The music publishing industry in Massachusetts is a vital segment of the creative economy, housing an array of companies that are integral to the music ecosystem. These enterprises range from educational platforms like New Artist Model, to information hubs such as Music Business Journal, and even legal services providers like Patti Jones, Esq. The sector supports songwriters and artists by securing copyrights, licensing songs, and providing comprehensive business advice. With significant advancements in technology and digital platforms, the industry is experiencing continued evolution, shaping modern music distribution, artist representation, and revenue generation.


Top 22 music publishing companies in Massachusetts

1. Music Business Journal

  • Website: thembj.org
  • Headquarters: Boston, Massachusetts, United States
  • Founded: 2005
  • Headcount: 1-10
  • LinkedIn

The website thembj.org offers articles, podcasts, and archives relating to various aspects of the music industry, including distribution, sustainability, and copyright.


2. New Artist Model

New Artist Model is an online music business school that educates and empowers independent musicians with practical strategies and techniques to make a living in the music industry.


3. Patti Jones

  • Website: pattijones.com
  • Headquarters: Boston, Massachusetts, United States
  • Headcount: 1-10

Patti Jones, Esq., is an entertainment attorney in Boston, MA.


4. Melissa Ferrick

  • Website: melissaferrick.com
  • Headquarters: Newburyport, Massachusetts, United States
  • Headcount: 11-50

Melissa Ferrick is a highly accomplished musician, songwriter, and music educator who has released 17 albums and won numerous awards for her work. She is currently a Professor of the Practice at Northeastern University and was previously an Associate Professor of Songwriting at Berklee College of Music.


5. Marsalis Music

  • Website: marsalismusic.com
  • Headquarters: Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
  • Headcount: 51-200

Marsalis Music is a record company that features the works of renowned jazz artist Branford Marsalis and various other jazz musicians.


6. Rounder Records

  • Website: rounder.com
  • Headquarters: Burlington, Massachusetts, United States
  • Founded: 1970
  • Headcount: 11-50
  • LinkedIn

Rounder.com is a website associated with Rounder Records, a music label company that focuses on releasing roots, folk, and Americana music. They offer a range of services including artist promotion, album releases, and tour coordination.


7. Downhill Battle

  • Website: downhillbattle.org
  • Headquarters: Worcester, Massachusetts, United States
  • Headcount: 1-10

D ownhill Battle is a non-profit organization working to break the major label monopoly of the record industry and put control back in the hands of musicians and fans. Downhill Battle launched in August 2003 to create a public voice that could counter the distortions of the RIAA and the major record labels. Downhill Battle is a collaborative project and we work with musicians, music fans, artists, and designers around the world. There is a core group of people working full-time, based in Worcester, MA. We see an unprecedented opportunity to create a decentralized music business and a level playing field for independent musicians and labels. We're doing everything we can to make that happen. Why Should You Contribute to Downhill Battle? There is a window of opportunity to make dramatic changes that put musicians and fans at the top of the music industry, but this chance may not last long. Downhill Battle has been leading the fight for reform, and it's become a full-time effort for several of us. We are completely dependent on support from individuals to stay alive-- so if you like what we do, help us keep doing it.


8. Broken Rim Records

Broken Rim Records is a punk and independent record label providing music from emerging artists across the world.


9. Titanic Records

  • Website: titanicrecords.com
  • Headquarters: Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
  • Headcount: 11-50

Titanic Records, founded in 1973 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was one of the pioneers in the recording of Early Music on period instruments. During the LP era, Titanic released nearly a hundred recordings, including performances by such world-famous artists as Mieczyslaw Horszowski, John Gibbons, Joel Cohen, and Malcom Bilson. Now a division of New Estis-Terrace, Inc., based in New York City, Titanic is expanding its CD catalog to include music of all periods.


10. Peter Janson

  • Website: peterjanson.com
  • Headquarters: Forestdale, Massachusetts, United States
  • Headcount: 1-10

Artist owned Eastern Woods Music is a unique, independent record label, and music publishing company founded in 1999. Eastern Woods Music administers and provides solely to Peter Janson's music using the Quinlan Road, Righteous Babe, and original Windham Hill labels as inspirations and role models for business success. Company functions include creating, recording, and producing music and artwork for CDs, music books, and gift products; handling all business and legal administrative functions; supplying wholesale support to retailers; supplying performance support to venues; providing a variety of purchase options to customers; and supporting local, regional, and national communities by associating with various charitable organizations. Our office is located in Easton, Massachusetts, USA. As independent artists Peter and Bernadette have full control over their creative mission - to offer original music, original visual art, and associated products with the best possible quality to music and art lovers. In addition, they have full control over their company goals - to remain independent of the rapidly conglomerating corporate media, to foster long term relationships of value with their music fans, art fans, and business associates without compromising their standards of quality or personal ethics. We should note that Eastern Woods Music does not provide ""indie music"" in the way the term has come to be used in mainstream American culture: Levasseur and Janson simply adhere to their own visions.


11. Boston Hassle

Boston Hassle is a daily guide specializing in underrepresented, independent, and underground music, art, and film scenes in Greater Boston and New England. They highlight the often marginalized cultures that make up and support these scenes.


