Deadmau5 (second from left) has sold his body of work to Create Music Group for a reported $55 million. Photo Credit: Create
Another day, another EDM catalog sale – this time from Deadmau5, who’s sold his body of work to Create Music Group for a reported $55 million.
Flexpoint Ford-backed Create Music unveiled its latest purchase today, after wrapping 2024 by taking a 50% interest in dance label and publisher Enhanced Music.
As described by the buyer here, the agreement with Deadmau5 extends to some 4,000 compositions and recordings. That includes works from the 44-year-old DJ himself as well as releases from his Mau5trap label, which arrived on the scene in 2007.
Also in the cards are Deadmau5-Create Music collaborations on forthcoming projects dropping under a newly formed JV. Addressing the catalog agreement, both Deadmau5 and Create CEO Jonathan Strauss emphasized their long-running professional relationship and plans to bring the many works at hand to an even larger audience.
Regarding the price tag behind the sizable pile of IP, the initially mentioned $55 million is, of course, a hefty sum. On the other hand, it isn’t nearly as large as the figures attached to different catalog transactions, involving the likes of Calvin Harris and more, in the EDM world.
While one probably shouldn’t read too far into the sale price, it does raise questions about the overall firepower of EDM catalogs. Stated bluntly, economic uncertainty or not, massive valuations are far from rare in the wider catalog arena at present.
As for factors affecting the market worth of EDM IP in particular, the long-term impact of electronic-focused AI models comes to mind. So does the space’s huge library and steady stream of new (human-made) works; to name a few, Warner Music, Sony Music, and Believe debuted electronic labels and/or made related acquisitions last year.
2024 also saw Create Music score a $165 million raise, with Armada Music’s dance-focused investment fund, BEAT, having closed deals for Cloud 9 and more. And last month, Reservoir Media scooped up UK dance label New State, including the rights to north of 13,000 recordings.
Nevertheless, it hasn’t been all smooth sailing for Create, which Artist Partner Group sued in January for allegedly poaching artists and monetizing works without authorization. The defendant company promptly refuted the claims and has until March 15th to formally answer the suit.
In February, Create Music settled a months-old lawsuit filed by rapper Leander Burrowes (known professionally as Mazzeratti Duke), who’d accused the company of distributing his music without authorization.
Content shared from www.digitalmusicnews.com.