South Korean investment and management company Beyond Music has acquired Puerto Rican reggaetón star Yandel's music catalog, including his publishing interests and rights, his share of performance rights and neighboring rights.
The acquisition is a “first of its kind” for an Asian music label to directly acquire a catalog of Latin artists, according to a press release, which said Beyond “seeks to diversify its portfolio and [this] The deal marks the company's first step into the fast-growing Latin market.” The deal follows HYBE's acquisition of Exile Music, the music division of Spanish-language studio Exile Content, in November.
“We are deeply humbled by Yandel's extraordinary artistry and unparalleled career and honored to work with him as he moves to the next height of his career,” Beyond Music CEO Jangwon Lee he said in a statement. “As a leading custodian of some of the most iconic non-English-language musical works, we seek to support a truly emerging creativity in Latin and Asian music ecosystems. We see similar characteristics of amazing growth in both Latin Pop and Asian Pop (including K-Pop) and hope to share and connect the best of both worlds.”
Since its inception in 2021, Beyond Music has invested primarily in Asian catalogs and now owns more than 37,000 Asian and international music rights. In December 2022, the company made its first North American acquisition when it bought the catalog of Canadian producer-songwriter Greg Wells, who has produced and written songs with Adele, Taylor Swift, John Legend and Dua Lipa.
Acquiring Yandel's catalog is a power move. A bona fide hit maker, the singer-songwriter started out in the late 1990s as one half of the duo Wisin & Yandel, which released countless hits including “Abusadora” and “Rakata.” Yandel began a full-fledged solo career in 2013 and has since released a total of eight solo albums, including 2013's De Líder a Leyendawhich peaked at No. 1 on Advertising signChart of Top Latin Albums.
Last year, Yandel scored his first solo entry on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Yandel 150” featuring Feid. The pair released a joint EP titled Event 20-05 on Thursday (April 11).
