Avex Music Group said on Monday (April 27) that it plans to spend $100 million acquiring music copyrights, companies and publishing catalogs over the next 12 months.
Financed with capital from City National Bank, Avex said its first acquisition in the portfolio is the publishing catalog of Teddy Swims’ collaborator and songwriter, Infamous, whose given name is Marco Rodriguez. Infamous’ work includes credits on Swims’ hit “Lose Control,” as well as songs performed by Lil Wayne and Charlie Puth.
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Avex’s ambitions are to build a portfolio of music IP to complement its frontline business. The company recently inked a global publishing admin deal with Bruno Mars, and is the publishing company behind Kehlani co-writer Kamal Wilson, Drake co-writer Elkan and Tate McRae co-writer Grant Boutin.
“At Avex Music Group, we are focused on investing in culturally defining music at every stage, from creation through long-term ownership,” said Brandon Silverstein, CEO of Avex Music Group and founder of S10. “Our success in frontline publishing has created strong global momentum, and expanding into catalog is a natural evolution of that strategy. This initial $100 million represents the first phase of a broader, long-term commitment to building a scaled global catalog business.”
Silverstein will oversee acquisitions alongside Avex Music Group Chief Financial Officer Ryusuke (Ryan) Kamada and Spencer LeBoff, Avex’s head of publishing and acquisitions.
Avex Music Group is the music-focused subsidiary of Tokyo-based Avex Inc, a global entertainment company that generates around $1 billion annually.
