The Deals: Intercept Raises $50M for Catalog Acquisitions; DJ Khaled Strikes JVs With Influence Media

Intercept Music completed a $50 million private partnership for U.S. and Latin music catalog purchases. The partnership has provisions for flexible deal structuring, allowing Intercept to acquire full or partial rights “while maintaining synergy with original creators and rights holders,” according to a press release. “By acquiring catalogs with untapped or under-leveraged revenue potential, Intercept aims to use its proprietary technology, predictive analytics and targeted marketing portal to amplify both earnings and audience reach across streaming and digital channels,” the release continues. “The designated funding will drive catalog acquisitions and enable Intercept Music to expand catalog management operations, furthering its mission of empowering rights holders with transparent, data-driven tools.” Several acquisitions are already under review, the company says.

DJ Khaled and Influence Media Partners launched two new joint ventures: one focused on developing and producing original content across film and TV and “securing legacy-defining commercial ventures”; the other to expand commercial opportunities for Khaled with name, image and likeness (NIL) rights. Influence has also invested in the rights of Khaled’s music catalog. According to a press release, several film projects are currently in development through the deal.

Music creation platform Splice acquired Spitfire Audio, a U.K.-based developer of virtual instrument libraries. The acquisition marks Splice’s entry into the plugin market. The companies are set to begin work on new products that blend Spitfire Audio’s “cinematic soundscapes and orchestral expertise with Splice’s sample catalog and AI-powered discovery engine,” according to a press release. Both Splice and Spitfire will continue to operate independently in the near term. Olivier Robert-Murphy will remain Spitfire’s CEO, reporting to Splice CEO Kakul Srivastava, while Spitfire co-founder Paul Thomson will continue to oversee the company’s creative direction.

Connex, a new A&R admin platform designed to collect and manage complete credits and audio to support accurate remuneration for music creators, announced that Universal Music Group would be its first customer. According to a press release, “Connex seamlessly connects music creators and their preferred Creator Tools with labels, distributors, and publishers, revolutionizing the creator-to-label connection whilst streamlining industry workflows in a one-stop highly secure solution for managing credits and audio files and further propelling better collaboration and transparency within the modern music industry.”

Sony Corporation and BandLab Technologies struck a strategic partnership, the initial phase of which will see Sony’s Spatial Sound technology, 360 Reality Audio, directly integrated into the BandLab app. Starting this summer, BandLab users will be able to explore a curated collection of spatial-enabled beats in the BandLab Sounds marketplace and build on them in the BandLab Studio by adding vocals, instruments and additional production. A dedicated, co-branded hub within BandLab will act as a gateway for future offerings, integrating new technology and accessible tools for music creation and providing exclusive access to newly developed educational programs. The partnership will also help amplify BandLab artist success stories to a global audience, offering greater visibility.

Soundtracking platform Epidemic Sound acquired Song Sleuth, a music recognition technology company that specializes in identifying and monetizing music in user-generated content. Through the deal, Epidemic Sound launched Aentidote, a new service that combines Song Sleuth’s AI technology with Epidemic Sound’s industry expertise to identify music usage that traditional detection systems have difficulty finding — such as remixes, covers and live recordings — with the goal of helping platforms pay out more accurately to artists and rights holders. According to a press release, Aentidote has a reported identification success rate of up to 95%.

Connoisseur Media — which owns radio stations in regions including Nassau-Suffolk, N.Y.; Metro Fairfield County, Conn.; and New Haven, Conn. — has announced that it will acquire Alpha Media, which owns or operates more than 200 live broadcast radio stations serving 44 markets across the U.S. The combined company will retain the Connoisseur name and be led by Connoisseur CEO Jeff Warshaw. Once the deal is completed, Connoisseur’s broadcast footprint will encompass 218 radio stations in 47 markets, including such top markets as San Antonio, Texas; Portland, Ore.; Salt Lake City, Utah; and San Jose, Calif. By both station count and revenue, the deal will result in Connoisseur ranking among the top 10 radio groups in the country, according to a press release. Under the deal, Connoisseur will also combine its digital marketing services company Ferocious Digital with Alpha Digital, expanding its digital capabilities. The transaction, subject to FCC approval, is expected to close in the second half of 2025. Connoisseur and Alpha have entered into a local marketing agreement in the meantime.

AEG Presents acquired The Complex in downtown Salt Lake City, making it the first music venue owned and operated by AEG in the city. The Complex boasts two primary indoor venues — the 2,500-capacity Rockwell and the 850-capacity The Grand — along with an outdoor venue called The Lot, which accommodates 4,000 fans. The Complex will continue to employ its existing staff, with shows booked by AEG Presents talent buyer Xavier Frey. The venue will be managed by The Complex GM Paul Brucks.

AI-driven music and audio technology company Music AI partnered with production music library and independent streaming platform AUDIOSPARX, which has deployed a suite of tools across its music catalog using Music AI’s technology, including lyric transcription, synthetic voice detection and more. Music AI’s auto-tagging capabilities will enhance content management, search, customization and recommendation features throughout the AUDIOSPARX platform, which offers music licensing, in-store monetization, publishing administration and more.

Smithsonian Folkways, a nonprofit record label that aims to preserve culture heritage, acquired Young People’s Records, a label specializing in educational recordings for children that was active in the 1940s through the 1960s. The purchase includes 135 releases and roughly 300 tracks. Smithsonian Folkways will make select titles available to the public via streaming and downloads for the first time in decades, including 10 works by American folk singer-songwriter Tom Glazer, best known for writing the classic children’s song “On Top of Spaghetti.”