Firebird Music Invests $750 Million in New Catalog Fund

Firebird Music has launched a new $750 million fund focusing on catalog acquisition. The diversified music company already has stakes in different catalogs, but this fund will see that side of the business expand immensely.

The details:

• Firebird primarily supports brand and career guidance for artist management companies and record label partners such as Alter Music, Defected, and Leo33.

• Firebird's current catalog assets come from partnered labels and outright ownership.

• The firm is currently working with over 1,000 artists, including Mumford & Sons and Chris Stapleton.

• It’s also assisted artists with building their own supporting companies, such as with Youngblud’s YB Inc.

• Firebird owns stakes in Red Light Management, Transgressive Records, and many other independent music companies.

Follow the money:

• Ares, Raine, and Firebird raised $350 million in equity capital.

• The remaining $400 million is debt financing overseen by Pinnacle.

• Ares now owns a minority equity stake in Firebird, and Ares’ Managing Director, Jeevan Sagoo, joined Firebird’s board of directors.

What they said:

• Nat Zilkha, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Firebird: “We are looking for opportunities where Firebird can add value, leveraging our label and publishing infrastructure, and our audience development team, which works with our management clients and frontline label clients. We have the playbook and are just giving it more scale.”