Music Industry Moves: Matt Pincus Raises $200 Million for Music Investment Firm

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Matt Pincus, founder of Songs publishing, has raised $200 million for his Music holding company to make long-term investments in a variety of music enterprises. The company, initially capitalized with $200 million, is a partnership between Pincus, LionTree, JS Capital Management and Schusterman Family Investments; it was founded as a joint venture with LionTree in 2019 and has invested in Splice, Dice, and others.

Based in New York, Music will look to take long-term positions in companies operating across three areas of the music business – the technology sector, record labels and music publishers, and companies dedicated to Web3 innovation, according to the announcement. As the company’s co-founder and CEO, Pincus will handle capital allocation, investments, and operations, as well as oversee governance of ongoing investments.

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“Institutional investors have been flocking to music because of the uncorrelated returns and strong growth the industry provides. But for most investors, music is just another asset that fits in their portfolio,” says Pincus. “At Music, we invest in talent, creativity, repertoire and innovation.  Good people reside all across the capital stack – from venture to growth to private equity to yield. To make the right investments in music, you need to bet on talent with flexible capital, ready for the long term.”

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Pincus founded the independent music publishing company Songs in 2004, which handled the catalogs of the Weeknd, Diplo, Lorde, DJ Mustard and others before being acquired by Kobalt Capital in 2017 for a reported $160 million.

Wednesday, May 25

Tanya Tucker has struck a deal with her longtime publicist Scott Adkins, of newly formed Adkins Entertainment, to represent her as a manager in all facets of her career.

She will also continue to be represented by Adkins Publicity. Previously, Tucker was managed by Sawyer & Garner.

“I wake up with a new to-do list every day! Scott and I have accomplished a lot together and we’ve got a lot more to do!” Tucker said via a statement.

Tucker has also aligned with Kurt Vitolo of KV Financial Group for business management and Derrek Kupish — Tucker’s longtime photographer, cinematographer and social media manager — has been named her creative director to execute the entertainer’s vision, brand and image.

“Tanya is a globally revered treasure. When Tanya speaks or sings, within a millisecond, you know it’s her. Her stylistic voice and fierce, badass personality are synonymous with her legacy as a media mogul, who continues to reign as a bonafide superstar entertainer. Tanya may be celebrating 50 years since releasing her mega hit ‘Delta Dawn,’ but she’s only scratched the surface of her indelible career!” Adkins said.

+ Tanya Keogh has joined Huxley in the newly created position of strategy director. Keogh will work alongside Anna Meacham, Huxley’s founder and director, to oversee all strategies for talent, brands, business, and team development.

“Tanya is amongst the most intentional and talented people I have ever worked with, and its pure joy to have her joining Huxley!” said Meacham in a statement.

Huxley’s roster includes Megan Thee Stallion, Paloma Elsesser, Adwoa Aboah, and the 1975, plus brands such as the Gurls Talk, Homer and pgLang among others.

Keogh formerly held a position as head of PR and publicity at Creativ House, where she worked with brands, including Formula 1 and sustainable fashion designer, Bethany Williams. Prior, she worked at Purple Entertainment, representing global talent, including Lewis Hamilton, Alicia Keys and Adwoa Aboah. She also holds experience as account director for Microsoft, Lenovo, and 3 Monkeys Communications.

Tuesday, May 24

Former Lady Gaga manager and Spotify exec Troy Carter and fellow Q&A co-founder Suzy Ryoo have announced the Venice Music Collective, an independent membership music community for creators powered by Web3. Launching this month, the collective is a place “where members are given access, opportunities and the ability to achieve greater wealth as an independent,” according to the announcement, which adds that “The goal is to empower and support independent artists and their careers in a more equitable way that currently exists.”

Membership provides access to industry contacts: distribution, sync, analytics, financial services, events, workspaces, and more, according to the announcement. Members can book studio time at the Venice studio in Los Angeles and rent video production equipment, only paying for shipping. For more information see https://mint.venicemusic.co

+ Ocean MacAdams, a veteran of MTV News, Watner Music, MSG Networks and Thrillist, has joined Amazon’s Amp as head of content strategy, programming and production. The app, launched in beta earlier this year, allows users to create live radio shows where they can act as a DJ, taking callers and playing tracks from a catalog of tens of millions of licensed songs; Joe Budden, Pusha T, Tinashe, Lil Yachty and others are broadcasting on the app.

“I’m thrilled to be joining Amp at Amazon,” MacAdams said. “Being able to work at the cross-section of music and technology is an incredible opportunity. What the Amp team is building is something music creators and fans will love equally and I can’t wait to be part of it.”

+ Island Records has named Nick Barr vice president of A&R and creative strategy. Based in Los Angeles, he will focus on signing new talent and marketing, digital and creative strategy and will report to co-CEOs Imran Majid and Justin Eshak for A&R and GM Mike Alexander for marketing and strategy. He has previously worked on creative campaigns for 300 Entertainment, Interscope Records, Capitol Records and others.

“Nick brings a unique skill set in identifying and nurturing talent early, while understanding key steps for breaking artists in a modern landscape,” Said Majid.  Alexander adds, “Nick’s ability to create and execute global strategies for new and established artists makes him a prominent addition to the Island team.”

+ Empire’s publishing division, in partnership with Warner Chappell Music Nashville, has signed a global publishing deal with Nashville based producer/songwriter Brandon Day. Over the course of his career Day has produced recordings by Brantley Gilbert, Plain White T’s, Austin Burke, and Steven Lee Olsen and written with Jimmie Allen, Granger Smith, Eli Young Band, Brantley Gilbert and Brent Kissel.

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