It’s been a busy year for California-headquartered Create Music Group.
In June, it closed a USD $165 million investment round led by private equity firm Flexpoint Ford, which valued Create at $1 billion.
Soon thereafter, it announced the acquisition of Manchester, UK-based label and publisher Ostereo.
Now the company is making another investment into a UK label and publisher, with a 50% stake in London-headquartered Enhanced.
Established in 2008 by Will Holland, the dance music-focused Enhanced operates several brands, including Enhanced Recordings, Enhanced Progressive, Colorize, Shapes of Solitude, and Enhanced Chill, among others.
Those brands have spawned “billions of streams, millions of downloads and accolades including Gold- and Platinum-selling releases, numerous US Dance Top 10 Airplay songs and Beatport No. 1 charting records,” Create Music said in a statement on Thursday (December 12).
Enhanced holds the publishing rights to tracks by numerous EDM-related artists including The Chainsmokers, Elley Duhé, Tiësto, Steve Aoki, Regard & RAYE, Sam Feldt, Lane 8, Kina, Wiz Khalifa, MØ, and 070 Shake, among others.
Create didn’t disclose the value of the transaction.
“Will [Holland] is a talented founder, and we are excited to partner with him to help accelerate Enhanced’s trajectory as a home for premier dance artists to grow and flourish,” said Adam Shomer, VP of Business Development at Create Music Group.
“Enhanced is the perfect partner for CMG not only due [to] its consistent growth, but also the genre and one-stop rights synergies that fit perfectly within our strategic model.”
For his part, Holland said he was “thrilled to be entering this partnership,” adding, “Throughout this process it has been clear to us that we share the same key values and are dedicated to building the best companies in the business, where our artists and brands have all the support and tools they need to be able to flourish.
“I’m delighted to be working with their extremely impressive leadership team and to welcome [CMG Founder and CEO] Jonathan [Strauss] and [CMG SVP of Global Corporate Development and M&A] Eric [Nguyen] to our board.”
“Enhanced is the perfect partner for CMG not only due [to] its consistent growth, but also the genre and one-stop rights synergies that fit perfectly within our strategic model.”
Adam Shomer, Create Music Group
“Will has built an incredible legacy as a tastemaker and visionary in the electronic music space, leading Enhanced to become a globally respected label and home for some of the most innovative artists,” Strauss said.
“We are so happy to have Enhanced become part of the Create Music Group family.”
Nguyen added: “Having had the pleasure of working closely with Will, it’s clear he is a strong leader who cares deeply about his artists and fans.
“I’m excited to continue working with Will and his exceptional team, confident that with Create Music Group’s infrastructure, global reach, and resources complementing Enhanced Music’s expertise, this partnership will unlock exciting opportunities to drive the label’s continued evolution.”
“Will has built an incredible legacy as a tastemaker and visionary in the electronic music space, leading Enhanced to become a globally respected label and home for some of the most innovative artists.”
Jonathan Strauss, Create Music Group
Founded in 2015, CMG operates record labels, a distribution company, and an entertainment network that boasts more than 30 billion streams monthly on digital services.
Its distribution arm, Label Engine, describes itself as one of the largest music distribution platforms in the world, with more than 75,000 artists and 5,000 label clients. Flighthouse, a digital entertainment brand focused on Gen Z, has more than 300 million followers across social media.
“We share the same key values and are dedicated to building the best companies in the business, where our artists and brands have all the support and tools they need to be able to flourish.”
Will Holland, Enhanced
The company has grown in part through a series of strategic acquisitions, including Label Engine in 2016. In 2018, it launched its music publishing division with a roster that included Tekashi 6ix9ine, C4, and GooseTheGuru.
In 2021, CMG acquired India-based distribution and rights management firm Nirvana Digital, and in 2022, it followed that up with the acquisitions of viral marketing agency VRTCL and YouTube channel network The Nations.
CMG has also at times gone off the beaten path, for instance, with its acquisition in 2023 of Music For Pets, a company that, as its name suggests, makes music and entertainment specifically for cats and dogs.Music Business Worldwide
