Create Music Group has acquired again.
The company, which was valued at $1 billion following a $165-million investment round last year, has swooped for independent electronic music label Monstercat.
As part of the deal, Create said it has committed to investing an additional $50 million over the next two years in artist development, advances, and platform support across Monstercat’s roster, “to accelerate both new signings and long-term career growth”.
Financial terms beyond the $50 million investment commitment weren’t disclosed.
Monstercat has staff based in Vancouver, Toronto and Los Angeles.
According to the official announcement, Monstercat will continue to operate as an independent entity under its current leadership team, which includes Daniel Turcotte, who will continue as Monstercat’s President; Vice President Orri Sachar; and Finance Director Rob Hill.
The label’s founders, Mike Darlington and Ari Paunonen, will remain in advisory roles.
“Monstercat is everything an independent label should strive to be — exclusive, globally trusted and capable of breaking artists and songs at the highest levels.”
Jonathan Strauss, Create Music Group
“Monstercat is everything an independent label should strive to be — exclusive, globally trusted and capable of breaking artists and songs at the highest levels,” said Jonathan Strauss, Co-Founder and CEO of Create Music Group.
“Mike, Ari, Daniel, Orri, and the entire Monstercat team have built a culture and community at a scale rarely achieved in the music industry. We are excited to support their mission.”
The acquisition marks Create Music’s latest acqusition, coming less than a month after it bought Berlin-headquartered independent music company !K7.
In March, Create acquired the catalog of electronic music producer and DJ Deadmau5, along with that of his label Mau5trap, in a deal valued at over $55 million.
Create Music also announced a strategic catalog acquisition and joint venture with Pack Records of New York and New Orleans in February.
In November, the company acquired Manchester, UK-based record label and music publisher Ostereo, and in December, it scooped up a 50% stake in London-headquartered label and publisher Enhanced.
These strategic moves follow Create Music’s $165 million investment round in June last year that valued the company at $1 billion.
Create’s latest purchase, Monstercat, is an independent electronic record label founded in 2011 in Waterloo, Canada.
The deal, according to Create Music, gives it access to over 8,000 recordings from artists including Kaskade, Alan Walker, Vicetone, Punctual, WHIPPED CREAM, DJ DIESEL (AKA Shaquille O’Neal), and Koven.
The announcement about the deal states that Monstercat has paid over $60 million to artists since its founding and claims to have placed over 150 songs in video games in 2024 alone through partnerships with Rocket League, Beat Saber, Fortnite, Roblox, and more.
The company operates three genre-focused imprints: Uncaged for bass music, Instinct for melodic content, and Silk for progressive and deep house. Silk was launched via Monstercat’s 2021 acquisition of Silk Music.
With a digital audience of over 13 million followers including a YouTube following of 9 million subscribers, Monstercat maintains a presence at major electronic music events including Tomorrowland, Rampage Open Air, Amsterdam Dance Event, and Miami Music Week.
Following the acquisition, Create Music says it also plans to invest in expanding Monstercat Gold, the label’s subscription-based sync licensing service for content creators.
“We’re aligned in our vision of how a modern music company can create value for artists, and together we’ll be able to build something much bigger than either of us could do alone.”
daniel Turcotte
Turcotte said: “Our mission has always been to build sustainable, long-term careers for exceptional artists. Create gives us the reach and support to do that at a larger scale, without changing what makes Monstercat special.
“We’re still artist-first — only now with more tools to serve them.”
Added Turcotte: “Create Music Group shares the values we were looking for in a partner: a commitment to build, a respect for our brand, and a willingness to take risks.
“We’re aligned in our vision of how a modern music company can create value for artists, and together we’ll be able to build something much bigger than either of us could do alone.”
“This partnership gives us the flexibility to offer more creative pathways for our artists.”
Orri Sachar, Monstercat
Orri Sachar, VP of Monstercat, added: “This partnership gives us the flexibility to offer more creative pathways for our artists.
“Whether you’re releasing your first track or scaling an established brand, we now have the infrastructure to help artists succeed at every level.”
“Monstercat brings a team and brand we deeply respect.”
Eric Nguyen, Create Music Group
Eric Nguyen, SVP of Global Corporate Development & M&A at Create Music, added: “Monstercat brings a team and brand we deeply respect. We’re excited to help scale what they’ve already built.”
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