BEAT Music Fund Acquires Amsterdam Music Publisher, Cloud 9 Music
Armada Music Forms Armada Music Group as Parent Company
The acquisition further strengthens Armada Music Group’s publishing division, underscoring the company’s mission to creatively fuel the dance industry under one roof
New York, NY – April 16, 2024 – BEAT Music Fund, the first-ever dance investment fund from Armada Music, has announced the acquisition of Amsterdam-based music publisher, Cloud 9 Music, bolstering Armada’s existing publishing division. As part of the acquisition, the teams of Armada Music’s existing publishing company, Armada Publishing B.V., and Cloud 9 Music will merge to form Armada Music Publishing. This strategic move underscores Armada’s mission to position itself as the best partner in the in-demand global electronic dance industry, projected to reach $20.9 billion by 2033.
As part of the acquisition, Cloud 9 Music’s copyright assets and songwriters will be serviced and administered by Armada Music Publishing. Employees from Cloud 9 Music will join the team, effectively tripling its headcount. Armada Music Publishing will include a full-service and experienced publishing back-office team operating under its newly formed parent company, Armada Music Group. The Group was established to seamlessly offer label, publishing, and catalog acquisition services under one roof with a mission to bolster creativity for current and prospective representation. By merging the label’s artist-centric approach to creativity with the burgeoning opportunities for artists in the publishing world, this acquisition synergistically enables Armada Music Group to broaden its endeavors and provide comprehensive guidance to artists within a unified framework. Maykel Piron will oversee Armada Music Publishing and its entities; Chief Financial Officer, Margôt Hölscher, General Manager, Michel Peek, and Head of Publishing Administration, Ronald Visser encompass Armada Music Publishing leadership team.
“This acquisition is significant to us and will boost our ability to empower today’s dance artists and expand their opportunities to monetize their work in the current landscape,” said Piron, CEO and co-founder of Armada Music Group. “Now more than ever, today’s artists need a trusted partner. Providing label, publishing services and opportunities within catalog investment all under one roof directly fuels our ongoing mission to advocate for dance artists, contribute to their success, and uphold the value of creativity.”
The Group’s publishing power move allows Armada Music Publishing to now represent a roster of world-renowned songwriters, producers and emerging talent, including Armin van Buuren, Brennan Heart, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, D.O.D, Dubvision, Kevin Saunderson, Nervo, Reinier Zonneveld, Sander van Doorn, Vini Vici, W&W, Yulia Niko, Priska, KDYN and more. The publishing catalog also includes global dance hits such as Armin van Buuren’s Grammy Award-nominated ‘This Is What It Feels Like’, ‘Reality’ by Lost Frequencies and Da Beatfreakz’ co-written share in ‘Prada’ which was originally performed by Cassö, D-Block Europe, and Raye.
BEAT Music Fund launched in April 2023 as an artist-friendly vehicle to unlock value from recordings and copyrights within the thriving dance arena. Its success has fueled the acquisitions of Cloud 9, iconic NY-based dance label King Street Sounds, Dutch dance duo Chocolate Puma, and UK-based labels Sola Records and VIVa MUSiC, among others. With BEAT planning to increase its investment to at least $500 million in the coming years, Armada Music and Armada Music Publishing will work in tandem to uphold the legacy of dance artists and protect their work's creative and commercial value.
About Armada Music Group
Armada Music Group is the parent company of the world’s biggest independent dance music label, Armada Music, the first-ever dance investment fund, BEAT Music Fund, and its dedicated publishing division, Armada Music Publishing. Armada Music was founded in 2003 by Armin van Buuren, Maykel Piron and David Lewis (AR-MA-DA). A seven-time winner of the EDMA’s for ‘Best Global Label’, Armada Music boasts the globe’s biggest dance music catalog of over 40.000 tracks and a mouth-watering artist roster. Promoting dance music all over the world from its offices in Amsterdam (HQ), New York and London, Armada Music represents and cultivates the creative exploits of some of the biggest players in the electronic music game, including Armin van Buuren, Lilly Palmer, ARTY, Audien, Miss Monique, D.O.D, Ferry Corsten, Yulia Niko, Jan Blomqvist, Loud Luxury, and Tensnake. Through this star-studded dance music army, Armada Music collects over 1 billion streams per month, secures weekly airplay on the biggest nationwide broadcasting stations (such as BBC Radio 1 and Sirius XM), and frequents the top spots of the U.S. Mediabase Dance Airplay charts. Continually bringing out the best in its artists has led to various high-magnitude achievements, including Armin van Buuren’s Grammy nomination for ‘This Is What It Feels Like’, Lost Frequencies’ Diamond Award for exceeding the mark of one billion streams on Spotify and the huge success of Loud Luxury and Brando in the U.S. and beyond. For more information, visit us at www.armadamusic.com, @armadamusic on Instagram and @armada on Twitter.
