Sophie B. Hawkins

What Sophie B. Hawkins does

Sophie B. Hawkins is an American singer-songwriter operating as a privately held individual artist enterprise based in Roslyn, United States, with 1-10 employees. She creates, records, and performs original music across folk, soul, pop, and singer-songwriter genres, with a six-album studio catalog spanning Tongues and Tails (1992) through Free Myself (2023). Beyond recorded music, she operates a direct-to-consumer merchandise and signed-CD business via her own website, runs an active international touring practice (most recently the Whaler 30th Anniversary tours in the US and UK), and is developing new product lines including an original Broadway-style musical, 'Birds of New York', and an autobiographical memoir.

Her core product is the catalog of recorded music, distributed via streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube) and sold as signed physical CDs ($20) through her website shop. The technology stack is conventional and non-proprietary: a website storefront, mailing list capture, YouTube channel, and Bandsintown ticketing integration. She owns the Trumpet Swan Records imprint and has licensed releases through Columbia Records, Rykodisc, Lightyear Entertainment, and Cleopatra Records, retaining creative and ownership control.

Revenue is generated through five streams: physical and digital album sales, live concert ticket sales, branded merchandise (t-shirts at $25-$30, mugs at $20), streaming royalties, and sync licensing for placements in productions such as Stranger Things, Euphoria, Ozark, and Dawson's Creek. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer and event-driven, with touring functioning as both a revenue channel and the primary marketing engine. The customer base is mass-market consumers (music fans, concert-goers) plus an enterprise layer for sync placements, with a particularly loyal LGBTQ+ community segment tied to her pioneer status as the first entertainer to openly identify as omnisexual.

Name

Sophie B. Hawkins

Legal name

Sophie B. Hawkins

Website

https://sophiebhawkins.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sophie B. Hawkins is an American singer-songwriter who creates, records, and performs original music across folk, soul, and pop genres. She sells signed albums and merchandise directly through her website, tours internationally, and earns revenue from streaming royalties and sync licensing for television and film.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recorded Music & Live Performance

NAICS

Music Publishers (512230)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAIAAAB

Master Rights Ownership & Catalog Management

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Music & Audio (Recording, Publishing, Streaming)/Recorded Music (Labels, Master Rights, Distribution)

SECONDARYMPAIAAAG

Reissues, Remastering & Archive Services

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Music & Audio (Recording, Publishing, Streaming)/Recorded Music (Labels, Master Rights, Distribution)

SECONDARYHSACAHAM

Contracting, Licensing & Rights Management (Music/Performance Releases)

Home & Personal Services/Event & Personal Concierge Services/Entertainment Booking & Talent Management

Keywords

• Studio album recordings
• Live concert tours
• Music merchandise sales
• Sync music licensing
• Music streaming distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Roslyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Music Sales: Physical and digital album sales through the official website shop. Albums available include Free Myself ($20 signed CD), The Crossing ($20 signed CD), Wilderness ($20 signed CD), Timbre ($20 signed CD), Bad Kitty Board Mix ($20 signed CD, on sale from $25). Also available for streaming and digital download.
2. Touring and Live Performances: Revenue from concert tickets for live performances including the Free Myself Tour, Whaler 30th Anniversary tours, and festival appearances. Tickets sold directly through the website and via Bandsintown integration.
3. Merchandise Sales: Branded merchandise including t-shirts (various designs featuring album art and tour branding, $25-$30), mugs ($20), and other apparel items sold through the online shop.
4. Streaming and Digital: Album streaming and digital download revenue through platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube. Singles and albums available for streaming.
5. Sync Licensing: Music placements in film, television, and streaming series. Songs have appeared in Stranger Things, Euphoria, Ozark, PEN15, Beverly Hills 90210, Dawson's Creek, The L Word, and other productions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sophie B. Hawkins is an independent American recording artist who creates, records, and releases studio albums; performs live concerts and tours; and sells branded merchandise. Her catalog spans six studio albums (Tongues and Tails, Whaler, Timbre, Wilderness, The Crossing, Free Myself) plus live and compilation releases, distributed through streaming platforms, her official website, and sync licensing for film and television.

