Spain-born Larrosa raised €15 million ($16m) in March last year to invest in Spanish-language music rights. At the time, the company, founded by Cristian Larrosa, said its plan was to buy catalogs and pay advances to artists in Spanish-language markets.
Larrosa has now formed a strategic alliance with music company Bell Partners, founded by veteran writer, producer and executive Hayden Bell, to acquire independent music companies and catalogs.
Bell Partners, founded in 2022, has invested over USD $350 million in music rights to date. As part of the partnership, the companies anticipate spending a similar amount on both music companies and catalogs “in the coming years.”
Hayden Bell’s 30 years of industry experience includes stints in senior roles at BMG and SM Entertainment. He was also Head of A&R for Sony Music Asia Pacific from 2013 to 2019, where he oversaw 200 artists in 18 countries/territories, including the Middle East and India. His company, Bell Partners, has offices in Sweden, Los Angeles and Nashville.
The company now plans to tap into Larrosa’s experience in the global Spanish-language music market. Bell said in a statement today (November 20) that his company’s alliance with Larrosa positions it “to maximize opportunities in key markets” like Spain and Latin America.
Bell Partners operates across publishing, label services, distribution, administration, licensing, and management and claims to provide its “seller-partners” with “unprecedented best-in-class creative services”.
Larrosa, meanwhile, describes itself as a “financing and technology consultancy for the Spanish-speaking music industry”.
The company says its expertise in music financing, blockchain technology, artificial intelligence, and fintech solutions allows it to offer “innovative approaches to managing music assets and royalties”.
Larrosa’s founder, Cristian Larrosa, has over 18 years of experience in developing music projects, production companies, record labels, and music publishers across Argentina, Spain, the US, and the UK.
The companies’ strategic alliance arrives at a time of continued growth of Latin Music revenues in the world’s largest recorded music market, the US.
In 2022, Latin Music revenues in the US surpassed the USD $1 billion mark for the first time, and in 2023, they hit a new record at around $1.4 billion.
Most recently, according to data published by the RIAA last month, US Latin Music revenues jumped 7.3% YoY to $685.5 million in the first half of 2024 alone.
“Our collaboration with Larrosa represents a unique opportunity to combine our global strengths with their deep knowledge of Spanish-speaking markets.”
Hayden Bell
“Our collaboration with Larrosa represents a unique opportunity to combine our global strengths with their deep knowledge of Spanish-speaking markets,” said Hayden Bell, Founder and CEO of Bell Partners.
“Together, we aim to make a significant impact on the music landscape, not only unlocking access to investment for music owners in these underserved markets, but also the opportunity to optimize their rights through creative services and ongoing strategic investments.
“That is our focus and this alliance positions us to maximize opportunities in key markets of interest to us, like Spain and Latin America.”
“We intend to open new opportunities not just for artists, but for the entire value chain of the music industry.”
Cristian Larrosa
“The creation of this partnership allows us to expand our acquisition of high-value catalogs and continue leading in key markets, especially in the Spanish-language music sector,” added Cristian Larrosa, CEO of Larrosa.
“We intend to open new opportunities not just for artists, but for the entire value chain of the music industry.
“Additionally, we are making progress in our technological initiatives with ArtSigna, our rights registration platform on the Bitcoin blockchain, and Wolfie, our suite of artificial intelligence solutions designed specifically for the music industry.”Music Business Worldwide