MusicologieFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Musicologie franchise requires a total initial investment of $191K – $364K, including a $60K franchise fee and an ongoing 7.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $604K[2]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $191K – $364K
- 41st pct Education
- Avg gross sales
- $604K
- 27th pct Education
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 17th pct Education
- Units
- 8
- 22nd pct Education
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Education · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Education avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Started franchising in 2023. Newer systems carry more uncertainty but may offer better territories.
44% cash-on-cash return (based on P&L Bottom Line). Above the 20% threshold most investors target.
Bottom line
- Total investment $191K – $364K including a $60K franchise fee, 7.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $604K/year (median $648K), with an estimated 44% cash-on-cash return (based on P&L Bottom Line).
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 34/100.
- Emerging franchise: only 3 years of franchising with 8 units. Early-stage systems carry higher risk but may offer better territory availability.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Musicologie Franchising, LLC
- CEO title
- Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
- Joseph Barker
- CEO experience
- 11 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- OH
- HQ
- 1400 W. Third Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43212
- Auditor
- Maloney + Novotny LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $54K
- vs $152K prior year
Affiliated brands
- that is an owner of the
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
Musicologie franchisees operate music education and instruction centers offering lessons, ensemble training, and performance opportunities. Daily operations include scheduling/managing student lessons, instructor coordination, facility management, and community music events. Revenue streams typically derive from tuition, private lessons, group classes, and potentially retail instrument sales.
- CEO
- Joseph Barker
- Headquarters
- OH
- Founded
- 2022
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 2
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 15 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $60K | $60K | |
| Rent - 1 Monthnot refundable | $3K | $5K | |
| Security Depositsnot refundable | $3K | $5K | |
| Leasehold Improvementsnot refundable | $38K | $150K | |
| Architect/Project Managementnot refundable | $13K | $31K | |
| Instruments & Accessoriesnot refundable | $9K | $10K | |
| Curriculanot refundable | $4K | $6K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipmentnot refundable | $11K | $15K | |
| Market Introductionnot refundable | $20K | $20K | |
| Insurancenot refundable | $1K | $2K | |
| Signagenot refundable | $8K | $12K | |
| Training Expensesnot refundable | $2K | $5K | |
| Professional Supportnot refundable | $5K | $10K | |
| Permits and Licensesnot refundable | $1K | $3K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 Monthsnot refundable | $15K | $30K | |
| Total initial investment | $191K | $364K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$85K
14.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
28%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
3.5 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $191K – $364K
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $15K – $30K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $55K – $60K
- Near category avg vs category
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 9.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
- Payback period
- 2.3 yrs
- From FDD / Item 19
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 7.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $500 |
| Training fee | $5K |
| Transfer fee | $5K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Total fee load | 9.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $604K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $648K
- Avg p&l bottom line
- $121K
- Reported as P&L Bottom Line in FDD Item 19
- Cash-on-cash
- 43.7%
- Based on P&L Bottom Line / investment midpoint
- Item 19 type
- Historical
- Sample size
- 6 units
- vs category median 14 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $321K→$944K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency tier
- none
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Transparency
- 8 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · above
Compared against 237 Education brands
vs Education averages
How Musicologie Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 8
- Opened
- 2
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 6
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 25%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 1.0%
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 4
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 15 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
Available to sell in · Item 12
- Indiana
- Michigan
- Rhode Island
- Wisconsin
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Musicologie presents substantial risk due to going concern status, microscopic unit count, high investment-to-income ratios, and unverified financial claims—suitable only for well-capitalized investors with music industry expertise and strong risk tolerance.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Maloney + Novotny LLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 34 / 100 rating
- 01HIGHGoing Concern status indicates parent company financial distress or viability questions
- 02MINOROnly 8 units system-wide with unknown/likely stagnant growth trajectory raises scalability concerns
- 03MINORHigh initial investment ($190k-$363k) against modest average net income ($121k) yields 1.6-3 year payback with no margin for error
- 04MINOR7% royalty on gross sales (not net) creates cash flow pressure during low-revenue periods
- 05MINORAbsence of Item 19 financial performance representation limits transparency and verification of claimed averages
- 06MEDMinimal franchise system size suggests limited corporate support infrastructure and franchisor resources
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Drive Time |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 3 mi |
| Territory population | 50,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 60 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 10 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Ohio |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 40 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 18 hrs
- Training location
- Franchisor location and on-site
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 11 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- joint
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- MyMusicologie
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: MyMusicologie
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
15 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Musicologie · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Musicologie franchise?
The total investment to open a Musicologie franchise ranges from $191K – $364K, with an initial franchise fee of $60K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Musicologie franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Musicologie FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $604K. The median is $648K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Musicologie's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Musicologie (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many Musicologie franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Musicologie has 8 total units in the United States, including 2 franchised units and 6 company-owned units. 2 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Musicologie a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Musicologie as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 34 out of 100, based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.