Concord has announced yet another acquisition, this time buying the catalogue of Mojo Music & Media, which launched five years ago and rapidly expanded with more than 40 catalogue acquisitions of its own.
“My nearly 30 year adventure in music publishing has always been about surrounding myself with the greatest songwriters, getting them paid, keeping them inspired, and elevating the power of their songs in pop culture so they vibrate forever”, says Mojo co-founder and CEO Mark Fried.
“Concord has been on the same mission since its founding”, he goes on. “My partners and I feel like we’ve come full circle working with [Concord’s Chief Business Development Officer] Steve Salm, whom I’ve known and respected since his first days in the business, and other old friends at Concord, to bring our catalogues together”.
“I feel a deep responsibility to the artists, songs and legacies we represent”, he continues, “and I’m excited to see them continue to prosper in the hands of such capable and passionate caretakers”.
Salm himself adds: “Mark Fried is a true original who’s repeatedly seen the value in songs and catalogues well before market trends, always putting songwriters first. Over the last several decades, he’s built two premiere independent catalogues with Mojo here and Spirit Music prior, winning the trust of some of the most legendary songwriters and artists”.
He goes on to say that Mojo co-founders Fried, Peter Shane and Alan Wallis “have assembled a stellar collection of incredible hits spanning genres, eras and territories. The Mojo catalogue is a perfect fit with Concord’s catalogues, and we’re honoured by the trust they’ve now put in us”.
Mojo Music & Media was founded in 2018 and has been backed by Crestline Investors since 2019. Its own acquisitions in that time include HoriPro Entertainment and Emerald Forest Entertainment. Its roster, meanwhile, includes songs by Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielsen, Earth Wind & Fire’s Al McKay, Jacknife Lee and Bernie Wayne.
Concord’s Mojo acquisition follows the news earlier this month that the company has proposed a deal to buy the catalogue of the Round Hill Music Royalty Fund.