About Believe
Believe is a Media & Entertainment company based in Paris (France) founded in 2005, and was acquired by TCV in April 2024. It operates as a diversified software is developed for music artists and labels. Believe has raised $66.5 million across 2 funding rounds from investors including EQT, GP Bullhound and TCV. The company has 10 employees. Believe has completed 5 acquisitions, including Dogan Music, Jo & Co and Sentric HR. Its website believe.com draws about 139 thousand monthly visits. Its Indian entity Ishtar Music Private Limited reported revenue of ₹76.85 Cr. Its focus areas include Consumer, Music Tech, Music Artist IT and Diversified. Its competitors include Vydia, ReverbNation, Haawk, Create Music Group and Nomono and 4 more; 6 of its 9 listed competitors have raised funding.
Company details
Believe was founded in 2005 in Paris, France, and operates in the digital music sector. Software solutions are provided to independent artists and record labels, encompassing distribution, publishing, and promotional services. The TuneCore platform is offered as a key tool for artists to manage their music independently. Operations focus on enabling access to global markets through technology-driven tools.
- Headquarters Paris, France
- Employees 10
- Stage Acquired
- SectorsMedia & Entertainment
- Website category Arts and Entertainment · Music
- Email••••••••
- Phone•••• ••••
- Website believe.com
- Social LinkedIn X Facebook
- Acquired by TCV (Apr 2024)
- Legal Name Ishtar Music Private Limited
- Date of Incorporation 16 May, 2018
- Jurisdiction Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
- Annual Revenue₹76.85 Cr
FY 2023 · +8% YoY
- Net Profit₹48.23 Cr
FY 2023 · 63% margin
- EBITDA₹65.72 Cr
FY 2023 · 86% margin
- Total Equity Funding$66.5M (USD)
in 2 rounds
- Latest Funding Round$60M (USD), Series B
Jun 2015
- InvestorsEQT
& 4 more
- Employee Count10
- Investments & AcquisitionsDogan Music
& 4 more
- Acquired byTCV
(Apr 2024)
Associated legal entities of Believe
Believe is associated with 2 registered companies on The Company Check; the primary company is Ishtar Music Private Limited. Each company page carries the filings, financials, charges and directors of that entity.
| Legal entity | Status | Incorporated | Registered in | Revenue (FY 2023) | Employees | Directors | Company page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ishtar Music Private Limited CIN U22300MH2018PTC309504 | Amalgamated | 16 May 2018 | Mumbai, Maharashtra | ₹76.8 Cr | 10 | 3 | View details |
| Believe Digital Private Limited CIN U74999MH2016PTC284162 | Active | 27 Jul 2016 | Mumbai, Maharashtra | ₹73.3 Cr | 233 | 3 | View details |
Funding Insights of Believe
Believe has successfully raised a total of $66.5M across 2 strategic funding rounds. The most recent funding activity was a Series B round of $60 million completed in June 2015. This substantial capital infusion reflects strong investor confidence in the company's business model, growth potential, and market opportunities. The funding enables strategic expansion, product development, market penetration, and operational scaling to drive long-term value creation and competitive advantage.
- Total Funding $66.5M
- Total Rounds 2
- Last Round Series B — $60M
- First Round $6.5M
(Jun 2008)
- Investors Count 4
All 2 funding rounds of Believe with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
5 investors in total: 5 institutional.
Investors in Believe
Believe has secured backing from 5 investors, including venture fund investors. Prominent investors backing the company include EQT, GP Bullhound and TCV.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Venture capital is invested in global technology companies by TCV. | – | tcv.com | Menlo Park, United States | |
Venture capital fund focused on tech companies | – | xange.vc | Paris, France | |
M&A and strategic advisory firm | 1994 | gpbullhound.com | London, United Kingdom | |
Early-stage funding is provided to innovative founders by Ventech. | – | ventechvc.com | Paris, France | |
EQT is recognized as a global investment organization focused on value creation. | 1994 | eqtgroup.com | Stockholm, Sweden |
Investor details for Believe
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Board of directors of Ishtar Music Private Limited (Believe)
Ishtar Music Private Limited is the primary company behind Believe. The boards of the 2 registered companies of Believe currently have 4 directors; the longest-serving is Sylvain Jean Joseph Delange, appointed in 2016. 13 earlier directors have ceased.
| Director | Designation | Appointed | Tenure | Entity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sylvain Jean Joseph Delange DIN 07514910 | Director | 27 Jul 2016 | 10 yrs 2 mo | Believe Digital Private Limited, Ishtar Music Private Limited |
| Vivek Rajnath Raina DIN 07514908 | Managing Director | 27 Jul 2016 | 10 yrs 2 mo | Believe Digital Private Limited, Ishtar Music Private Limited |
| Nikhil Sahadev Halwalkar DIN 09693874 | Director | 08 Aug 2022 | 4 yrs 2 mo | Ishtar Music Private Limited |
| Kaveri Ingale DIN 10411534 | Director | 15 Dec 2023 | 2 yrs 10 mo | Believe Digital Private Limited |
People of Believe
353 people are tracked at Believe (110 in leadership, 243 in team); the tracked headcount is 10.
