The Deals: Tony Bennett Estate Pacts With AI Platform; Pat Metheny Rides the Primary Wave

Rebellion Records, the indie label co-founded by CEO Michael Turner (who performs as PLVTINUM) and COO Daniel Nall, signed a seven-figure partnership with music technology company Too Lost that includes a “significant capital investment” in Too Lost’s technology “to accelerate Rebellion’s rapid artist development model,” according to a press release. Rebellion, which boasts artists including Chris Grey and VANA on its roster and has a joint venture with 10K Projects, will work with Too Lost “to create a powerful new framework for independent artist success,” the release adds. Too Lost claims to serve more than 400,000 artists, record labels, studios, brands, investors and platforms globally with distribution, publishing and rights management services.

Tuned Global acquired Figaro.ai, a London-based company that makes music catalogs more searchable via AI-enabled tagging and detection. According to a blog post at the Tuned Global website, Figaro.ai “will operate as an integrated but distinct component within Tuned Global’s broader platform, complementing existing partners and expanding client options,” adding that “Figaro.ai clients will continue to be supported [and] backed by Tuned Global’s global reach, infrastructure and long-term commitment.” The Figaro.ai team, including founders Kevin Webster and Lydia Gregory, joined the Tuned Global team following the acquisition.

Live Nation Asia signed a multi-year partnership with Trip.com Group to combine travel and live music experiences across Asian markets including Hong Kong/Macau, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea and Mainland China. Through the deal, Trip.com will allow consumers to plan concert-focused trips by combining exclusive presale access to shows along with flights, hotels and curated local experiences through the Trip.com platform. Additionally, the deal allows for collaboration with local hotels, attractions and tourism stakeholders in those Asian markets to build concert-driven products and experiences in an effort to spur more bookings and longer stays. Bundles could include concert tickets combined with tickets to attractions like Hong Kong Disneyland, Rainforest Wild ASIA and sightseeing buses.

The first offering under the partnership is K-pop group TWICE‘s Hong Kong tour, through which Trip.com will offer fans presale access, bundled hotel packages and transportation options.

Universal Music Group-owned artist merch and lifestyle company Bravado signed a multi-year partnership with music industry sustainability nonprofit REVERB, through which REVERB will work with Bravado to “amplify” the company’s “ongoing sustainability efforts” through REVERB’s presence at live events and on its social media channels, according to a press release. Bravado will additionally serve as an advisor to REVERB by offering its expertise in environmentally responsible merch production and design, while supporting REVERB’s tour activations by providing t-shirts for REVERB’s on-site volunteers.

Warner Music Group signed a partnership with Riyadh, Saudi Arabia-based multimedia technology, content creation and production company Merwas to launch a new record label. Warner and Merwas will collaborate to sign, develop and promote established and emerging artists in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and worldwide.

AEG Presents-owned ticketing giant AXS established AXS Tickets, a joint venture with leading Japanese entertainment and ticketing company Lawson Entertainment, marking a substantial expansion for AXS in the country. AXS launched AXS Japan in 2018 and has since “powered ticketing for thousands of events and sold tens of millions of tickets for some of the country’s fastest-growing sports leagues, professional teams, and major event organizers,” according to a press release. Through the deal, Lawson will utilize AXS capabilities like ID-based ticketing, mobile solutions, dynamic pricing and data-driven insights, while AXS will leverage Lawson’s established foothold in Japan to expand its business there.

San Francisco startup AudioShake raised $14 million in Series A funding in a round led by Shine Capital, with participation from Thomson Reuters Ventures, Origin Ventures, Background Capital, and existing investors Indicator Ventures and Precursor Ventures. AudioShake sues AI to separate audio recordings into their individual components, including decades-old physical audio. Its customer base includes Universal Music Group, Disney Music Group, Warner Music Group and BET.

