Chaka Khan Partners With HarbourView & More Music Industry Deals

REPUBLIC Collective signed a multi-year global partnership with New York-based company ZIZA Inc. to launch ZIZA Records, a label that will center on developing the global profile of South Asian artists and catalogs.

“This partnership reflects the continued global expansion of South Asian music,” said Jeffrey Remedios, president and CEO of REPUBLIC Collective. “Shivam and the ZIZA team have built a strong foundation in the space, and we see an opportunity to grow that internationally together.”

ZIZA Records will focus on signing and developing artists from the South Asian diaspora, particularly acts with traction in North America, the U.K., Europe, Australia and the Middle East. It will additionally prioritize creating catalog opportunities through worldwide distribution, synch and marketing. ZIZA Records will also explore opportunities concerning brand partnerships, live experiences and cross-market collaborations.

“REPUBLIC Collective represents the gold standard of modern music culture and global artist development.” said Shivam Malhotra, founder of ZIZA Inc. and its associated company Malsons Ventures. “For us, this partnership is the beginning of a long-term movement to position South Asian music at the center of the global mainstream. Jeffrey, Avery, and the entire Republic team understand both the cultural value and the commercial scale of what’s coming next. Their belief in our vision, combined with their unmatched global infrastructure, makes Republic the ideal partner to build ZIZA Records into a defining force for this generation of artists. Together, we’re creating a platform that will not only break talent globally but reshape how the world experiences South Asian music.”

Live Nation acquired a majority stake in Movistar Arena Buenos Aires. According to a press release, the 15,000-capacity venue, which opened in 2019, hosts more than 250 events each year and welcomes more than 2.5 million fans annually. The arena will remain “available to all qualified promoters,” the release adds.

The arena’s former majority owner, La Nación, will remain a shareholder.

“Movistar Arena Buenos Aires is one of the premier venues in Latin America,” said Michael Rapino, president and CEO of Live Nation Entertainment. “We are excited to support the Movistar Arena team in providing a first-class environment for artists and fans.”

“Since opening our doors, Movistar Arena Buenos Aires has become a benchmark for live entertainment in Argentina and across Latin America,” said Gabriel Dantur, CEO of Movistar Arena Buenos Aires. “Live Nation’s investment reflects the strength of what the team has built over the past several years, and we will continue to enhance the experience for artists, fans, partners, and promoters.”

Universal Music Group (UMG) signed a partnership with Solution One (S1), a Thai music distributor and music publishing services company. Through the deal, UMG has become a “significant minority investor” in S1.

Founded by CEO Karlcharn Kongkatong and co-founder Apsornsopha Sariman in 2001, S1 works with a network of songwriters, producers, artists, creators and independent labels in Thailand, providing distribution, publishing, production, licensing and artist services. It additionally operates in-house production facilities, including Dolby Atmos studios.

Kongkatong will continue leading S1 and its publishing/royalty administration arm, D1, as CEO alongside the company’s existing management team.

Calvin Wong, CEO of Universal Music South East Asia & Korea & senior vp of Asia, said: “This partnership reflects our continuous commitment to Thai music and is an exciting next step in our strategy to expand our presence in high-growth markets. We are delighted to work closely with Karl, a visionary entrepreneur who has built the largest local distribution in Thailand and together take S1 to the next level.”

Added Kongkatong, “This partnership is an important step for the future of Thai music. By combining S1’s digital distribution and production expertise, D1’s publishing and rights management capabilities, and UMG’s global network, we are creating a stronger platform to bring Thai artists, creators, and intellectual property to audiences worldwide.”

Epic Records U.K. has announced a joint venture with Stay Solid Music Entertainment, an artist-led management and entertainment company founded by Fawaz Thompson and Darren Danquah. Unknown T, Stay Solid’s flagship client, has achieved multiple top 20 placings on the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart, most recently in 2021 with Adolescence (No. 8).

