Dolphin Music

Dolphin Music was a United Kingdom online retailer specialising in musical instruments, recording equipment, and related music-technology products. The business was established in Liverpool in 1999 by Robert Williams and Jason Tavaria, who were students at the University of Liverpool at the time. Its early model combined mail-order retail with internet sales, reflecting the growing use of online commerce for specialist equipment during the late 1990s and early 2000s. The company served musicians, recording engineers, producers, studios, and other customers seeking instruments and technical equipment through a specialist catalogue and web store. Its product scope covered musical instruments and recording-related hardware rather than a single proprietary product line, making Dolphin Music a retail brand rather than a manufacturer-led brand. The business operated in a competitive market alongside music shops, mail-order specialists, and later large-scale online instrument retailers. Dolphin Music’s history was also closely connected to its founders. Robert Williams died in a snowboarding accident in Switzerland in March 2009. Two years later, in 2011, Dolphin Music was acquired by S&T Audio Ltd, a company that also owned Play Music Today, commonly known as PMT, including its physical retail stores and online operation. The acquisition placed Dolphin within a broader music-retailing group and linked its online presence to a company with both store-based and internet sales capabilities. The brand ultimately ceased trading as part of the 2025 administration of S&T Audio Ltd. The administration affected the group’s 11 United Kingdom stores and its online operations. Following the administration, Gear4music acquired certain assets from the administrators, including stock, websites, trademarks, and commercial data. The acquisition did not transfer PMT’s continuing trading business or its liabilities, and the available reference material states that Gear4music did not plan to resume trading under the PMT name. Dolphin Music’s post-administration operating status is therefore treated as defunct, although some of its intellectual property and digital assets passed to a new owner.

Dolphin Music was founded in Liverpool, England, in 1999 by Robert Williams and Jason Tavaria while both were studying at the University of Liverpool. The founders financed the early business through personal credit cards and student loans and established it as a specialist seller of musical equipment. Its initial commercial approach combined traditional mail-order distribution with internet retail, allowing customers to purchase instruments and recording products remotely. The company developed as a specialist music retailer rather than as an equipment manufacturer. Its catalogue focused on musical instruments, recording equipment, studio products, and related audio technology. This positioning enabled Dolphin Music to serve a broad group of customers, including performing musicians, home-recording users, producers, engineers, and professional studios. The online model was particularly important because it allowed the retailer to present a wider assortment than a single physical music shop could typically hold. A significant event in the company’s history occurred in 2009, when co-founder Robert Williams died in a snowboarding accident in Switzerland. Williams’s death marked a major personal and organisational loss for the business, although Dolphin Music continued operating. In 2011, S&T Audio Ltd purchased Dolphin Music. S&T Audio also owned Play Music Today, generally known as PMT, which operated United Kingdom music stores and an online retail website. The acquisition brought Dolphin Music into a larger specialist-retail structure combining ecommerce and physical stores. The brand’s later history followed the financial difficulties of its parent group. In June 2025, S&T Audio Ltd entered administration. The group’s 11 United Kingdom stores and online operations were shut down. The administration ended Dolphin Music’s operation as an active retailer and is the basis for classifying the brand as defunct. After the administration, Gear4music acquired selected assets from the administrators. These assets included stock, websites, trademarks, and commercial data. The transaction did not amount to an assumption of S&T Audio’s continuing trading business or liabilities. The available reference material also states that Gear4music did not intend to restart trading under the PMT name. There is insufficient evidence in the supplied material to establish a renewed Dolphin Music retail operation, so the brand is recorded as defunct while acknowledging that certain associated assets were transferred.

• 2025

  S&T Audio enters administration

  [1]Dolphin Musicen.wikipedia.org

  S&T Audio Ltd enters administration in June, leading to the closure of its United Kingdom stores and online operations.

• 2025

  Gear4music acquires selected assets

  [1]Dolphin Musicen.wikipedia.org

  Gear4music acquires stock, websites, trademarks, and commercial data from the administrators, without taking on the continuing trading business or liabilities.

• 2011

  Acquisition by S&T Audio

  [1]Dolphin Musicen.wikipedia.org

  S&T Audio Ltd purchases Dolphin Music and adds it to the group that also owns Play Music Today and PMT’s retail and online operations.

• 2009

  Co-founder Robert Williams dies

  [1]Dolphin Musicen.wikipedia.org

  Robert Williams dies in a snowboarding accident in Switzerland on 2 March 2009.

• 1999

  Dolphin Music is founded in Liverpool

  [1]Dolphin Musicen.wikipedia.org

  Robert Williams and Jason Tavaria establish Dolphin Music while studying at the University of Liverpool, initially using mail-order and internet sales to distribute musical equipment.

A specialist online and mail-order retailer serving musicians, recording professionals, studios, and music-technology customers.

• Musical instruments

  Musical instruments

  Dolphin Music’s core retail assortment consisted of musical instruments sold through its mail-order and online channels. The available reference material identifies musical instruments as a principal category, but does not provide a sufficiently detailed breakdown by instrument family or named manufacturer.

• Recording equipment

  Recording equipment

  The retailer supplied equipment used for recording and music production. This category formed part of Dolphin Music’s specialist positioning and addressed home-recording customers, producers, engineers, and studios. Specific product models and brands are not identified in the supplied sources.

• Studio and audio equipment

  Studio and audio equipment

  Dolphin Music also sold studio-related and audio-technology products through its online retail operation. The category covered equipment associated with music production and recording, although the available material does not identify individual product lines.

• 2025

  Closure following S&T Audio administrationOther

  Background

  S&T Audio Ltd entered administration in June 2025, affecting its 11 United Kingdom stores and online operations.

  Action taken

  The group’s stores and online operations were shut down. Gear4music subsequently acquired selected assets from the administrators, including stock, websites, trademarks, and commercial data.

  Aftermath

  The Dolphin Music retail operation is treated as defunct. The asset transaction did not transfer the continuing trading business or liabilities, and the supplied material does not indicate a restart of Dolphin Music’s retail activities.

  Source

• 2011

  S&T Audio purchases Dolphin MusicM&A

  Background

  Dolphin Music was an established specialist online and mail-order music retailer, while S&T Audio owned the Play Music Today and PMT retail group.

  Action taken

  S&T Audio Ltd acquired Dolphin Music and incorporated it into its wider music-retailing ownership structure.

  Aftermath

  Dolphin Music became associated with a group operating both physical music stores and an online retail channel.

  Source

1. 1Dolphin Musicen.wikipedia.org