The Circuit Group, a music company launched by music industry veterans last year to acquire stakes in song catalogs, has partnered with music publisher Kobalt on global publishing administration services.
The collaboration, announced Tuesday (October 15), will see Kobalt providing global publishing administration services for The Circuit Group‘s newly launched Circuit Publishing division. With Circuit Publishing, The Circuit Group will offer publishing services to its artist, producer and songwriter clients, which Kobalt will then administer.
The Circuit Group is a collective founded by industry veterans including Dean and Jessica Wilson of Seven20, along with Brett Fischer, David Gray, and Harvey Tadman of AYITA. It aims to acquire ownership in artists’ IP portfolios and facilitate opportunities across various industry verticals.
Dean Wilson, co-founder and CEO of The Circuit Group, said, “As we continue to build out our offering for artists/labels, this deal with Kobalt will enable Circuit Publishing to offer best-in-class publishing services to artists & labels everywhere in the world.”
“As we continue to build out our offering for artists/labels, this deal with Kobalt will enable Circuit Publishing to offer best-in-class publishing services to artists & labels everywhere in the world.”
Dean Wilson, The Circuit Group
“[Kobalt CEO] Laurent Hubert, [Kobalt Head of Creative in the UK] Kenny McGoff and the team have built a world class enterprise at Kobalt and we’re excited to begin work with them.”
David Gray, co-founder of The Circuit Group and President of Circuit Publishing, also commented on the Kobalt partnership, saying, “Partnering with Kobalt is a natural extension of that mission, as their commitment to transparency, independence and innovation aligns perfectly with our values. Together, we’re excited to redefine what music publishing can offer and bring even greater value to our creators and their work.”
Kobalt’s McGoff added: “The team over at The Circuit Group represent some of the most forward-thinking managers and executives in our business. We’re looking forward to working closely with Dean, David and the entire team to support their growing roster of artists, songwriters and producers.”
The Kobalt partnership comes as The Circuit Group is expanding its global presence. With offices in London, New York, and Los Angeles, the company recently appointed James Sutcliffe as CEO/President of its London operations. The UK launch was enabled through a joint venture with music management company CTRLFRK.
Almost a year ago, The Circuit Group partnered with dance music company Defected Records. Under the terms of that deal, Defected helped Circuit expand to the UK, Europe and other global markets.
Earlier this month, The Circuit Group formed an exclusive distribution partnership with LabelWorx, an independent digital distributor for indie electronic music labels. The collaboration aims to enhance distribution capabilities for The Circuit Group‘s roster of artists and labels, including partners such as Catch & Release and diviine.
Music Business Worldwide