Sarah Lockhart, president of Epic Records U.K., said: “By their trusted association, FT (Fawaz) and Papes (Darren) have quietly influenced the tapestry of the UK’s vibrant music scenes for over a decade. Entrenched in London’s pioneering creative communities, they innately understand the UK’s impact on global scenes, music and taste.”

Fawaz Thompson (FT) and Darren Danquah (Papes), founders of Stay Solid Music Entertainment, added: “Epic’s recognition is a defining moment for us. As the industry evolves, we appreciate the progressive approach that Sarah has taken by recognising and empowering those who are actively contributing on the ground. Stay Solid isn’t just a record label and management company, it’s a lifestyle label.”  — Thomas Smith

Universal Music Greater China (UMGC) acquired the Carrier Creative recorded music catalog, which includes the rights of “golden-era” Mandopop artists of the ’80s and ’90s, according to a press release. This is the first catalog acquisition by UMGC in the region.

Artists whose works are included in the deal include the group Little Tigers, singer-songwriter Johnny Chiang, You Huan Pai Dui, Hong Hai Er, Girl Group, Nicky Wu and Alec Su.

The deal comes in the wake of a strategic partnership launched between UMGC and Skyhigh Entertainment, which previously managed the catalog, in 2025. That agreement led to the restoration, remastering and global streaming relaunch of more than 600 recordings and 66 albums.

Timothy Xu, chairman & CEO of Universal Music Greater China, said: “The Little Tigers, Johnny Chiang and the broader Carrier Creative catalog represent one of the most important chapters in the history of Chinese-language popular music. These songs helped shape the sound, identity and collective memory of an entire generation. We are deeply grateful to Shirley Miao for her trust in placing this extraordinary catalog with Universal Music, and we will honour that trust by preserving its legacy while creating new possibilities for these works in the years ahead.”

Shirley Miao, founder of Carrier Creative, added: “These songs have been my life’s work. For nearly forty years, I have devoted myself to caring for this catalog and carrying it through different eras. There is a great deal of emotion in finally passing it on. What matters most to me is knowing they are now in the hands of people and a company I truly trust. I believe Tim and the UMGC team will continue to care for these works with the passion, respect, and long-term commitment they deserve.”

SingFit, a platform designed to facilitate engagement with music among senior adults and their caregivers, is partnering with AARP to give AARP members and registered users free music resources and discounted access to the platform. According to a press release, SingFit is already used in more than 1,000 senior living communities and skilled nursing facilities in the U.S.

“SingFit is built to encourage more people to sing, an activity research has shown can impact our minds and our bodies in a range of positive ways,” said SingFit co-founder and CEO Rachel Francine. “We’re extremely pleased that AARP has recognized our platform’s ability to support caregivers and help reduce their burden by actively using the instrument we all have, our voices.”

Lyric licensing company LyricFind has integrated with SwaLay Digital, an India-based indie music distribution and protection platform. Through the agreement, LyricFind’s Rotor Videos — which allows artists to create “professional-quality videos” for their songs in minutes — will be integrated into SwaLay Digital for all artists who release their music through the platform, according to a press release.

Using Rotor Videos, artists can upload their tracks, choose the type of visual asset they’d like to create, and pick from a library of more than 9 million professional video clips and visual styles. From these prompts, Rotor Videos can then create full-length lyric videos, visualizers, Spotify Canvas, Apple Music Album Motion, animated album art and short-form social clips.

“Collaborations like this one with SwaLay are the reason why we brought Rotor Videos into the LyricFind ecosystem,” said Darryl Ballantyne, founder & CEO of LyricFind. “Independent artists increasingly need strong visual content to compete, but the cost and complexity of creating that content can stop great music from reaching its audience. By working with SwaLay, we can help make professional video creation available to more artists in one of the world’s most dynamic music markets.”

Added Nikhil Jain, CEO of SwaLay Digital, “Independent artists deserve the same tools the majors take for granted. Bringing SwaLay together with Rotor Videos by LyricFind puts world class music video creation into the hands of every artist on our platform. It is one more gap closed for the people we built this for.”

