Osiris Media

Osiris Media is a media platform for fans of music and culture.

It features podcasts, videos, and interactive live events. Whether you're a fan of the Grateful Dead, jazz, or craft beer, Osiris creates original content geared toward such subjects.

Just as ESPN provided fans with a way to connect to their interest in sports, Osiris aims to do the same with fans of music and culture.

Recently, the popularity of podcasts has skyrocketed. According to a March 2019 article from The New York Times, more than half of Americans have listened to a podcast. And nearly 33% listen to at least one of them every month, up from 25% a year ago.

While podcasts have traditionally been popular with “millennials” — a recent study showed 42% of those between the ages of 18 to 34 listen to podcasts at least once per week — this form of media consumption is now attracting other demographics, too.

Forty percent of people between the ages of 12 and 24 listened to a podcast last month, a 10% jump from 2018. Even people over the age of 55, traditionally slower to adopt to podcasts, are catching up to this trend. In 2018, for example, 13% of this age group identified themselves as monthly podcast listeners. In 2019, that number has risen to 17%.

As the number of listeners has increased, so has revenue from podcast advertisements. In 2017, podcast ad revenue totaled $314 million, an 86% jump from 2016. In 2018, that number surpassed $500 million.

“For many years, people from inside and outside the [podcast] industry have talked about the ‘slow and steady’ growth,” said Hernan Lopez, Founder of Wondery, a podcast network. “They can’t say ‘slow and steady’ anymore.”

All of this growth has attracted the attention of big media companies. In February 2019, for example, Spotify acquired podcast companies Gimlet and Anchor for $340 million. One month later, it acquired Parcast, a podcast network specializing in crime and mystery shows.

In fact, the music streaming giant has pledged to spend $500 million on podcast acquisitions in 2019 in order to become what it calls “The Netflix of podcasts.” This could put startups like Osiris in prime position to be acquired.

The company was created by co-founders RJ Bee and Tom Marshall. Bee has a background in business, and co-founded a podcast network in 2013. Marshall, meanwhile, is a former lyricist for Phish, a Grammy-nominated rock band that Rolling Stone magazine described as “The most important band of the 1990s.”

This experience in the podcast and music industries is what Osiris’ team believes can help it separate from the competition.

Osiris’ primary product is a series of audio podcasts focused on music. However, the company complements these podcasts with video updates on notable bands, and interactive live events that include interviews with artists at festivals and concerts.

Brands pay Osiris to deliver advertisements on its network. Current advertisers include Ben & Jerry’s, KushCo, and CashorTrade. Future revenue streams include podcast sponsorships, content creation for corporate partners, video advertising, and event sponsorship.

In less than two years, Osiris has built a fan base of more than 100,000 listeners. It started with music genres including indie rock, bluegrass, folk, classic rock, and “jam bands.” The company has nearly 30 podcasts on its network, and has received 1.7 million downloads within the past 12 months.

Osiris has marketing partnerships with music and media companies including JamBase, brobible, Talkhouse, and Pantheon. In the future, the company hopes to establish partnerships with larger companies like Rolling Stone and SiriusXM.

Advising Osiris is Andy Weissman, managing partner at Union Square Ventures, who previously invested in startups like Tumblr, Kickstarter, and Stripe. Other advisors include Steve Martocci, who built and sold GroupMe, a mobile messaging app, for $85 million just a year after it launched.

With capital raised from this round, Osiris will create more videos and content for its live events. In addition, it will explore other verticals where advertisers can effectively target music fans, such as cannabis and local music.

Team Background

Tom Marshall - Co-Founder & COO

Tom is best known for being the longtime lyricist for the band Phish. This Grammy-nominated rock band was called by Rolling Stone magazine as “The most important band of the 1990s.”

In addition to his duties with Phish, Tom has a background in IT. He spent five years as an IT manager for Prudential Financial, and then founded LyrikMachine, a business that designs software for writing song lyrics that was acquired by a large entertainment company.

He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Rutgers University.

RJ Bee - Co-Founder & CEO

Before starting Osiris, RJ worked for 10 years at Hattaway Communications, a management consulting company. He began his career there as a communications associate, and rose to Senior Vice President of Operations.

In 2013, he started a podcast called Helping Friendly, which covers the music industry and the award-winning band Phish.

He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Ohio State University and a Master’s in International Relations from University of Chicago.

Co-Investors