Moonbug Entertainment, the company behind a host of major kids’ entertainment titles, has inked an exclusive global partnership deal with Universal Music Group (UMG).
Under the terms of the agreement, UMG will provide worldwide distribution, publishing and licensing for the Moonbug Music label and its popular kids and family music catalogs, including CoComelon, Little Baby Bum and Blippi.
Universal says this catalog currently generates more than 150 million monthly streams across Moonbug brands.
The multi-year partnership will see UMG work with Moonbug to maximize its catalog through sync and licensing, and capitalize on its IP through Universal Music Publishing (UMPG) worldwide.
UMG says it will leverage its expertise in publishing, distribution and its global network of 300+ partners and DSPs to bring Moonbug’s library of audio entertainment to families all over the world
Moonbug currently has two of the top 20 most-watched YouTube videos in history, with Bath Song from CoComelon being viewed more than 4.4 billion times.
“Music plays a critical role not only in our company’s growth strategy but also in childhood development.”
René Rechtman, Moonbug Entertainment
René Rechtman, co-founder and CEO of Moonbug Entertainment, said: “We could not be more thrilled to partner with a respected and influential industry powerhouse like Universal Music Group to expand the possibilities of our music content.
“Music plays a critical role not only in our company’s growth strategy but also in childhood development.
“We look forward to the possibilities for our already popular nursery rhymes and songs, and the new music that we’ll produce together.”
“We have seen tremendous growth in the kids and family segment in recent years.”
Sir Lucian Grainge, Universal Music Group
Sir Lucian Grainge, Chairman & CEO, Universal Music Group, added: “We are delighted to partner with Moonbug Entertainment, reinforcing UMG’s position as the leading distributor and publisher of kids music globally.
“We have seen tremendous growth in the kids and family segment in recent years, thanks to advances in streaming and voice-technology.
“We look forward to working with Rene and the talented Moonbug team to amplify the reach of their catalog to families around the world, and to further improve the accessibility of music for children of all ages.”
Music business activity around kids’ music consumption has notably increased in the past few years.
In 2019, Sony Music UK launched the Magic Star label in a move to sign, develop and market artists and branded projects to family entertainment audiences. In February, Sony also inked an exclusive worldwide music partnership with Los Angeles-based toy company MGA Entertainment.
Universal, meanwhile, partnered with Lego in April 2020, and in January, the two companies launched Vidiyo, an augmented reality music video making app.
Music Business Worldwide
