The Deals: Jerry Jeff Walker Estate Partners With Primary Wave, AI App Hook Pacts With Glassnote
Also: Slipstream acquires Anthem Entertainment's production music businesses, Reactional Music strikes a licensing deal with classical music giant Naxos and more.
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Independent music publisher Primary Wave Music has partnered with the estate of country/folk singer-songwriter Jerry Jeff Walker on Walker’s music publishing catalog, recording copyrights and artist royalties. The partnership provides the Walker estate access to Primary Wave’s marketing team and publishing infrastructure to work on new marketing, branding, digital, synch opportunities and film/TV projects. The deal also features an agreement for Walker’s recorded masters, in partnership with his label Tried & True Music, to be released and distributed through Sun Records; Sun Records will provide overall catalog marketing strategy, including streaming, social media marketing and physical releases. The deal includes some of Walker’s biggest hits, including “Mr. Bojangles,” “Railroad Lady” and “Sangria Wine.” – Jessica Nicholson
AI-powered social music app Hook partnered with Glassnote Records to add new tracks from artists including Tors, bby, Hayes Warner and Dylan Cartride to its library, with more acts to be added soon. Glassnote’s roster also includes Mumford & Sons, Childish Gambino and Phoenix. Hook allows users to remix existing songs by speeding them up, slowing them down, mashing them up with other songs and more to post on social platforms, effectively opening up another revenue stream for participating artists. In a statement, Glassnote founder/president Daniel Glass called Hook “a comprehensive solution to the use of remixed music across social platforms in a way that emphasizes artists’ control and compensation.”
Leading music licensing platform Slipstream acquired Anthem Entertainment‘s production music businesses, including U.S.-based Jingle Punks and 5 Alarm Music and U.K.-based Cavendish Music. The acquisition encompasses more than 650,000 tracks along with music production capabilities. The purchase was made possible by financing and expertise offered by Pollen Street Capital, while Moelis & Company served as the exclusive financial advisor to Anthem on the negotiation. The acquisition represents a full-circle moment for Slipstream co-founders Dan Demole and Jesse Korwin; Demole co-founded Jingle Punks and previously served as president of Anthem Music Group, while Korwin served as Jingle Punks’ MD. Anthem Entertainment will make an investment in Slipstream as part of the deal.
Reactional Music, which allows video game developers to create interactive music soundtracks in their gaming titles, struck a global licensing partnership with Naxos, a leading rights holder of classical and regional music. The two companies are also exploring a collaboration on the composition of interactive soundtracks that would allow gamers to personalize Naxos-owned music in real time while playing, without affecting the master recording. Reactional has previously struck licensing partnerships with companies including Beggars Group, Hopeless Records, Hipgnosis Music Group and production music groups like APM Music, Soundstripe and Alibi.
Global investment firm CVC has invested alongside KKR to support live entertainment group Superstruct Entertainment in its next phase of development. KKR acquired Superstruct, which owns and operates more than 80 music festivals across Europe and Australia, in June 2024. CVC’s previous investments include Stage Entertainment, Formula One, Women’s Tennis and LaLiga.
SoundExchange and the Societies’ Council for the Collective Management of Performers’ Rights (SCAPR) announced that SoundExchange has become the first non-member collective management organization (CMO) to be able to create and issue international performer numbers (IPNs) — unique universal identifiers associated with performers, created and administered by SCAPR, that are used to identify them in data exchanges with other CMOs globally. Through the deal, SoundExchange will create and assign SCAPR’s IPNs to further link performers to their recordings, thereby improving identification of their creative contributions. “IPNs represent another tool in our expanding arsenal helping to get the right people paid the royalties they deserve,” said SoundExchange president/CEO Michael Huppe in a statement.
Downtown-owned business to business distributor FUGA partnered with Manila, Philippines-based management and production company ASINTADA while announcing new hires across the APAC region, including Noorcahyo Istyabudi and Jaya Singh, who will lead business development in Indonesia and South Asia, respectively. FUGA will provide global distribution and bespoke marketing services to ASINTADA, which will also have access to FUGA’s trends and analytics platform. ASINTADA represents some of the biggest hip-hop artists in the region, including Filipino rapper Gloc-9 and rising OPM (original Pilipino music) talent including Shanti Dope, Flow G and Skusta Clee. FUGA also announced a partnership with the Jesuit Communications Foundation, the media arm of the Philippine Province of the Society of Jesus; Crown Studios Inc., a full-service talent and management agency; and record label and production house 314 Studios.
Global children’s audio platform Yoto secured a $15 million funding package from HSBC UK‘s Growth Lending Fund to support its international growth. The funding will allow Yoto, which is based in the U.K. and currently operates in five countries, to extend its reach beyond those markets. Yoto additionally plans to expand the manufacture of its audio players and content cards to satisfy growing demand. The company says it expects to double its revenue with the funding.
