Recent Posts
News•Feb 27, 2026
How Jeff Waye and Patrick Curley Built Third Side Music Into an Indie Publishing Powerhouse with USD $25M in Annual...
Third Side Music, founded in Montreal with a $150,000 seed investment, has become an indie publishing powerhouse generating over $25 million in annual revenue in 2025 without outside capital. The company averages 15‑20% year‑over‑year growth, driven by a 75,000‑plus‑title catalog and a global sync operation that placed tracks in high‑profile TV shows and brand campaigns. Notable sync successes, such as Wolf Parade’s song doubling its Spotify streams, illustrate the firm’s ability to turn under‑exploited repertoire into sizable income. Co‑founders Jeff Waye and Patrick Curley emphasize an artist‑first model, selective catalog acquisitions, and new partnership structures for 2026.
By Music Business Worldwide (MBW)
News•Feb 27, 2026
Reservoir Receives Unsolicited $1.2B Bid From Activist Investor Irenic Capital (Report)
Activist fund Irenic Capital Management has lodged an unsolicited takeover offer for Reservoir Media, valuing the Nasdaq‑listed music rights company at $1.1‑$1.2 billion, or $10‑$11 per share. Irenic, which owns roughly 9.2% of Reservoir, triggered a 15% surge in the stock...
By Music Business Worldwide (MBW)
News•Feb 27, 2026
Primary Wave in Talks to Potentially Acquire Kobalt Music Group
Primary Wave is in advanced talks to acquire Kobalt Music Group, with a potential valuation north of $1.5 billion—roughly double the price paid by private‑equity owner Francisco Partners in 2022. The deal would merge Primary Wave’s $6 billion catalog portfolio with Kobalt’s...
By Music Business Worldwide (MBW)
News•Feb 27, 2026
Julie Lamb Promoted to Chief Talent Officer at AEG’s AXS; Jason Boxer Upped to Chief Financial Officer
Julie Lamb has been promoted to Chief Talent Officer of AEG’s ticketing arm AXS, while Jason Boxer moves up to Chief Financial Officer. Both previously served as senior vice presidents—Lamb in HR and Boxer in accounting and finance. Their new...
By Music Business Worldwide (MBW)
News•Feb 26, 2026
Charles Goldstuck’s GoldState Secures ‘Significant’ Bridgepoint Investment for Growth Equity Fund Targeting Music Companies
GoldState Music announced a strategic partnership with Bridgepoint Group, which will act as lead investor in a new Growth Strategy fund aimed at scaling music‑focused businesses. Unlike its prior billion‑dollar fundraising rounds that centered on catalog acquisitions, the new vehicle...
By Music Business Worldwide (MBW)
News•Feb 26, 2026
The Circuit Group Launches Indie Artist and Label Services Arm, Beat Switch
The Circuit Group has officially launched Beat Switch Music Services, a white‑label infrastructure offering for independent labels and artists. After two years of silent development, the division now supports more than 20 indie labels, providing distribution, rights management, publishing, marketing,...
By Music Business Worldwide (MBW)
News•Feb 26, 2026
‘End Streaming Fraud.’
Streaming fraud—artificial plays generated by bots and AI‑created content—is siphoning royalties from legitimate artists, songwriters, and labels. Fraudsters exploit gaps in distributor and platform safeguards, inflating streams to capture revenue from the finite pool that streaming services allocate. The IFPI...
By Music Business Worldwide (MBW)
Deals•Feb 26, 2026
GoldState Music Secures Bridgepoint Group Investment for New Growth Equity Fund
GoldState Music, founded by Charles Goldstuck, announced a strategic partnership with Bridgepoint Group, which will act as lead investor in GoldState’s new Growth Strategy fund targeting music and music‑adjacent companies. Financial terms were undisclosed, but the fund aims to deploy...
Music Business Worldwide (MBW)
News•Feb 25, 2026
Sony Group’s Blueprint for AI Music Detection Tech Is Promising. Here’s What It’s Working On…
Sony AI is advancing AI‑generated music detection through three research strands: attribution via an "unlearning" technique that isolates training songs influencing a generated track, segment‑level recognition with CLEWS that matches musical snippets as short as ten seconds, and protection using...
By Music Business Worldwide (MBW)
News•Feb 25, 2026
Miley Cyrus Asks Court to Dismiss ‘Flowers’ Copyright Case, Calling Similarities to Bruno Mars Hit ‘Commonplace’ and Unprotectable
Miley Cyrus’s legal team filed a motion to dismiss Tempo Secured Music Rights Collateral’s copyright lawsuit alleging her 2023 hit “Flowers” copies elements of Bruno Mars’s 2013 ballad “When I Was Your Man.” Tempo, a music‑rights fund now controlled by Warner Music Group,...
