Evan Bogart-led Seeker Music has made another acquisition, this time securing the publishing catalog of UK production duo, Future Cut.
The duo, composed of producers Tunde Babalola and Darren Lewis, rose to prominence in 2006 when they played a pivotal role in the production and songwriting of Lily Allen’s multi-platinum debut album, Alright, Still.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Future Cut’s songwriting and production has resulted in over 35 million album sales, three No.1 hits, and an array of international chart-toppers.
The duo’s journey began in dance and rave scene in Manchester during the mid-90s, where they initially worked as promoters. They later marked their entry into the music industry by releasing their first tracks on the UK dance label, Metalheadz.
In 2002, Future Cut inked a deal with Warner Bros. Records and soon met Lily Allen. Their collaborative songwriting and production sessions with Lily Allen that took place in a Manchester basement studio in 2004 led to the creation of mega-hits like Smile and LDN, along with several other standout tracks on Alright, Still.
“We don’t want our songs sitting on a shelf – we want them to be worked in fresh, creative ways that are still in line with our artist-driven focus and ‘brand.’ Not a lot of publishers get that, but Evan, and Seeker, do.”
Future cut
Building on their success, Future Cut went on to produce major hits for pop acts such as Rihanna, Shakira, MIA, Little Mix, and even the legendary Tom Jones with his hit single Give A Little Love.
They have also maintained a presence in the underground drum ‘n’ bass scene, collaborating with acts like Ulterior Motive and René LaVice in 2022.
Future Cut’s Darren Lewis said: “The general public don’t know who we are… But they’ve definitely heard us.”
Bogart, CEO of Seeker Music and the chart-topping songwriter behind hits like Beyoncé’s Halo and Rihanna’s SOS, said Seeker aligns itself “with music that we are passionate about and actively ‘seek’ out groundbreaking, cutting-edge and inspirational songwriting”.
“With Future Cut, what I love is that you get the music industry’s ‘best of both worlds’,” Bogart said. “Darren and Tunde have made some of the most recognizable songs of the last two decades.”
He added: “These guys are always killing it, while still innovating, constantly changing the game and breaking new artists, a balance and achievement that I personally connect with and admire. It’s a true honor for Seeker to have the opportunity to be working with them.”
“Darren and Tunde have made some of the most recognizable songs of the last two decades. These guys are always killing it, while still innovating, constantly changing the game and breaking new artists, a balance and achievement that I personally connect with and admire.”
Evan Bogart, Seeker Music
Bogart in an interview with MBW in November 2022 said, “the hardest thing in the world as a songwriter is not writing your first hit, it’s writing your second.”
Commenting on the deal with Seeker Music, Future Cut said: “As a songwriter himself, Evan understands what it means to be constantly evolving, musically and creatively. We don’t want our songs sitting on a shelf – we want them to be worked in fresh, creative ways that are still in line with our artist-driven focus and ‘brand.’ Not a lot of publishers get that, but Evan, and Seeker, do.”
“We also want to thank the Seeker team for making this deal happen and our attorney Marvin Katz for introducing us to Seeker and representing us in the transaction as well as Korda Marshall,” said the duo.
After nearly three years in business, Los Angeles-based Seeker has amassed a catalog of over 13,000 copyrights and master recordings.
Future Cut’s catalog joins Seeker Music’s other recent acquisitions, which include the full works of Charlotte Caffey (The Go-Gos’ We Got the Beat) and Christopher Cross, Run the Jewels’ first three albums, the catalogs of modern songwriters Jon Belllion, John Ryan, Mozella, RuthAnne, Sam Watters and Teddy Geiger (via the Bunettas’ Family Affair), along with classic copyrights performed by Miley Cyrus, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Drake, Eminem, SWV, One Direction, DMX, Nelly, 2Pac, and many more.
Alongside Bogart, the company is led by an executive team consisting of CFO Jennifer Scher, COO Rob Guthrie, CRO Jennifer Blakeman, and Head of Creative Steven Melrose, and works with a Board chaired by John Smith and representing key investors M&G.Music Business Worldwide