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Denis Ladegaillerie | Founder & CEO | Leadership |
Kaustav Chatterjee | Head Of Content Management At Tunecore - Believe | Leadership |
Yohan Choukroun | Data Science Director | Leadership |
Árpád Szarvas | Head Of Editorial & Marketing Partnerships Cee, EE | Leadership |
Sam Telford | Head Of Serve & Go To Market, Label & Artist Solutions | Leadership |
Nicolas Nallet | VP Product Engineering | Leadership |
Zoe Schnebelen | Group Chief Human Resources Officer | Leadership |
Terence Chevallereau | Treasury Director | Leadership |
Julien Parrot | Head Of Editorial, Marketing & Partnership Distribution France | Leadership |
Roochay Shukla | Head Of Creative Marketing - India & South Asia | Leadership |
Celine Hitti | Head Of Artist Services MENA | Leadership |
Arpit Vijay | Head Of Serve - Existing Business LAS & Owned Catalogue (india & South Asia) | Leadership |
Alice McLean | Head Of Label & Artist Solutions | Leadership |
Maria Corina A. | Regional Head Of Editorial And Marketing Partnerships Americas | Leadership |
Xiaole X. | Head Of Artist Service In Greater China | Leadership |
Gallien Jacquier | Project Manager - Program Manager - Head Of Engineering | Leadership |
Benjamin Lecina | Head Of People - Latin America | Leadership |
Gil da Silva | Head Of QA | Leadership |
Steve Sala | Head Of M&a | Leadership |
Betsy Chadbourn | Head Of Digital Marketing, UK | Leadership |
333 more people are available in the full profile.
Complete people profiles for Believe
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Financials of Believe
Figures of Ishtar Music Private Limited, the primary company behind Believe, for FY 2023. Revenue was ₹76.85 Cr (+8% year on year). Net profit was ₹48.23 Cr (63% margin). EBITDA was ₹65.72 Cr (86% margin). Revenue has grown at a compounded annual rate of +7% over three years.
- ₹76.85 CrRevenue · FY 2023 · +8% YoY
- ₹48.23 CrNet profit · 63% margin
- ₹65.72 CrEBITDA · 86% margin
- ₹7.54 CrPaid-up capital
- 10Employees (provident fund records)
- +7%Revenue CAGR, 3 years
Balance sheet, profit and loss, cash flow and ratios of Ishtar Music Private Limited are on its company page.
Detailed financial statements for Believe
Statement rows, ratios, five-year trends and downloadable financials of the group companies require an active premium plan.
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Investments & Acquisitions by Believe
Believe has strategically engaged in corporate development activities, having acquired 5 companies. Notable acquisitions include Dogan Music, Jo & Co and Sentric HR.
| Company Name | Description | Domain | Location | Founded | Acquired | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Music production and distribution company specializing in creating and promoting music content | dmc.com.tr | Istanbul, Turkey | 2000 | Aug 2024 | •••• | |
Music publishing services are provided for independent artists globally. | sentricmusic.com | Liverpool, United Kingdom | 2006 | Mar 2023 | $51M | |
Cloud-based HRMS and payroll services are provided for businesses. | sentrichr.com | Canonsburg, United States | 1994 | Mar 2023 | •••• | |
Record label | joandco.fr | Paris, France | 2010 | Jan 2022 | •••• | |
Representation, licensing, and publishing services for music are provided. | thinkmusic.in | Chennai, India | 2007 | Nov 2021 | $14.6M |
Complete acquisition details for Believe
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Timeline of Believe
10 dated milestones of Believe across 19 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded Believe is founded.
- Funding First funding round of $6.5M.
- Funding Latest funding round, Series B, of $60.0M.
- IPO Lists on the stock exchange (IPO).
- Acquisition Acquires Think Music.
- Acquisition Acquires Jo & Co.
- Acquisition Acquires Sentric HR.
- Acquisition Acquires Sentric Music.
- Exit Acquired by TCV.
- Acquisition Acquires Dogan Music.
