Concord Acquires Mojo Music’s Music
• Concord announced the acquisition of the music publishing catalog of New York, Nashville, and London-based music publisher, Mojo Music & Media, including the works of the seminal bands REO Speedwagon, KISS, and Cheap Trick. The Mojo catalog spans nine decades and comprises more than 30,000 songs, including 89 Billboard No. 1 hits, adding a remarkable selection of music to Concord’s existing publishing portfolio of 800,000 songs. This acquisition comes just days after the Company made a recommended bid for Round Hill Music Royalty Fund Limited and further highlights Concord’s continued strategic growth.
Founded in 2018 by industry veterans Mark Fried, Peter Shane, and Alan Wallis and supported since 2019 by funds managed by Crestline Investors Inc., Mojo quickly established itself as a significant player in the music publishing arena. With an early focus on strategic acquisitions of culturally relevant songs, Mojo acquired more than 40 catalogs, including those of 30-year Nashville independent HoriPro Entertainment (REO Speedwagon, KISS, Jerry Reed) and LA-based Emerald Forest (Sophie B. Hawkins, Brownstone, Lita Ford).
“My nearly 30-year adventure in music publishing has always been about surrounding myself with the greatest songwriters, getting them paid, keeping them inspired, and elevating the power of their songs in pop culture so they vibrate forever,” said Fried, Mojo’s Co-Founder and CEO. He added, “Concord has been on the same mission since its founding, and my partners and I feel like we’ve come full circle working with [Concord’s Chief Business Development Officer] Steve Salm, whom I’ve known and respected since his first days in the business, and other old friends at Concord to bring our catalogs together. I feel a deep responsibility to the artists, songs, and legacies we represent and I’m excited to see them continue to prosper in the hands of such capable and passionate caretakers.”
Steve Salm, Concord’s Chief Business Development Officer, remarked, “Mark Fried is a true original who’s repeatedly seen the value in songs and catalogs well before market trends, always putting songwriters first. Over the last several decades, he’s built two premier independent catalogs with Mojo here and Spirit Music prior, winning the trust of some of the most legendary songwriters and artists. With Mojo, Mark, Pete, and Alan have assembled a stellar collection of incredible hits spanning genres, eras, and territories. The Mojo catalog is a perfect fit with Concord’s catalogs, and we’re honored by the trust they’ve now put in us.”
