publishing (music publishing, songwriter development, and sub-publishing via an administrative partnership with Frankfurt-based Melodie der Welt for GEMA and royalty administration), TMB Management (artist, songwriter, producer, and studio management), TMB Projects (music-act development, Special Edition packaging, chart-entry strategies, and release coordination), TMB Repertoire & Creative (on-demand songwriting and international song/topline pitching), and TMB Label (a multi-imprint label group comprising Skip A Beat, Stadtrandpoesie, Echotone Records, and Velvet Echoes, releasing across Pop, Schlager, Metal, and Indie genres on streaming platforms such as Spotify). The company's core technology stack is relationship-driven rather than platform-driven: its go-to-market relies on direct sales through founder networks, open demo submissions, songwriting camps as both creative output and client-acquisition channel, and industry reputation. There is no proprietary software platform, no disclosed technology layer, and no AI/ML capability. Revenue mechanics span licensing/royalties (publishing), professional services fees (management, projects, songwriting camps), and transaction-based income (label releases through streaming and physical distribution); pricing is quote-based and individualized rather than published. Customer concentration is narrow, with a public roster of mid-market artists including DARK AGE, Ruby St. Claire, Tänzer, Philipp Leon, Felix, and Lady Sunshine & The Candy Kisses. The company is founder-owned and bootstrapped with no institutional investment, no subsidiaries, and no disclosed headcount beyond its three named partners.

Name

Music Brokers

Legal name

Tom Nevermann & Hauke von der Brelje GbR

Website

https://themusicbrokers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Musicbrokers is a Hamburg-based, founder-owned full-service music agency offering publishing, artist management, label releases across four imprints, project services, and songwriting camps to mid-market German and international artists, songwriters, and labels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Publishing & Artist Management Services

NAICS

Music Publishers (512230), Record Production and Distribution (51225)

akta.pro primary industry

Publishing Administration (Catalog Admin, Global Subpublishing) (MPAIABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Songwriting & Composition (Topliners, Co-writers, Camps) (MPAIABAA), Record Labels (Major & Independent) (MPAIAAAA), Casting & Talent Placement (Sessions, Bands, Touring Musicians) (MPAIAGAM)

Keywords

• Music publishing
• Artist management
• Songwriting services
• Record label operations
• Music licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Publishing & Sub-Publishing: Revenue from administering music publishing rights, collecting and distributing royalties, and sub-publishing deals with other territories or publishers. TMB Publishing signs exclusive songwriter agreements and non-exclusive single-title contracts.
2. Artist & Talent Management: Management fees for artists, songwriters, producers, and studios. Services include A&R consulting, career planning, networking, and project coordination.
3. Label Releases & Record Sales: Revenue from releasing music through own imprints (Skip A Beat, Stadtrandpoesie, Echotone Records, Velvet Echoes) including streaming, download sales, and physical format distribution.
4. Project Services: Fees for specialized project services including Special Edition packaging and chart-entry strategies, artist casting, CI development, release strategies, and promotion coordination.
5. Songwriting Camps: Organizing and conducting songwriting camps for third-party clients including A&Rs, labels, publishers, managers, and artists seeking new songs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Music Brokers is a Hamburg-based full-service music industry company that delivers music publishing (signing songwriters and administering rights via partner Melodie der Welt), artist and songwriter management, music act development and chart-entry marketing projects, on-demand songwriting and international song pitching, and operates four record label imprints (Skip A Beat, Stadtrandpoesie, Echotone Records, Velvet Echoes) that release music across streaming and physical channels. The company also organizes songwriting camps for industry clients and supports both German and international sub-publishing arrangements.