Indie music distributor and services company Amuse is expanding its label services division via a new partnership with Swedish indie label and management company TEN, which has launched artists including Zara Larsson and Icona Pop. The pact encompasses full-service support, including frontline management for new releases and artist projects, catalog optimization, UCG management, access to physical distribution and royalty reporting.

Concurrently, Amuse announced the launch of a new insights platform that will bring cross-platform reporting and analytics together with distributor-level data. “The platform will pull a label or management team’s whole operation into one workspace, providing a clearer view of their catalogues, release campaigns and growth opportunities across markets, DSPs and social media,” the release states. The platform also features a “market-specific alert system” that allows companies to act on momentum in a specific territory or platform. A beta will open this month with select partners, an invite-only version will follow in Q3 and a fuller release will be available in Q4.

“Independent labels are operating with more ambition, speed and complexity than ever,” said Giorgio D’Ambrosio, CEO of Amuse, in a statement about the new platform. “They need a partner that combines distribution, hands-on services and meaningful data without friction — and one whose own independence isn’t up for negotiation. We’ve spent years building that around artists, and we’re now extending it to the labels and managers.”

Cantilever, a curated streaming platform for indie music that says it will provide “user-centric payments” to artists, has raised 250,000 pounds from 20 investors, including indie record labels and individual investors from those labels. The group of investors, all supporters of The Organization for Recorded Culture and Arts (ORCA), includes !K7, Because, City Slang, Domino, Everlasting, Exceleration, Hopeless, Ninja Tune, Partisan, Playground, Secret City, Secretly Group and Sub Pop.

The new investment completes Cantilever’s targeted pre-seed round.

Aaron Skates, Cantilever’s founder, said in a statement: “Cantilever was built to serve independent record labels and artists, so having over a dozen of the world’s leading independents backing us is the strongest validation we could ask for. This funding will allow us to make our first hires, improve the user experience and accelerate growth, with partners who have a genuine stake in the company’s success and know exactly who we’re trying to reach.”

Patrick Clifton, ORCA’s executive director, added: “Cantilever’s proposition allows for immersion in the musicians’ art in a way that’s atypical in today’s environment of content overload. ORCA’s supporters were united in their desire to see it succeed.”

Live Nation signed a multi-year partnership with hardware chain Lowe’s. Through the deal, MyLowe’s Rewards and MyLowe’s Pro Rewards members will be eligible for exclusive concert perks including discounted kids tickets and complimentary lawn chair rentals.

The partnership also makes Lowe’s the first presenting partner of Live Nation’s new amphitheater tailgate experience at select venues this summer. The spaces, held in parking lots prior to concerts, will merge live entertainment, food and beverage offerings, and programming from Lowe’s vendor partners.

“Music is one of the things that brings people together — families, friends and entire communities — and we love being part of the moments people look forward to all year long,” said Jen Wilson, Lowe’s senior vp and chief marketing officer. “Through this partnership, we’re leveraging live music to reach new and younger audiences while giving our existing members exclusive perks that make these experiences even more rewarding. It’s all about helping families make the most of a night out and rewarding loyalty by showing up in meaningful ways beyond the home.”

“When fans come out to a show, they want the whole night to feel special,” added Russell Wallach, global president of media & sponsorship at Live Nation. “Jen and the Lowe’s team really understood that from the start. We saw an opportunity to build around the moments fans already love during the summer and create more ways for people to spend time together before the music even starts through our new tailgate spaces presented by Lowe’s.”

Audoo, a tech company whose patented Audio Meter technology supports PROs and CMOs by providing real-time data around music that’s played at public performance locations, partnered with Music Venue Trust (MVT) for an initiative designed to assess whether currently royalty distribution methodologies accurately reflect the music being played in grassroots venues in the U.K.