Product overview

Sophie B. Hawkins is a singer-songwriter offering music through studio albums, live recordings, and compilation collections. Her discography spans six studio albums: Tongues and Tails (1992), Whaler (1994), Timbre (1999), Wilderness (2004), The Crossing (2012), and Free Myself (2023). Additional releases include live albums (Bad Kitty Board Mix, Whaler Re-emerging) and a compilation (The Best of Sophie B. Hawkins). She also offers concert performances through touring, official merchandise through her online shop, and is developing an original musical 'Birds of New York' and an autobiographical memoir. Music is distributed through streaming platforms including Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tongues and Tails Debut studio album released April 21, 1992 on Columbia Records; earned a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist and achieved gold status in the US and platinum in European and Asian markets, containing the hit single 'Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover.'
• Whaler Second studio album released August 2, 1994, featuring the Top 10 hit 'As I Lay Me Down' which spent 67 weeks on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart including 6 weeks at #1; produced by Stephen Lipson.
• Timbre Third studio album released in 1999 on Rykodisc, featuring a more earthy, stripped-back sound with the hit single 'Lose Your Way' written on banjo; featured in the film '40 Days and 40 Nights' and Calvin Klein advertising.
• Wilderness Fourth studio album released April 20, 2004 on Trumpet Swan Records, described as the most musically-layered and emotionally complex album, featuring a jazzier style; first album recorded entirely in her Los Angeles home studio.
• The Crossing Fifth studio album released February 8, 2012 on Lightyear Entertainment and Trumpet Swan Records; songs explore life-changing experiences including the death of her father and birth of her first child; produced by Sophie B. Hawkins with Alexandria Dobson and Larrance Dopson.
• Free Myself Sixth studio album released March 24, 2023 on Lightyear Entertainment, the artist's first new material in over a decade; features the singles 'Love Yourself' (reached #3 on UK dance charts), 'Better Off Without You', and 'Free Myself'; co-produced with Ken Rich.
• Live: Bad Kitty Board Mix Live double album recorded at The Triple Door (Seattle, WA) and The Basement (Sydney, Australia); released August 22, 2006 on Trumpet Swan Records.
• Whaler Re-emerging Acoustic re-recording of the 1994 Whaler album released October 3, 2025 on Cleopatra Records; produced by Seth Glier, recorded live with minimal production featuring raw unfiltered vocal performances.
• The Best of Sophie B. Hawkins Compilation album released June 10, 2003 exclusively in the United States, containing tracks from previous albums including 'Swing from Limb to Limb' and an acoustic mix of 'As I Lay Me Down'.
• Concert Tours and Live Performances Live concert tours including the Whaler 30th Anniversary Tour, Free Myself Tour, and Tongues and Tails 30th Anniversary Tour; upcoming dates at venues including Live at Andre's (WA), Water Street Music Hall (NY), Music Hall Lounge (NH), and international venues in the UK.
• Branded Merchandise Official merchandise including t-shirts featuring album artwork (Tongues and Tails, Whaler, Free Myself), tour apparel (Canada Tour raglan shirt, Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover shirt, Better Off Without You shirt, Whaler Sailor Signature and Black shirts), and collectible items such as the Whaler Sailor 11oz Black Mug, sold through the official online shop.

Quantifiable outcome

• 67 weeks on Billboard Adult Contemporary chart
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Artist Vision Management (Katherine DePaul)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKatherine DePaul handles management and US booking for Sophie B. Hawkins through Artist Vision Management. She serves as the primary contact for management and booking inquiries.
• The Feldman Agency (Jordan Powley)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJordan Powley at The Feldman Agency handles Canada booking for Sophie B. Hawkins, representing the artist for live performances in the Canadian market.
• Westport Country PlayhouseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWestport Country Playhouse presented the first-ever reading of 'Birds of New York', Sophie's original musical in development. The reading featured Broadway performers including Ren King, Liz Larsen, Sarah Stiles, and Alysha Umphress.
• Cleopatra RecordscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCleopatra Records is the label releasing 'Whaler Re-emerging' acoustic album scheduled for October 3, 2025, in partnership with Sophie's own Trumpet Swan Records imprint.
• Lightyear EntertainmentcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLightyear Entertainment is the label for Free Myself (2023) and The Crossing (2012) albums, working in partnership with Sophie's independent Trumpet Swan Records.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tori Amos: Solo female singer-songwriter with similar 1990s breakthrough era, similar catalog depth (multiple studio albums across 30+ years), and similar direct-to-consumer / independent-leaning operating model with strong LGBTQ+ fan connection.
• Ani DiFranco: Independent singer-songwriter who built and operates her own record label (Righteous Babe Records) — the closest structural analog to Sophie's Trumpet Swan Records imprint model, with comparable direct-to-consumer distribution and artistic independence.
• Tracy Chapman: Singer-songwriter with a comparable 1990s breakthrough catalog that has remained commercially relevant through sync licensing (notably a Luke Combs cover revival of 'Fast Car'). Useful comp for catalog-monetization trajectories.
• Aimee Mann: Singer-songwriter with a similarly durable 1990s catalog, active touring schedule, and strong sync-licensing presence in film and TV — directly comparable on revenue mix (catalog + sync + touring) and operating scale.
• Jewel: Solo female singer-songwriter who debuted in the mid-1990s with a breakthrough album, has maintained an active recording and touring career, and operates an independent direct-to-consumer business with merchandise and live performance as core revenue streams.
• Brandi Carlile: Contemporary singer-songwriter with strong catalog, active touring, and engaged community — represents a more scaled version of the same operating model Sophie uses, useful as a benchmark for growth potential.
• Sarah McLachlan: Female singer-songwriter from the same 1990s cohort with comparable chart success, similar emotional/introspective songwriting positioning, and an active touring and catalog-revival model analogous to Sophie's Whaler anniversary cycle.
• Paula Cole: Female singer-songwriter from the same 1990s era with Grammy recognition, sustained touring, and a comparable operating scale and direct-to-consumer distribution model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/sophiebhawkins
• Xx.com/therealsophieb
• Facebookfacebook.com/118587024824797
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sophie-b.-hawkins

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Sophie B. Hawkins