Kids and family entertainment company Animaj has entered into a global music partnership with Magic Star, the children’s and family division of The Orchard, and Sony Music Publishing.
Under the agreement, Magic Star will oversee global distribution of Animaj’s recordings, while Sony Music Publishing will administer the publishing rights to the company’s songs and compositions worldwide.
Animaj says that it has monthly global audience of 242 million Monthly Active Users (MAU) on YouTube, and claims to attract the fifth largest digital kids’ audience worldwide.
The agreement covers Animaj’s core kids and family music catalogs, including Pocoyo, Maya the Bee, HeyKids and Super Sema.
The move follows the company’s $85 million investment round last year led by HarbourView Equity Partners, alongside Bpifrance and Left Lane Capital, which Animaj said would be used to scale its AI-powered production and distribution model and accelerate strategic IP acquisitions.
Most recently, Gregory Dray, Co-Founder of Animaj, described the Magic Star and SMP agreement as part of the company’s long-term, IP-led strategy, combining external distribution and publishing expertise with in-house ownership and creative control.
“Music is one of the ways our characters live with families every day”, Dray said.
“With Magic Star’s distribution capabilities and Sony Music Publishing’s expertise, we’re expanding these connections everywhere in the world, while keeping our catalogue and creative direction fully anchored at Animaj. It’s the model we believe wins in the long-term: IP-led, strategically partnered, locally and culturally relevant, with a global ambition”.
“With Magic Star’s distribution capabilities and Sony Music Publishing’s expertise, we’re expanding these connections everywhere in the world, while keeping our catalogue and creative direction fully anchored at Animaj.”
Gregory Dray, Animaj
Magic Star, launched in 2019 as The Orchard’s dedicated kids and family division, works with a range of children’s entertainment companies, including Hasbro Entertainment, Spin Master Entertainment, WildBrain and MGA Entertainment.
The company provides music distribution, marketing and YouTube channel management services focused on younger and family audiences.
Will Speer, Managing Director of Magic Star, commented: “We’re thrilled to partner with a visionary company like Animaj across their diverse portfolio of established and emerging brands.
“With music at the core of Animaj’s creative identity, we look forward to leveraging our expertise to drive deeper consumer engagement through creative and forward-thinking audio strategies.”
“We’re thrilled to partner with a visionary company like Animaj across their diverse portfolio of established and emerging brands.”
Will Speer, Magic Star
Rob Stratton, VP Visual & Media Rights, Sony Music Publishing UK, added: “We’re delighted to join forces with Animaj at this exciting moment as they continue to expand their global footprint. Our team looks forward to championing their catalogue of illustrious IP to help unlock new opportunities for their compositions worldwide.”
Animaj describes itself as a digital-first media company focused on acquiring and scaling children’s intellectual property across platforms. According to the company, it reaches 242 million monthly active users on YouTube and claims to attract the “fifth-largest digital kids’ audience globally.”
“Our team looks forward to championing their catalogue of illustrious IP to help unlock new opportunities for their compositions worldwide.”
Rob Stratton, Sony Music Publishing UK
The agreement, according to the announcement, allows Animaj to outsource distribution and publishing administration while retaining ownership of its intellectual property.Music Business Worldwide