Competitors of Believe
Believe has 9 listed competitors in our database, 6 of them funded. They include Vydia, ReverbNation, Haawk, Create Music Group and Nomono, among others.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vydia.com | 2013 | Freehold, United States | $8.5M | 99 | Videos and audios are published by artists on streaming platforms. | |
| reverbnation.com | 2006 | Morrisville, United States | $8.6M | 42 | Online tools connect musicians with fans and industry professionals. | |
| haawk.com | 2017 | Studio, United States | $2.5M | – | Online platform for rights management, music distribution, and micro-sync licensing | |
| createmusicgroup.com | 2015 | Los Angeles, United States | $165M | 191 | Diversified solutions for artists and labels are provided. | |
| nomono.co | 2019 | Trondheim, Norway | $12.82M | 28 | AI-enabled hardware and software for music recording are developed. | |
| raptech.co | 2019 | London, United Kingdom | – | 6 | Application for music recording, streaming, auto tune, and tracks sharing | |
| mu.se | 1998 | San Francisco, United States | – | – | Music-related applications are developed for playing, recording, and composing. | |
| orfium.com | 2014 | Los Angeles, United States | $2M | – | Music distribution and royalty management are facilitated for artists. | |
| globalmusicrights.com | 2013 | Los Angeles, United States | – | 14 | Music rights are licensed, surveyed, and royalties distributed to creators. |
Detailed competitors of Believe
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Web traffic of Believe
The website of Believe (believe.com) receives about 138.8K visits a month and ranks #272,552 among all websites worldwide, #3,254 in Music.
- Monthly visits138.8K
▼ 10.3% vs previous month
- Unique visitors70.2K
per month
- Global rank#272,552
among all websites
- Category rank#3,254
Arts and Entertainment · Music
- Bounce rate38%
- Pages per visit2.0
- Average visit44 sec
- DevicesDesktop 38% · Mobile 62%
Websites whose visitors overlap most with Believe. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
justinbieberbelieve.com | justinbieberbelieve.com | 100% | – | – | – |
| tunecore.com | 97% | 2.3M | #18,054 | View details | |
stdigital.in | stdigital.in | 97% | – | #2,637,183 | – |
| soundrop.com | 97% | 171.8K | #200,784 | View details | |
theblackturn.com | theblackturn.com | 97% | – | #2,746,148 | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
All 40 similar websites and full traffic analytics for Believe
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Top companies in Music Tech
10 companies that operate in the same segment as Believe (Music Tech), ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Online platform for on-demand music and radio streaming | 2007 | Paris, Ile de France, France | USD 445.42 M | USD 627.4 M | 1,093 | |
Music streaming is offered on-demand to global users. | 2006 | Stockholm, Stockholm County, Sweden | USD 2.06 B | USD 19.4 B | 19,363 | |
Broadcast radio channels are aggregated and streamed through subscriptions. | 2002 | San Francisco, California, United States | USD 98.35 M | – | – | |
Music streaming services are provided online for free. | 2007 | Berlin, Berlin, Germany | USD 437.81 M | – | – | |
A ticketing platform for live events is offered by DICE. | 2014 | London, England, United Kingdom | USD 238.27 M | – | – | |
Decentralized audio distribution is enabled for creators via blockchain technology. | 2018 | San Francisco, California, United States | USD 16.1 M | – | 44 | |
Music creation and collaboration are enabled through an online platform. | 2013 | New York, New York, United States | USD 164.5 M | – | – | |
Music streaming solutions for businesses are provided. | 2014 | Stockholm, Sweden | USD 54.62 M | – | – | |
Mobile jukebox app is used for venue customer engagement. | 2010 | Oakland, California, United States | USD 6.82 M | – | 80 | |
Music is licensed via a cloud-based platform for professional use. | 2009 | Stockholm, Stockholm County, Sweden | USD 476 M | – | 633 |
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Related news about Believe
Complete news archive for Believe
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Frequently Asked Questions about Believe
Believe was founded in 2005 and raised its 1st funding round 3 years after it was founded.
Believe is headquartered in Paris, France.
Believe is a funded company, having raised a total of $66.5M across 2 funding rounds to date. The company's 1st funding round was a Series A of $6.5M, raised on Jun 2008.
Believe has 10 employees.
The primary company behind Believe, Ishtar Music Private Limited, reported revenue of ₹76.85 Cr for FY 2023, up 8% year on year.
Believe was founded in 2005 in Paris, France, and operates in the digital music sector. Software solutions are provided to independent artists and record labels, encompassing distribution, publishing, and promotional services. The TuneCore platform is offered as a key tool for artists to manage their music independently. Operations focus on enabling access to global markets through technology-driven tools.
Believe's top competitors include Create Music Group, Vydia and Haawk.
Believe has made 5 acquisitions, including Dogan Music, Jo & Co, and Sentric HR.
Believe has 5 investors. Key investors include EQT, GP Bullhound, TCV, XAnge, and Ventech.
Believe is associated with 2 legal entities: Ishtar Music Private Limited, Believe Digital Private Limited.
Yes. Believe was acquired by TCV in April 2024.
The legal entities of Believe currently have 4 directors, including Sylvain Jean Joseph Delange, Vivek Rajnath Raina, Kaveri Ingale and others.