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FYI

Kilometre Music Acquires Stakes In Drake, The Weekend, Bieber Songs

The acquisitions are but a part of a much larger parcel of catalogue acquisitions by the Canadian company that include rights to songs by acts such as Camilla Cabelo, The Chainsmokers, and Post Malone.

Kilometre Music Acquires Stakes In Drake, The Weekend, Bieber Songs

By External Source

Canadian music rights management company Kilometre Music Group  has announced closing two new song catalogue acquisitions that significantly increases the Barometer Global Music Royalty Fund’s holdings in songs recorded by The Weeknd, Drake, and Justin Bieber.


The five-month-old Fund, primarily focused on acquiring rights from globally successful Canadian songwriters and artists, purchased a premier boutique publishing catalogue in a private, off-market deal that includes 300 songs consisting of global hits by Drake and The Weeknd and a significant stake in hit songs by Post Malone, Dua Lipa, Eminem, Camila Cabello, Rihanna, and Taylor Swift.

In a separate transaction, Kilometre announced purchasing 72 songs from the catalogue of hit songwriter Nasri Atweh, including his band Magic’s global hit song Rude, and Justin Bieber’s early hits–As Long As You Love Me, Never Say Never, and Mistletoe, the fourth largest selling Christmas song ever in the digital format.

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With these new acquisitions, Kilometre’s catalogue now boasts 500 songs: including co-ownership of 56 Weekend songs, 31 Drake songs, and 12 Justin Bieber songs. They also have a stake in 26 Post Malone songs including his 5 biggest hits to date: Circles, Sunflower, Wow, Better Now, and Congratulations.

The Fund, owners claim, now co-owns 10% of the 100 most streamed songs of all time, and 7% of Spotify’s “Billions Club” – songs with 1 billion streams or more.

No purchase price was disclosed with the acquisitions.

Kilometre’s list of copyrights now includes hits such as:

Blinding Lights – The Weeknd (record breaker for longest charting song on Billboard Hot 100)

Save Your Tears – The Weeknd

In Your Eyes – The Weeknd

The Hills – The Weeknd

Earned It – The Weeknd

One Dance - Drake

Hotline Bling - Drake

Hold On We’re Going Home - Drake

Fake Love - Drake

Pop Style - Drake

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Truffle Butter - Drake

Too Good – Drake / Rihanna

Needed Me - Rihanna

Levitating – Dua Lipa

Love Again – Dua Lipa

Sucker – Jonas Brothers

Closer – The Chainsmokers

Havana - Camila Cabello

My Oh My – Camila Cabello

Feel This Moment – Pitbull / Christina Aguilera

Swish Swish – Katy Perry

I Forgot That You Existed – Taylor Swift

Kamikaze - Eminem

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Executive of the Week: Justin West of Secret City Records on the Secrets of Independent Music Success​
FYI

Executive of the Week: Justin West of Secret City Records on the Secrets of Independent Music Success​

The man behind one of Canada's most successful indie labels talks about the late-blooming success of French-language streaming record-holder Patrick Watson, why he builds long-term relationships with artists, and why it's important for the indie sector to work together.

Justin West is a leader and advocate in Canada’s independent music scene, but he didn’t plan it out that way. When he started his record label Secret City Records in Montreal in the mid-2000s, it was out of necessity. He had met an artist he loved and wanted to build a career with, and the label was a means to do it. That artist was Patrick Watson, and 20 years later he — and Secret City — are more successful than ever.

West — a multiple time Billboard Canada Power Player – leads one of the biggest indie labels in Canada while also advocating for the sector on multiple boards both locally and internationally. When we speak to him for this Executive of the Week interview, he’s just returned from Banff for the National Summit on Artificial Intelligence and Culture, and is a central figure in discussions around the Online Streaming Act and collective negotiations with online streaming platforms.

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