UK-headquartered indie publisher Sync Music Global has secured a new partnership with Kobalt for worldwide sub-publishing and administration.
Under the agreement, Kobalt will oversee global administration for the independent publisher’s catalog and roster of songwriters and producers.
According to a press release on Thursday (March 5), the multi-faceted deal also includes a newly formed joint venture, enabling both companies to “collaborate on future writer signings” and “accelerate Sync Music Global’s expansion into new creative markets.”
“Sync Music has consistently demonstrated its ability to discover and develop groundbreaking talent from the underground scene.”
Avelino, Mukuna & Ashitey, SYNC MUSIC GLOBAL
Founded by UK rapper Avelino, alongside music executives Gautier Mukuna and Rowland Ashitey, Sync Music Global’s clients include Avelino, Blanco, Black Sherif, One Acen, JB Scofield, and Kyile Evans, among others.
The firm also works closely with producers such as Anitiwave, whose credits include B Young’s Jumanji, which is certified double-platinum in the UK.
“Sync Music has consistently demonstrated its ability to discover and develop groundbreaking talent from the underground scene,” said Avelino, Mukuna, and Ashitey.
“Our partnership with Kobalt allows us to scale that mission globally, ensuring writers’ rights are protected, royalties are efficiently collected, and music reaches the widest possible audience. Many writers and producers—especially in our scene— are still unaware of the sync opportunities and royalties available to them, and this partnership helps us change that.”
Positioning itself as a “modern publishing solution for independent creators,” Sync Music Global says it offers flexible agreements ranging from administration deals to long-term full publishing partnerships.
It has secured placements across film, television, gaming, and brand campaigns, citing recent highlights such as The Equalizer 3 (movie trailer), Tomb Raider (film), Power (50 Cent’s hit TV franchise), as well as major game franchises such as FIFA, NBA 2K24, UFC 2 & 3, and bespoke music for global brands including True Religion and Manchester United.
“The team at Sync Music has established themselves as a major player in music publishing.”
Kenny McGoff, KOBALT
With the Kobalt partnership in place, Sync Music Global says it plans to “accelerate its global footprint, expand its roster, and continue bridging underground talent with world-class sync and international opportunities.”
Kenny McGoff, Head of Creative UK & GSa for Kobalt, added: “The team at Sync Music has established themselves as a major player in music publishing, and we are thrilled to bring them into the Kobalt family.”
Last month, Kobalt struck a strategic publishing deal with London-based Geo Music Group, covering funding for songwriters and admin services.
Last October, Kobalt teamed up with umn, a Berlin-based entertainment firm founded by former BMG executives Dominique Casimir, Maximilian Kolb, and Justus Haerder. The partnership focused on the acquisition of authors’ share and the publishing rights to the catalog of multi-award-winning German songwriters Peter Plate and Ulf Leo Sommer.
In July, Kobalt bought part of country songwriter Derrick Southerland‘s catalog. Southerland’s songs have generated over 1 billion streams and appeared in productions on ABC, Hallmark, and Netflix.
In August, Kobalt signed a direct, multi-year licensing agreement with Spotify, covering the US market. As MBW explained, the agreement bypasses Spotify’s audiobook ‘bundling’ payment model, which took effect in March of last year and reduced mechanical royalty rates for publishers and songwriters in the US.
Last week it was reported that Primary Wave is in advanced talks to potentially acquire Kobalt Music Group.Music Business Worldwide
