Primary Wave Music says it has made a “strategic investment” in POPS Music, a prominent music company based in Vietnam.<\/p>\n
POPS claims to be “home to the largest catalog of Vietnamese and Indonesian music”.<\/p>\n
Under the terms of the deal, Primary Wave said it will “invest capital in the company and provide additional resources for further Southeast Asian catalog investments to accelerate its IP growth in the region”.<\/p>\n
A press release announcing the deal on Thursday (March 26) noted that POPS is “home to a vast catalog of Vietnamese and regional repertoire” and has built “one of the region\u2019s most influential music landscapes” over the past two decades.<\/p>\n
Vietnam-headquartered POPS Music was formed as a division of digital media and entertainment network POPS K.K.<\/p>\n
The company, which has additional offices and operations in Japan, Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia<\/strong>, says that it manages a portfolio of more than 45,000<\/strong> recordings.<\/p>\n POPS says it has more than 15 million<\/strong> monthly active users across its music channels. It also says it has “850 million<\/strong> subscribers across all digital platforms, and nearly 67 million<\/strong> monthly active users across owned channels”.<\/p>\n “we are building a two-way bridge for global stardom.”<\/p>\n Esther Nguyen, POPS MUSIC<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Esther Nguyen, POPS CEO, describes the partnership with Primary Wave as “a transformative milestone in the evolution of the Southeast Asian music economy.”<\/p>\n “By aligning POPS Music\u2019s unrivaled digital footprint and regional expertise with Primary Wave\u2019s world-class catalog and legendary creative resources, we are building a two-way bridge for global stardom,” said Nguyen.<\/p>\n “We\u2019re thrilled to partner with POPS Music and Esther Nguyen.”<\/p>\n Agnes Kacicki, PRIMARY WAVE<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Agnes Kacicki, Primary Wave\u2019s Head of Corporate Development, added: \u201cWe\u2019re thrilled to partner with POPS Music and Esther Nguyen.<\/p>\n “Their deep understanding of the Southeast Asian market and strong local relationships make them an ideal partner as we continue to grow our catalog investments globally.\u201d<\/p>\n Larry Mestel\u2019s Primary Wave has built a formidable portfolio of iconic catalog stakes over the past decade, spanning rights in the music of Prince, Whitney Houston,\u00a0Bob Marley<\/a>, Stevie Nicks, James Brown,\u00a0Notorious B.I.G.<\/a>\u00a0and, most recently,\u00a0Britney Spears<\/a>.<\/p>\n The company, founded by Mestel in 2006, saw its buying power supercharged in 2022 by a $2 billion partnership with Brookfield Asset Management<\/a>\u00a0to fund music rights acquisitions.<\/p>\n Just days ago (on Monday, March 23), the company confirmed a definitive agreement<\/a> to acquire Kobalt, which it described as \u201cone of the world\u2019s premier independent music publishing and technology platforms.\u201d The transaction includes an investment from Brookfield, a strategic partner to Primary Wave.<\/p>\n