Secretly Group affiliate All Flowers Group brought Brooklyn-based Sacred Bones Records into the fold. With the deal, Sacred Bones founder Caleb Braaten joins the All Flowers executive leadership team. Irene Lydon will continue to serve as Sacred Bones’ label manager, overseeing day-to-day operations, while art director Mercy Correll will stay on to guide the label’s visual identity. Sacred Bones has released music by Amen Dunes, Anika, Blanck Mass, Boris, John Carpenter, Jenny Hval, Caleb Landry Jones, Lathe of Heaven, David Lynch, Maria BC, Molchat Doma, Mort Garson, Marissa Nadler, SPELLLING and Zola Jesus.

Simon Dunmore and indie dance label Armada Music partnered to launch NBT Records — an imprint “dedicated to soulful, dancefloor-driven records,” according to a press release — that will utilize Armada’s distribution, marketing and promotion infrastructure. NBT Records will operate out of Armada’s newly established London creative hub. The first releases from the label are expected next year.

Virgin Music Group signed a global distribution deal with MiPROMO, a Ghana-based digital distribution and creative media platform that specializes in digital and video distribution, social media marketing, web publishing, branding and event activation. Through the partnership, Ghanaian artists will receive access to Virgin’s global platforms and promotional strategies in an effort to expand their profiles internationally.

Virgin Music Group also established a joint venture in Vietnam with The Metub Company, a leading digital entertainment and creator firm in the country. The new entity formed under the agreement, Virgin Music Group Vietnam, will focus on signing and developing local talent and indie labels to help grow the reach of their releases domestically and internationally. The entity will be led by Nam Chu Nguyen, who will be based in Ho Chi Minh City.

Lastly on the Virgin Music Group front, Los Angeles-based indie label Good Boy Records renewed its global distribution deal with the company. The news came as Good Boy announced that Sara Connally was hired as executive vp/head of sync and Sarah Fein joined as head of label. The Good Boy roster includes Mazie (“Dumb Dumb”) and James Blake.

Warner Music Italy signed a distribution deal with influential Italian rap and urban music label Honiro. Through the deal, ADA Music Italy, a division of Warner Music Italy, will distribute Honiro’s catalog and future releases. Honiro has released music from artists including Briga, Gemitaiz, Il Tre e Ultimo, lowlow, MadMan, Mostro, Shiva and Vegas Jones.

Los Angeles’ Morrison Hotel Gallery struck a partnership with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame that will see the gallery curate special events and exhibitions featuring Hall of Fame inductees. The first exhibit under the deal, which celebrates 2025 inductees including Bad Company, Cyndi Lauper, Outkast and Soundgarden, is currently on display.

Roget Lerner, president of The Music Building, and Smash Studios founder Clay Sheff acquired the historic Music Garage studio facility in Chicago, which includes more than 150 rehearsal rooms, production studios, artist lounges and performance-ready spaces. The acquisition also marks an expansion of Lerner and Sheff’s companies, which have started operating out of the space as Smash Studios Chicago and The Music Building Chicago. Smash will offer hourly and lockout rehearsal studios as well as audio/video production services, while The Music Building will oversee monthly rehearsal and production studios.

Paris-based AI-powered rights administration platform Claimy, which seeks to capture lost revenue for music rights holders, raised 1.5 million euros ($1.74 million) in pre-seed funding, backed by music and tech leaders including MWM founder/CEO Jean-Baptiste Hironde, music tech investor Flavien Kulawik, ex-Facebook executive Julien Codorniou and more, along with public financing. Claimy will use the funding to accelerate product development, move into new markets and grow its staff.

Symphonic Distribution signed indie label Underdog Music Philippines to a distribution deal. Artists on the Underdog roster include Morissette, who is also a co-founder of the company; Manila-based alt-folk band The Ridleys; and alternative pop band Over October.

Daytime clubbing brand Day Fever struck an exclusive multi-year partnership with Ticketmaster’s white-label ticketing platform Universe. Since launch, Day Fever has hosted more than 100 events across the U.K. and Ireland, with nearly 40 more scheduled for the rest of 2025 and hundreds more next year. International expansion plans will also be announced soon, the company says.