12. BKY Music

  • Website: bkymusic.com
  • Headquarters: Needham, Massachusetts, United States
  • Headcount: 1-10

TV and Film credits include: Brad Young is a co-founder of the Publishing/Music Licensing company: BKY Music was launched in the summer of 2010 by Brad Young. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, Brad Young has been specializing in Pop, Rock and R&B/Hip Hop Production and is one of the premier mix engineers in the area. Formerly since 1990 Brad Young was co-owner of Underground Productions Inc. with Dow Brain. Underground Productions has a total of 5 Platinum and Gold albums and singles under its belt including co-writing, mixing and production of the number 1 selling single ""Summer Girls"" by LFO on Arista Records (1999). Underground Productions Publishing Company BUMP MUSIC has over 100 song placements in film and television shows.


13. Ruby Slipper Productions

Ruby Slippers Productions has produced over twenty albums of music. Lisa Hilton Music® was established in 1997 and is now a Registered Trademark. Lisa Hilton Music creates and publishes music, CDs, vinyl, digital downloads, sheet music


14. Fuel 2000

For more than a decade, Fuel Records (aka Fuel 2000) has been the premier catalog label in the United States. Based in Hollywood, CA, Fuel has released several hundred titles in the Rock, Blues, Jazz and Gospel genres. Our focus has been on rescuing classic rock, jazz and blues recordings that might otherwise have disappeared in the mists of time. We've also released a respected series of primers to help introduce the uninitiated to some of the greatest artists of the last 60 years. Our catalog is rounded out by several worldwide debut releases that sit comfortably among their proven peers.


15. Quetone Records

  • Website: quetonerecords.com
  • Headquarters: Worcester, Massachusetts, United States
  • Headcount: 1-10

Quetone Records have been creating a special sound, a sound that is all Quetone since 2000. The 1st release from the label was a compilation album entitled ""Messiah Fam"" put together to introduce all of the Quetone artists to the world. This release was met with massive underground success and created a stir in the local music communities. The followup release was an album called "" the Codefendants "", with members Cash and Don P, the release a critical and commercial success. Their debut album 'Book Ov Life' , produced by Quetone Records CEO, Quion is constantly being requested at local clubs and radio stations to this day. Quetone identiied that the label had a winning formula and the ability to produce commercially appealing music that sells. What followed from here was two solo albums from Quion called ""Reflections"" and ""Serious. . These albums are available at all leading digital retailers on the planet. Quetone Records has been able to manufacture, market and ""pop the trunk "" and sell more than 50,000 units over the past 2 years. An amazing undeground success that has now lead to the development of the labels roter of artists and non stop demand for Quions recording services. In 2011 Quetone Records signed ""The Championz"" to the label and since then the label has been growing by word of mouth. If you feel that you have what it takes to be a Quetone Records artist then please complete the online submission forms on the home page with Music Xray or SonicBids.


16. Supermegabot Music Concern

  • Website: supermegabot.com
  • Headquarters: Beverly, Massachusetts, United States
  • Headcount: 1-10

COMING SOON: Neurotic Outsiders Expanded CD! Legendary early 90s punks Fabulous! Supermegabot Music Concern is the home of releases from Jeff Whalen of Tsar, Human Sexual Response, Wire Train, EPM and more!


17. Planetary Group, Llc, the

The Planetary Group is a boutique music marketing company offering indie publicity, social media, non-commercial + college radio promotion and consulting.


18. Jeff Rougvie

  • Website: jeffrougvie.com
  • Headquarters: Salem, Massachusetts, United States
  • Headcount: 1-10

Site of Jeff Rougvie, A&R Director and award-winning producer of Rykodisc's acclaimed David Bowie series, record label owner, writer, artist, expert witness, and pioneer in the field of deluxe catalog re-releases.


19. Sawmill Recordings

Sawmill Recordings offers an acoustically-pleasing and comfortable work environment for your next demo, album, EP, or video shoot. Our services include audio and video recording, editing, production, mixing, and mastering for projects of any scope or scale. Our 900 square foot facility is well equipped for any of your audio or video production needs and is surrounded by a picturesque 112-acre forest. It's an ideal location not only for recording at all hours but also for creativity to run wild. It allows you to escape the hustle and bustle of daily life and focus on making great-sounding, lasting music. Our team is comprised of passionate alumni from Berklee College of Music who are from varying stylistic and technical backgrounds. We take what we do very seriously. We've been in and out of studios almost our entire professional career and we share a love of organic audio production techniques, and We've seen what goes wrong and listened to the legitimate complaints of musicians and adapted accordingly. Sawmill Recordings is our take on a business model that has been around since the 90s -- the 1890s, that is! Recording studios are nothing new, however, a studio in a position such as ours is, and our door is always open to anyone of any style and vision.


20. Metacomet Studios

Metacomet Studios LLC is a company that operates in the Media and Entertainment industry. It employs 1-5 people and has $1M-$5M of revenue. The company is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts.


21. Masspool Djs

  • Website: masspoolmp3.com
  • Headquarters: Danvers, Massachusetts, United States
  • Headcount: 1-10

Online digital record pool featuring unlimited downloads for professional DJ's for a low monthly fee. masspool djs digital record pool offers the cutting edge dj an unlimited source of music downloads for only $24.99 a month.


22. Sound Gems

Sound Gems Records is a music label providing featured film music and is home to a back catalog of music releases.


Want to find more music publishing companies?


If you want to find more companies that offer unique services that range from music education to legal advice you can do so with Inven. This list was built with Inven and there are hundreds of companies like these globally.


With Inven you'll also get to know the company's:


  • Ownership: Which of these are private equity backed? Which are family-owned?
  • Contact data: Who are the owners and CEO's? What are their emails and phone numbers?
  • Financials: How do these companies perform financially? What are their revenues and profit margins?

...and a lot more!