Earlier this week, MBW revealed that BMG and investment giant KKR have jointly committed to spending over $1bn on music copyrights (for starters) via a new deal-hunting partnership.
Today, another US-based investment firm has unveiled plans to pour ten figures of fresh money into the music business, as Dallas-based Outlander Fund and Netherlands-based CTM BV announce a strategic alliance to acquire music publishing and master rights.
CTM Co-Founder and CEO André de Raaff is well known for having co-founded the successful music company Imagem, which launched in 2007 as a co-venture with Dutch pension fund APG. In June 2017, Imagem was bought by Concord Bicycle Music for circa $550 million.
Now, de Raaff’s new venture with Outlander, CTM Outlander Music LP, says that its ambition is to invest $1 billion in copyrights over the next five years.
CTM Outlander Music has already closed its first catalog deal with the acquisition of over 1,000 songs from Sweden-based TEN Music Group, established by successful Swedish singer, producer and composer Ola Håkansson.
The catalog includes hits by Rihanna, Shakira, Panic! At the Disco, and Zara Larsson’s worldwide hit Lush Life, which has been streamed over 950 million times on Spotify alone.
The fund says that it will create NFTs “representing legendary artists, iconic songs, and unforgettable musical moments… with provable legal rights in the song, the likeness of the artist, and/or in the footage used”.
Ola Håkansson, Founder of TEN Music Group, said: “We are convinced that the new partnership between Outlander and CTM, together with André and CTM’s longstanding experience and reputation in music publishing, will provide a great new home for TEN’s publishing catalog.”
“We are convinced that the new partnership between Outlander and CTM, together with André and CTM’s longstanding experience and reputation in music publishing, will provide a great new home for TEN’s publishing catalog.”
Ola Håkansson, TEN Music Group
Outlander counts Les Ware, co-founder and Chairman of patent management firm Marconi, as one of its Principals. Ware commented: “We have carefully studied the music IP market for some time now.”
“Technology is changing the music market very rapidly and we have the deep expertise necessary to navigate and profit from these changes.”
Les Ware, Outlander
He added: “We have been managing intellectual property for the past 30 years and believe that the time has come to bring our expertise to bear on the music industry.
“Technology is changing the music market very rapidly and we have the deep expertise necessary to navigate and profit from these changes.
“The TEN acquisition fits our strategic goals and serves as a robust foundation for our fund’s music acquisitions. In cooperation with André we trust that this is the first of many, many purchases.”
“We are thrilled about our relationship with Outlander and its principals’ proven investment savvy, and look forward to many profitable acquisitions with Outlander.”
André de Raaff, CEO of CTM Entertainment, stated: “We are thrilled about our relationship with Outlander and its principals’ proven investment savvy, and look forward to many profitable acquisitions with Outlander.
“We thank Ola Håkansson for his trust and we look forward to managing the TEN portfolio.”Music Business Worldwide