Under the deal, Audoo’s Audio Meters — small devices that can be deployed in public performance spaces — will be deployed across a “statistically significant” portion of 120 grassroots music venues in the U.K., according to a press release, to capture a representative sample of music being played in the grassroots venue sector. MVT is a U.K.-based charity aimed at protecting and supporting grassroots music venues in the country.

“The partnership is rooted in a growing concern across the independent music sector that public performance royalties collected from venues are not being distributed based on accurate data,” the release reads. As a result, it adds, “those genuinely shaping the rooms and attracting audiences may not receive an equitable share of the royalties generated by the very licence fees those venues are required to pay.”

Mark Davyd, founder and CEO of Music Venue Trust, said: “Grassroots music venues pay significant licence fees every year, and venue operators rightly expect that money to flow back to the artists and songwriters whose music they actually champion. The concern for many years has been that existing reporting methodologies do not adequately reflect what is happening culturally within grassroots spaces. This partnership with Audoo allows us to contribute meaningful data and evidence to that conversation.”

Ryan Edwards, founder and CEO of Audoo, added: “For too long, public performance royalty distributions have relied on inaccurate proxy data sources that do not fully represent the diversity of music being played in venues across the UK – something we have successfully helped to evolve around the world. Audoo was created to revolutionise an outdated system and provide a scalable and accurate solution, and by partnering with Music Venue Trust, we have an opportunity to demonstrate how data can help create a fairer and more transparent ecosystem for venues, artists and songwriters alike.”

Music marketing and fan data platform Feature.fm partnered with SonoSuite, the music SaaS company that offers white-label technological infrastructure. Under the deal, Feature.fm’s marketing automation technology will be directly integrated into the SonoSuite distribution ecosystem.

The deal will allow companies utilizing SonoSuite to offer embedded music marketing capabilities in tandem with distribution services, helping labels and distributors connect their marketing and distribution workflows. SonoSuite customers will now be able to automate marketing assets like pre-saves and smart links, capture audience and fan data, and “access centralized self-serve marketing workspaces directly within their distribution environments,” according to a press release.

“Throughout the development of this partnership, we focused heavily on the way modern distributors actually operate and support their clients,” said Dan Sander, chief commercial officer of Feature.fm. “Distributors increasingly need flexible ways to both integrate marketing automation into their workflows and provide varying levels of control and access to their artists, labels, and distribution customers. We’re thrilled to partner with SonoSuite on a solution that was built specifically with distributors in mind and gives their clients powerful new ways to offer marketing services at scale.”

“Distributors today are increasingly expected to provide both distribution and marketing infrastructure to their clients,” added Hen Heimdal, chief commercial officer at SonoSuite. “Feature.fm’s flexible integration model allows our customers to embed powerful marketing automation directly into their own platforms while maintaining control over how those tools are offered to artists and labels. We also see significant long-term value in what Feature.fm is building around fan CRM, audience data management, and fan messaging.”

Nashville-based comedy media company 800 Pound Gorilla is the new official audio distributor for Comedy Central Records. The deal includes catalogs from stand-up comedians including Nate Bargatze, Jim Gaffigan, Amy Schumer, Aziz Ansari, Patton Oswalt, Big Jay Oakerson, Kyle Kinane, Mark Normand and Sam Morril.

Damion Greiman, co-founder of 800 Pound Gorilla Media, said in a statement, “Comedy Central’s stand-up catalog is legendary, and we are excited to bring it to the next generation of stand-up comedy fans.” Ryan Bitzer, 800 Pound Gorilla Media Co-Founder, adds, “Bringing Comedy Central into 800 Pound Gorilla’s family has been a goal of the company since the beginning. With over 60% of stand-up audio being distributed through this team, we can now bring together the catalogues of the most notable names in comedy.”

800 Pound Gorilla also distributes releases from Kevin Hart’s Laugh Out Loud Network, Bargatze’s Nateland Entertainment and All Things Comedy.