Product overview

The Musicbrokers is a music industry services company offering a multi-service portfolio centered on five interconnected offerings: TMB Publishing (music publishing and songwriter development), TMB Management (artist, songwriter, and producer management), TMB Projects (music act development and marketing strategies), TMB Repertoire & Creative (custom music composition and international song pitching), and Skip A Beat (the company's record label imprint). The company also operates additional label sub-brands including Stadtrandpoesie, Echotone Records, and Velvet Echoes. These services are designed to work together to provide comprehensive support from artist development through release and marketing, with the publishing and management divisions feeding into the label's release pipeline and creative services enabling both internal catalog development and external client commissions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Skip A Beat: Music label imprint under TMB Label for artist releases including Philipp Leon, Felix, Lady Sunshine & The Candy Kisses.
• Stadtrandpoesie
• Echotone Records
• Velvet Echoes

Products and services

• TMB Publishing Music publishing service that scouts songwriting talent, develops songwriters through exclusive and non-exclusive contracts, organizes songwriting camps, and handles international song placement and sub-publishing. Backend publishing administration (royalty collection, GEMA registrations) is executed in partnership with Melodie der Welt.
• TMB Management Artist, songwriter, producer, and studio management service covering artist management, producer/studio management, and project management including marketing plans and release coordination. Active roster includes DARK AGE, Ruby St. Claire, Tänzer, and Philipp Leon.
• TMB Projects Music act development and targeted marketing strategies including artist castings, CI (corporate identity) development, release strategies, promotion coordination, and organization of Special Edition packaging for chart-entry campaigns.
• TMB Repertoire & Creative Music repertoire and creative services providing genre-crossing consultation, on-demand songwriting, and international track/topline/text pitching to artists, managers, and labels.
• TMB Label Multi-imprint record label operation under Music Brokers, comprising Skip A Beat, Stadtrandpoesie, Echotone Records, and Velvet Echoes. Releases are distributed via streaming platforms such as Spotify. Skip A Beat features artists including Philipp Leon, Felix, and Lady Sunshine & The Candy Kisses.
• Songwriting Camps Organized songwriting camps held regularly for third-party clients including A&Rs, labels, publishers, managers, and artists seeking new songs, bringing together carefully selected composers and lyricists to work on new works in small groups in a creative atmosphere.

Quantifiable outcome

• DARK AGE achieved first-ever German album chart entry after Special Edition strategy

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Melodie der WeltcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMelodie der Welt, a music publisher based in Frankfurt, serves as the administrative partner for THE MUSICBROKERS' publishing operations. They handle all administrative aspects of publishing including royalty collection, GEMA registrations and verifications, and other backend publishing functions. This partnership allows THE MUSICBROKERS to focus on creative development while leveraging Melodie der Welt's administrative infrastructure.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• BMG: Largest independent music publisher and integrated recordings company, offering publishing, recordings, and artist services under one roof — the same full-stack model TMB attempts at much smaller scale. Most directly comparable on integrated publishing + label services structure.
• Spirit Music Group: Independent music publisher with catalog acquisitions and active songwriter signings across multiple genres. Directly comparable as a mid-size independent publisher pursuing both catalog and frontline songwriter deals.
• Motor Music: Hamburg-based independent music publisher (home to writers including Ed Sheeran's German publishers). Direct geographic peer in the DACH market for songwriter signings and publishing administration.
• Peermusic: Largest family-owned independent music publisher with global sub-publishing network. Comparable independent publisher structure with international sub-publishing infrastructure similar to TMB's stated model.
• Kobalt Music Group: Independent music publisher and label-services platform with technology-enabled royalty tracking. Directly comparable as an indie publisher offering publishing admin, creative services, and label services without major-label ownership.
• Budde Music: Long-established German independent music publisher headquartered in Germany. Closest geographic and market peer for TMB's publishing administration and German-language songwriter representation business.
• Primary Wave Music Publishing: Independent music publisher combining publishing rights, talent management, and label operations. Comparable integrated model with stronger capital base but similar full-service positioning.
• Embassy of Music: Berlin-based independent music label and publisher operating in the German market. Comparable as a German independent combining label and publishing activities with a multi-genre roster approach.

Emerging players

• AWAL: Artist-services platform offering label and distribution services to independent artists. Comparable as an alternative to major labels for indie artists seeking flexible deal structures, though more tech-platform oriented than TMB.

Broad incumbents

• Concord Music Group: Independent music company combining recorded music, publishing, and theatrical rights. Comparable integrated indie structure with much broader catalog and roster.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/music-brokers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Music Brokers