Musicologie Reaches 100 Franchise Licences in US Growth Push

Musicologie has sold its 100th franchise licence, reaching the milestone a little over two years after its first franchise agreement. The US membership-based music education brand’s expansion brings teacher recruitment, studio development and ongoing training into focus as it prepares for launches across 19 states and counting.

From a touring band to music education

The milestone was reported by FranchiseWire on 24 September 2026. Founders Joseph and Kay Barker established Musicologie in 2014, initially as a way to supplement their income when their band was not touring. Music education subsequently became their dominant passion.

Twelve years after its founding, the business has taught more than 10,000 students. Its lessons cover voice and instruments including piano, guitar, bass, drums, ukulele and violin. Inclusion and play are identified as the brand’s core values, giving its teaching proposition a focus beyond the choice of instrument alone.

Musicologie operates a membership-based model. For the US franchise community, the story is an example of a founder-led teaching business extending its reach through franchising, with the classroom experience supported by a wider package of property, recruitment and operational assistance.

The pace of licence sales is the headline development. However, the distinction between selling a franchise licence and opening a teaching studio remains important when assessing what the milestone represents.

Licences mark expansion, not an opening count

FranchiseWire reported that Musicologie had sold its 100th franchise licence just over two years after closing its first franchise deal. It also said that the number of students taught was expected to rise as franchises launch across 19 states and counting.

Those figures describe different aspects of the business. The licence total records franchise sales, while the state footprint describes the geographical reach of the planned launches. Neither should be read as confirmation that 100 studios are already operating.

The supplied reporting does not give a studio-by-studio opening schedule or a total for currently trading franchised locations. It therefore supports a clear conclusion about franchise recruitment momentum, rather than a complete picture of the operating estate.

For prospective franchisees, that distinction is useful. A growing pipeline creates questions about how signed agreements progress through site selection, lease negotiation, teacher recruitment and launch preparation. Musicologie’s reported support package addresses each of those stages, although the milestone itself does not establish how quickly individual studios will open.

Property and teacher support underpin the model

Musicologie provides studio site selection assistance through the Barkers and Build’M, the real estate and construction management arm of REP’M Group. Build’M also offers help with lease negotiation.

REP’M Group is a franchise development firm with four service areas. Alongside Build’M, these include Brand’M for brand development and marketing, Grow’M for sales, and Scale’M for franchise operations and growth.

Support for Musicologie franchisees extends beyond securing premises. The package includes assistance with recruiting, onboarding and training teachers, together with manuals and playbooks. Franchisees receive prelaunch training at the brand’s headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, and in the field, followed by ongoing guidance and training.

These provisions are particularly relevant to a teaching business: premises alone do not deliver the service. Recruiting and preparing teachers is another essential step between signing an agreement and welcoming students. The reported support structure therefore gives prospective operators specific areas to examine during their due diligence, rather than relying solely on the headline licence count.

A growing market, with local questions to answer

The expansion sits within an established US market for private music tuition. According to IBISWorld figures cited by FranchiseWire, the market was valued at approximately $725 million in 2024 and had been growing steadily.

That figure provides national context, but it is not a measure of Musicologie’s revenue or market share. Nor does national demand establish the commercial prospects of an individual studio. The reported milestone contains no unit-level financial results.

Musicologie’s next stage will be worth watching as the announced franchise pipeline moves towards studio launches and a larger student base. For the wider franchise community, the practical takeaway is straightforward: distinguish licences sold from locations open, and examine local demand, teacher recruitment and launch support before making an investment decision.