Musicologie Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Musicologie is a music education franchise offering private lessons, group classes, and performance opportunities. Franchisees run the studios, managing instructors, scheduling, and enrollment.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Musicologie franchise requires a total initial investment of $193K – $364K, including a $60K franchise fee and an ongoing 7.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $604K[2]. FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $193K – $364K
- 48th pct Education
- Avg gross sales
- $604K
- Incl. company outlets21st pct Education
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 18th pct Education
- Units
- 8
- 25th pct Education
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Education · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Education avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $193K – $364K including a $60K franchise fee, 7.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $604K/year (median $648K) (includes company-owned outlets), with an estimated 24% cash-on-cash return (based on EBITDA $121,264).
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 45/100 (higher is better).
- EARLYEmerging 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
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Musicologie Franchising, LLC
- CEO title
- Co-Founder and CEO
- 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
- $152K
- vs $54K prior year
Affiliated brands
- that is an owner of the
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
- CEO
- Joseph Barker
- Headquarters
- OH
- Founded
- 2022
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 2
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 58% below the typical education franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown15 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.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $193K – $364K
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $15K – $30K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $60K – $60K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- formula · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 9.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
- Payback period
- 4.2 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 |
| Inventory (initial) | $4K – $6K |
| Total fee load | 9.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 24% below the education norm.
Includes company-owned outlets
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
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
3.6 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
FDD-reported earnings vs. model
The FDD reports $121K as EBITDA $121,264. Our model estimates $85K SLEBITDA from the same revenue using category-average cost assumptions. These numbers differ because EBITDA $121,264 deducts different expense categories than our model.
What one unit earns on your invested capital
Model A · Single-Unit Return
Computes unlevered return on invested capital (ROIC) for a single franchise unit. The target band for an attractive franchise is 30–60% ROIC. Below that and a passive index fund likely outperforms; above that and the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses. It's the top line only. Operating costs below are category estimates. Override them to match your real lease quote, labor market, and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Musicologie unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
28%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
What 25 units return when you use SBA financing
Model B · Return on Equity: Debt-Financed Acquisition
Models a 25-unit portfolio acquisition financed with an SBA 7(a) loan. Shows equity IRR (your return on cash invested), DSCR (how safely the cash flow covers debt service), and the capital stack (SBA + seller + equity breakdown).
This is the “search fund” or “entrepreneurship through acquisition” scenario: you buy an existing multi-unit operator, use leverage to amplify returns, and either operate or hire management. The 25-unit size is the typical minimum for an SBA-backed franchise portfolio acquisition to pencil as a full-time income.
What “return on equity” means here: if you put in $500K of your own cash and the business generates enough EBITDA to pay down debt and grow, your equity IRR is the annual return on that $500K, including the value created when you eventually sell. Target IRR for a search fund is typically 25–35%.
Levered LBO scenario · Yale Crease Capital framing
What would 25 Musicologie units return on equity?
Equity IRR · 5-yr
49.9%
7.57× MOIC
Year-1 DSCR
1.88×
EBITDA ÷ debt service
Equity required
$846K
on $4.2M purchase
Total debt
$3.4M
SBA $2.1M + senior + seller note
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
Includes company-owned outlets
- Avg gross sales
- $604K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $648K
- Avg ebitda $121,264
- $121K
- Reported as EBITDA $121,264 in FDD Item 19
- Cash-on-cash
- 24.0%
- Based on EBITDA $121,264 / investment midpoint
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- gross sales and ebitda
- Sample size
- 6
- vs category median 17 · 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
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
- Transparency
- 8 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · above
Compared against 204 Education brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
Average unit generates $604K/year in gross sales. Median ($648K) exceeds the average — distribution is bottom-heavy but most units perform well. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 2.2x. Includes company-owned outlets.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 9.0% — below the Education average of 10.6%.
Disclosure
Transparency score 8/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
Multi-unit rate
Only 1% of franchisees own multiple units. Could indicate challenging economics or a young system where operators haven't had time to expand.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Education averages
How Musicologie Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
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
- Opened (3yr)
- 2
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 4
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 2 states reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
2
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
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.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
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)
ⓘ These are the parent company's consolidated financials (the parent guarantees the franchisor), not this brand's standalone results — the figure reflects the whole corporate group, not this brand alone.
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 45 / 100 verdict
- 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
- 03MINOR7% royalty on gross sales (not net) creates cash flow pressure during low-revenue periods
- 04MINORAbsence of Item 19 financial performance representation limits transparency and verification of claimed averages
- 05MEDMinimal franchise system size suggests limited corporate support infrastructure and franchisor resources
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 9.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 4 mi |
| Territory population | 50,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 60 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Arbitration location | Ohio |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | OH |
| 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
- Columbus, OH or approved locations
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 10 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee with franchisor approval
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- MyMusicologie
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: MyMusicologie
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
1 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 $193K – $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. Important context: Includes company-owned outlets. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Item 19 in the Musicologie FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the Musicologie FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
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 C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 45 out of 100 (higher is better), 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.
For franchisors
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent Musicologie, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
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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.