From Side Hustle to Industry Disruptor: Graphite Publishing Celebrates 20 Years of Creative Empowerment

In the traditional landscape of classical music publishing, the relationship between composer and publisher has long been defined by a stark power imbalance. For decades, composers often signed away the rights to their creative output for a pittance, losing control over how their music was adapted, distributed, or even performed. Two decades ago, two young Minnesota composers, Jocelyn Hagen and Timothy C. Takach, decided to challenge this status quo.

What began as a grassroots effort to distribute their own complex choral works has blossomed into Graphite Publishing, a digital-first juggernaut that has spent 20 years reshaping the music industry. Today, as the company celebrates its 20th anniversary, it stands not just as a distribution platform, but as a testament to the power of a "creator-first" model that treats artists as partners rather than commodities.

The Genesis: A Response to Industry Stagnation

The story of Graphite Publishing is rooted in the fertile artistic soil of Minnesota’s choral community. In the mid-2000s, both Hagen and Takach were active, high-level composers. Takach was performing with the acclaimed a cappella ensemble Cantus, while Hagen served as the composer-in-residence for The Singers—Minnesota Choral Artists.

Despite their success, they found themselves hitting a wall with traditional publishers. The industry was, and largely remains, conservative, prioritizing "accessible" pieces—typically short, English-language works with standard piano accompaniment. Hagen and Takach, however, were writing challenging, expansive, and often experimental music that incorporated independent instrumental parts and diverse linguistic themes.

"We had all this music that didn’t fit the traditional bell curve of publishing," Takach recalls. Because their work fell outside the narrow parameters of commercial viability defined by legacy houses, they were effectively locked out of the traditional distribution channels.

The breaking point arrived when Takach discovered the true cost of those traditional contracts. After a director requested a simple arrangement of one of his published works, he approached his publisher, only to be told he had no rights to modify his own composition. He had signed away his intellectual property for a meager 10% royalty. "It opened my eyes to how that business worked, and what would happen to my creative compositions if I continued down the traditional path," Takach says.

Chronology of a Digital Revolution

2006: The Foundational Year
Hagen and Takach pool their resources to launch a website dedicated to digital delivery. In an era when the music industry was only just beginning to grapple with the digital revolution, the concept of a "paperless" publishing house was revolutionary. They aimed to bypass the overhead costs of physical printing and shipping while retaining control over their copyrights.

2006–2015: Building the Collective
The platform quickly attracted other Minnesota-based composers, including Abbie Betinis, Eric Barnum, and Joshua Shank. The company operated as a collaborative hub, providing administrative support for independent artists who lacked the infrastructure to manage their own catalogs.

2015–2020: Strategic Expansion
Recognizing that their customers were looking for a one-stop-shop, Graphite began acquiring the rights to distribute music from other independent publishers. This pivot transformed the site from a niche portal into a comprehensive library for choral directors and ensemble leaders.

2020–Present: Explosive Scaling
Despite the economic uncertainty of the pandemic, Graphite experienced unprecedented growth. By shifting to a hybrid model that balances digital convenience with the physical requirements of traditional institutional billing, the company has achieved a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 50% since 2020.

The Anatomy of the Creator-First Model

Graphite Publishing operates on a philosophy that diverges sharply from the industry standard. While they technically hold the copyright to the works they publish—a necessity for legal and administrative distribution—they have introduced a "buyout" clause that is virtually unheard of in the industry. If a composer ever feels the relationship is no longer serving their goals, they have the contractual right to purchase their copyright back from the company.

"We thought there should be a company in the middle that didn’t take your copyright and most of your profit, but also saved us from having to act as independent publishers doing all the administrative work individually," Hagen explains.

This model has attracted a roster of 28 individual composers, ranging from independent artists like B.E. Boykin and Dessa to major vocal ensembles such as VocalEssence, Cantus, and Border CrosSing. By maintaining a competitive royalty structure, Graphite has effectively incentivized quality over quantity, encouraging composers to take the kind of creative risks that traditional houses often discourage.

Supporting Data: By the Numbers

The success of Graphite is not merely anecdotal. The company’s trajectory highlights a significant shift in how choral music is consumed and monetized in the 21st century:

• Growth Rate: Since 2020, Graphite has maintained a compound annual growth rate of more than 50%.
• Artist Roster: The platform currently publishes 28 distinct composers, providing a curated but deep catalog.
• Institutional Reach: While founded as a digital-first operation, the company has successfully integrated with the complex billing structures of schools, universities, and churches, proving that digital innovation can successfully intersect with legacy institutional systems.

Official Perspectives: Reflections on Two Decades

Jocelyn Hagen, reflecting on the evolution of the business, notes that the perception of Graphite has changed significantly. "At the beginning, the big publishers weren’t really all that scared of us or didn’t think much of us," she says. "Now, I think we’re being seen more as a partner."

The company’s growth has necessitated a shift in operations. What started as a side hustle for two full-time composers has become an enterprise requiring a dedicated team of contractors to manage customer service, licensing, and administrative operations.

"It turned into a larger part of our lives than either of us anticipated," says Takach. "We both consider composing our full-time job, so Graphite is something we run on the side." Despite the administrative burden, the pair remains deeply committed to the mission of community building. For Hagen, the company is fundamentally about protecting the ecosystem of artists. "I’m really proud of our community of artists, and we do support each other," she adds.

Implications for the Future of Music Publishing

The rise of Graphite Publishing suggests a broader trend in the arts: the decentralization of power. By leveraging digital distribution, composers are reclaiming agency over their work, proving that they no longer need to rely on massive, monolithic publishing houses to reach global audiences.

However, the company’s success also highlights the necessity of adaptability. Graphite’s willingness to "pivot" to accommodate institutional billing for printed music serves as a lesson for other digital-first disruptors: technology is most effective when it bridges the gap between the new world and the existing infrastructure of the target market.

As the team prepares for a major presence at the National American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Conference in Minneapolis next March, the industry will be watching. Graphite is no longer just a "side hustle"; it is a blueprint for how independent creators can organize, protect their interests, and scale their influence in an increasingly competitive market.

Looking forward, the founders remain focused on the human element that started the company in 2006. In an industry defined by the notes on the page, Hagen and Takach have proven that the real value lies in the composers who write them and the community that sustains them. Two decades in, Graphite Publishing isn’t just finding its groove—it is setting the tempo for the next generation of music publishing.