Amsterdam-headquartered Armada Music – the Armin van Buuren co-founded label behind such dance/techno legends as Chicane and Paul Van Dyk – announced last year the launch of BEAT Music Fund, which it described as the first-ever dance music investment fund.
At the time, Armada said it planned to spend $100 million on catalog acquisitions in its first two years; the company now says it’s planning $500 million in investments within the next five years.
Its latest acquisition is Netherlands-based label and publisher Cloud 9 Music, whose publishing division will merge with Armada’s existing publishing company, Armada Publishing B.V., under the new name Armada Music Publishing.
Cloud 9 employees will join the team, in effect tripling the headcount of Armada’s publishing arm.
Armada co-founder and CEO Maykel Piron will oversee Armada Music Publishing; CFO Margôt Hölscher, General Manager Michel Peek, and Head of Publishing Administration Ronald Visser will make up the rest of Armada Music Publishing’s leadership team.
To manage this larger new organization, Armada has set up a new parent company, Armada Music Group, which will encompass Armada’s label, publishing and investments arms.
The new parent company is designed to “seamlessly offer label, publishing, and catalog acquisition services under one roof with a mission to bolster creativity for current and prospective representation,” the company said on Tuesday (April 16).
“This acquisition is significant to us and will boost our ability to empower today’s dance artists and expand their opportunities to monetize their work in the current landscape,” Piron said in a statement.
“Now more than ever, today’s artists need a trusted partner. Providing label, publishing services and opportunities within catalog investment all under one roof directly fuels our ongoing mission to advocate for dance artists, contribute to their success, and uphold the value of creativity.”
The new expanded publishing division will represent such dance-music talents as Armin van Buuren (who, along with Piron and David Lewis, co-founded Armada in 2003), Brennan Heart, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, D.O.D, Dubvision, Kevin Saunderson, Nervo, Reinier Zonneveld, Sander van Doorn, Vini Vici, W&W, Yulia Niko, Priska, KDYN and others.
Armada’s publishing catalog includes dance hits such as van Buuren’s Grammy-nominated This Is What It Feels Like, as well as Reality by Lost Frequencies and Da Beatfreakz’ co-writer share in Prada, originally performed by Cassö, D-Block Europe, and Raye.
“This acquisition is significant to us and will boost our ability to empower today’s dance artists and expand their opportunities to monetize their work in the current landscape.”
Maykel Piron, Armada Music Group
Armada Music, the label, says it owns “the globe’s biggest dance music catalog of over 40,000 tracks,” and – besides van Buuren – represents some of the most prominent artists in electronic music, including Lilly Palmer, ARTY, Audien, Miss Monique, Ferry Corsten, Jan Blomqvist, Loud Luxury, and Tensnake.
The company says it clocks more than 1 billion streams per month.
Armada’s BEAT Music Fund launched a year ago with the support of Pinnacle Financial Partners, a Nashville, Tennessee-based financial services firm whose assets include about $2 billion invested in entertainment-related assets. (Pinnacle was also the lead bank in a consortium that last year raised $100 million for Cutting Edge Group, which just this week announced a $500-million debt refinancing with a syndicate of four banks led by US-based Fifth Third Bank and Northleaf Capital Partners.)
Since then, BEAT Music Fund has been busy, acquiring the master recordings catalog of KMS Records, which was founded by house and techno legend Kevin Saunderson, and the master and publishing catalogs of musician, DJ and producer ARTY, a.k.a. Alpha 9.
Not long after, it acquired the master and catalog rights of Chocolate Puma, the duo consisting of Dutch producers Rene ter Horst and Gaston Steenkist, a.k.a. Dj Zki & Dobre, or The Good Men. It also acquired New York-headquartered indie dance label King Street Sounds.
Late last year it announced the acquisition of “a significant portion” of the catalog of VIVa MUSiC, the UK-headquartered label launched in 2006 by DJ Steve Lawler, as well as the entire back catalog of Sola Records.Music Business Worldwide
