Music Industry Moves: Avex Secures $100 Million for Catalog Acquisitions, Harry Chapin Estate Partners With Primary Wave

Avex Music Group, the global music company of Japanese entertainment giant Avex helmed by CEO Brandon Silverstein, has announced the launch of a $100 million fund to be aimed at catalog acquisitions, structured through a financing deal with City National Bank. According to the announcement, the deal was funded by $50 million in equity alongside up to $50 million in non-recourse debt financing. (Pictured above, L-R: Ryan Kamada, CFO; Brandon Silverstein, CEO; Spencer LeBoff, Senior VP, all with Avex Music Group.)

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The first acquisition under the new deal is the catalog of producer Infamous, best known for his work on Teddy Swims massive hit single “Lose Control,” and tracks with Lil Wayne and Charlie Puth. Avex’s catalog also includes Kehlani’s current No. 1 Hot 100 single “Folded,” (Kamal Wilson), “Nokia” by Drake (Elkan), and multiple releases from Tate McRae including “Sports Car,” “Tit for Tat,” and “Revolving Door” (Grant Boutin), among others.

Earlier this year, the company announced a publishing administration partnership with 16-time Grammy Award-winner — and Variety’s Hitmakers 2025 songwriter of the year — Bruno Mars, commencing upon the completion of his current deal with BMG/Warner Chappell. It also announced a global distribution partnership with the Orchard.

+ Powerhouse Primary Wave Music, fresh from the announcement of its reported $1.5 billion acquisition of Kobalt, will be partnering with the estate of Harry Chapin, the ‘70s songwriter best known for his single “Cat’s in the Cradle,” as well as hits like “Taxi” and “30,000 Pounds of Bananas.” The deal encompasses Chapin’s music, name, image and likeness.

“My family is incredibly impressed with Primary Wave and their remarkably talented team,” Harry Chapin’s son Jason Chapin said in a statement. “We are so excited to support them as they introduce Harry Chapin music to wider and younger audiences while giving long-time fans more of what they love.”

+ Concord, which announced on Tuesday that it will be acquired by BMG in a blockbuster deal, has acquired the independent Mothership Music Publishing.

The transaction covers all of Mothership’s existing publishing contracts as well as its 5,000-song catalog, which includes titles by Tom Waits, the Marías and Bad Religion, among others.

+ Big Machine Records/Nashville Harbor Records & Entertainment has upped Allison Jones to executive vice president of A&R, responsible for artists and repertoire across the business.

Jones first worked with Big Machine founder Scott Borchetta in 1997 on the opening of DreamWorks Nashville, prior to Dreamworks Records’ purchase by Universal Music in 2003. She first joined Big Machine in 2008, subsequently contributing to the company’s signing of Thomas Rhett, Florida Georgia Line and the Band Perry, among others.

“Allison is the consummate A&R executive,” Borchetta says in a statement. “She knows every artist, every song, and every publisher, and is obsessed with being on the sharp end of pop culture. Big Machine simply would not be what it is today without Allison by my side, and I’m so thrilled that we get to continue together in this new season.”