Sony Music Masterworks acquired a majority stake Black Sky Creativea company that produces immersive entertainment, experiential retail and live experiences for IPs and brands. Black Sky will become part of Masterworks' live division and will focus on creating scalable experiential properties in music, film/TV, gaming and more. Founder of Black Sky Jeff Delson will continue to lead the day-to-day operation of the company, while his partners Lee Rosen and Shannon Ramirez will work to develop new projects for Masterworks in close collaboration with the President of Masterworks Mark Cavell.
Independent label Oh Boy Records signed a worldwide distribution deal Secret Distribution. Oh Boy Records was founded in 1981 by singer-songwriter John Prine and continues to be run by the late artist's family. Oh Boy's catalog includes albums by Prine, Kelsey Waldon, Swamp Dogg, Alice Randall and Arlo McKinley. Oh Boy Dan Reeder's album Shivers and music by folk trio Palmyra will be among the first new Oh Boy titles to be handled by Secretly Distribution's global team and distribution network. – Jessica Nicholson
Audio Chateau Recordsthe new company launched by Audio Up Media has raised $4.5 million in funding from investors including Glenn Barros, Gillian Hormel and Jonathan Shulman. The company also announced part of its leadership team, with Barros (managing partner at Exceleration Music) and Schulman acting as the first appointed members of Audio Chateau's board of directors. Elsewhere, Grayson Flatness (formerly of Sounds Good) joins Audio Chateau as an A&R consultant and Kate London has been appointed head of legal and business affairs, a role he also serves at Audio Up Media. Audio Chateau's roster of artists includes Grupo Linea, Uncle Drank, Randy Savvy of the Compton Cowboys and Maejor Audio Sunshine, described in a press release as a “health and wellness supergroup” that includes the founder of Audio Up Jared Gudstadt along with artists Maejor and Bipolar Sunshine.
ODA teamed up with a former Hall of Fame athlete and banker Travis Wilson'small FTS Global Management to provide worldwide distribution for FTS artists including The Game, Eric Bellinger and Konshens.
Resale market Tixel works with Stuart GalbraithUK concert and festival promoter Kilimanjaro Live. Through the deal, Tixel will provide Kilimanjaro with tools that enhance transparency and fairness, including dynamic pricing and secure resale options for fans, while also offering insight into Kilimanjaro's customer base. “We are thrilled to announce Tixel as our partner for a series of KMJ shows,” said KMJ Entertainment's Chief Partner Elliot Brough in a statement. “This partnership marks our first steps to offer secure resale of tickets for fans who cannot attend and to ensure that live music fans do not take advantage of musicians. Working with Tixel not only provides us with valuable data, but also opens up opportunities to develop unique strategies for our future events. “
Spotify collaborates with the anime brand Crunchyrollwhich will now have custom playlists “Curated by Crunchyroll” in Spotify's Anime hub as well as an “exclusive content shelf” within the hub, including the Crunchyroll podcast Crunchyroll Presents: The Anime Effect. The hub will also feature a number of editorially curated playlists, including Anime Now, Anime on Replay and Women of Anime. “We're thrilled to be partnering with Crunchyroll to bring listeners a new curation of anime music to explore,” he said. Kiota OnishiSpotify's head of music in Japan, in a statement. “On Spotify, global anime streams have grown in recent years, and we hope Anime Hub will become an integral part of anime culture.”
French streamer Deezer has signed a multi-year co-distribution partnership with the global sports streaming service DAZN. Starting in France, Deezer users will be offered premium access to DAZN, with DAZN offering similar access to Deezer users later in the year. Through the agreement, both companies will collaborate through marketing initiatives and create co-branded sports and music experiences. A global expansion is planned on the way, starting with Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Synchtankwhich provides asset, rights and royalties software for the music business, has partnered with AI-based lyrics and lyrics separation company AudioShake. Through the deal, Synchtank users will be able to create AudioShake stems directly into their workflows, which can then be used for remixes, immersive mixing, fan engagement and more. “Synchronization deals move quickly and in this industry it's important for artists and labels to act quickly,” said AudioShake Co-Founder/CEO Jessica Powell in a statement. “AI executives help prevent rights holders from missing out on opportunities and revenue in timing, marketing or fan engagement. Working with Synchtank allows us to bring high-quality audio separation directly into the workflow of rights holders worldwide.”
Virgin Music Group works with Riot Games to release the soundtrack album for Season 2 of the Riot Games animated series Esoteric on Netflix. Virgin will distribute the album worldwide with the exception of China, where Tencent will distribute. The Emmy Award-winning Esotericwhose first season debuted on Netflix in November 2021, focuses on two champions from Riot's League of Legends game. Season 1 featured Imagine Dragons' “Enemy” as its theme song, with the total soundtrack garnering more than 5.6 billion global streams, according to a press release. Season 2 is set to debut in November, with the soundtrack album due sometime this fall.
