Concord Acquires Mojo Music & Media

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Concord has acquired the catalog of Mojo Music & Media, including the works of REO Speedwagon, KISS and Cheap Trick.

The Mojo catalog spans nine decades and comprises more than 30,000 songs, including 89 Billboard No. 1 hits, adding to Concord’s publishing portfolio of 800,000 songs.

Founded in 2018 by industry veterans Mark Fried, Peter Shane and Alan Wallis and supported since 2019 by funds managed by Crestline Investors Inc., Mojo quickly established itself as a significant player in the publishing arena. With an early focus on strategic acquisitions of culturally relevant songs, Mojo acquired more than 40 catalogs including those of 30-year Nashville independent HoriPro Entertainment (REO Speedwagon, KISS, Jerry Reed) and L.A.-based Emerald Forest (Sophie B. Hawkins, Brownstone, Lita Ford).

Building on this momentum, Mojo built a roster that includes Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick) and Warren Cuccurullo (Missing Persons, Duran Duran), Bob Morrison (“Lookin’ For Love”), Sharon Vaughn (“My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys”) and Larry Gatlin (“All The Gold In California”), as well as D.L. Byron (“Shadows Of The Night”), Jeffrey Cohen (“Freeway Of Love”), Earth Wind & Fire’s Al McKay (“September,” “Best Of My Love”), English Beat and General Public’s Dave Wakeling (“Save It For Later,” “Tenderness”), songwriter Jordan Reynolds (Dan + Shay), producer Jacknife Lee (Taylor Swift, Snow Patrol and Kodaline) and the estates of Johnny Burke (“Misty”), Bernie Wayne (“Blue Velvet”) and Johnny Russell (“Act Naturally”).

“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 Fried, Mojo’s Co-Founder and CEO. “Concord has been on the same mission since its founding, and 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 catalogs together. I feel a deep responsibility to the artists, songs, and legacies we represent and I’m excited to see them continue to prosper in the hands of such capable and passionate caretakers.”

“We are delighted to have supported Mojo through their successful ramp up and aggregation of their catalogue. All aspects of our involvement with Mark and team have been outstanding. It is a great example of our desire to use our capital to build valuable asset platforms,” says Michael Guy, Chief Investment Officer of Crestline Europe.

“Mark Fried is a true original who’s repeatedly seen the value in songs and catalogs well before market trends, always putting songwriters first,” says Salm, Concord’s Chief Business Development Officer. “Over the last several decades, he’s built two premier independent catalogs with Mojo here and Spirit Music prior, winning the trust of some of the most legendary songwriters and artists. With Mojo, Mark, Pete, and Alan have assembled a stellar collection of incredible hits spanning genres, eras, and territories. The Mojo catalog is a perfect fit with Concord’s catalogs, and we’re honored by the trust they’ve now put in us.”

Lorie Hollabaugh
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