By Music Business Worldwide (MBW)
News•Feb 25, 2026
Sony Music Publishing Launches in the Philippines, Appoints Stephanie Ortiz as General Manager for the Market
Sony Music Publishing has launched its first Philippine office in Manila, appointing Stephanie Ortiz as General Manager. Ortiz reports to newly named Asia President Roslyn Pineda, who operates from Hong Kong. The office will serve local labels, collection societies, and...
By Music Business Worldwide (MBW)
News•Feb 25, 2026
Min Hee-Jin Proposes to Forgo $18M Court Win in Exchange for HYBE Dropping All Lawsuits Against Her, NewJeans, Ex-Employees and...
Min Hee‑jin, former ADOR CEO, offered to forgo a KRW 25.6 billion (≈US $17.9 million) court award in exchange for HYBE dropping every civil and criminal lawsuit involving her, NewJeans, former staff and fans. The proposal follows a Seoul court ruling that ordered HYBE...
By Music Business Worldwide (MBW)
News•Feb 24, 2026
Lauren Demarte Promoted to Chief Operating Officer at GoDigital Music
Lauren Demarte has been promoted to chief operating officer of GoDigital Music, becoming the company’s first COO. The appointment follows GoDigital’s recent $230 million financing round, which pushes total capital raised above $1 billion and coincides with a brand revamp that splits...
By Music Business Worldwide (MBW)
Deals•Feb 24, 2026
Music Startup Mogul Raises $5M in Funding Round Led by Yamaha Music Innovations Fund
Mogul, a music royalty tracking startup, announced a $5 million funding round led by the Yamaha Music Innovations Fund, with participation from Urban Innovation Fund, Mindset Ventures, Fairway Capital Partners, Amplify LA and Wonder Ventures. The capital will be used to...
Music Business Worldwide (MBW)
News•Feb 23, 2026
Salt-N-Pepa File Notice of Appeal over UMG Lawsuit Dismissal, with ‘Blurred Lines’ Lawyer as Counsel
Grammy‑winning rap duo Salt‑N‑Pepa have filed a notice of appeal after a district judge dismissed their lawsuit against Universal Music Group seeking to terminate UMG’s ownership of their master recordings. The lower‑court ruling held that the duo never owned the...
By Music Business Worldwide (MBW)
News•Feb 23, 2026
AI-Driven Kids Media Firm Animaj Strikes Global Deal with The Orchard’s Magic Star and Sony Music Publishing
Animaj, a digital‑first kids media company, has signed a global music partnership with Magic Star, The Orchard’s children’s division, and Sony Music Publishing. Magic Star will distribute Animaj’s recordings worldwide while Sony will administer publishing rights for its song catalog....
By Music Business Worldwide (MBW)
News•Feb 23, 2026
Atlantic Music Group Strikes Joint Venture with Indie Label Today Is Vintage
Atlantic Music Group announced a joint venture with indie label Today Is Vintage, founded by Swedish entrepreneur Rebin Shah. Today Is Vintage, operating from Stockholm, London and Los Angeles, has generated over 20 billion streams and more than 80 gold and platinum...
By Music Business Worldwide (MBW)
Deals•Feb 17, 2026
Alliance Entertainment Completes Acquisition of Endstate
Alliance Entertainment, a US physical entertainment distributor, announced it has completed its acquisition of technology firm Endstate. The deal enables Alliance to launch the NFC-enabled Endstate Authentic platform and expand into premium vinyl collectibles. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Music Business Worldwide (MBW)
Deals•Feb 17, 2026
MusicBird Acquires Majid Jordan Publishing Catalog
Switzerland-based music rights company MusicBird announced it has acquired the publishing catalog of Toronto-based R&B duo Majid Jordan, adding over 2,000 songs to its portfolio. The deal includes the duo’s publishers’ and writers’ shares, covering hits such as 'Her' and...
Music Business Worldwide (MBW)
Deals•Feb 12, 2026
Warner Music Group to Sell EMP Merchandise Business
Warner Music Group announced plans to divest its EMP merchandise e‑retailer, which it bought for $180 million in 2018. The sale is expected to close in Q2 of fiscal 2026, with no buyer or price disclosed.
Music Business Worldwide (MBW)