Seeker Music
Seeker Music has acquired the publishing rights to Marcos “Kosine” Palacios’ catalog, including his share of hits like “Anaconda” by Nicki Minaj, “Birthday Cake” by Rihanna, “DANCE (A$$)” by Big Sean as well as the soundtracks he wrote for FOX’s Empire and Star and his work as half of the production duo Da Internz. Additionally, Kosine has been named Seeker’s first-ever Samplémoose ambassador.
The Samplémoose platform is a key part of the company’s strategy to boost the profile of its catalog by offering select producers, artists and songwriters access to an easy-to-clear, curated selection of loops, beats and flip-starts made out of the company’s songs. Already, Samplémoose efforts have led to the creation of Coco Jones’ song “Double Back,” which flips “Rain” by SWV. Other flips from Seeker’s catalog include Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song” (flipped from J-Kwon’s “Tipsy”), Chris Brown’s “Freak (from Nelly’s “Air Force Ones”), Teyana Taylor’s “Freak” (from Adina Howard’s “Freak Like Me”), and IVE‘s “All Night” featuring Saweetie (from Icona Pop’s song of the same name).
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Through his new ambassadorship, Kosine will spearhead the expansion of more Samplémoose initiatives. Last week (April 10-12), the producer put together a songwriting camp with Seeker called Samplémoose Sessions, which brought together nearly two dozen music creators to flip songs from Seeker’s catalog. Some of the songs used at the camp included Christopher Cross’ “Sailing” and “Arthur’s Theme”; The Go-Go’s‘ “We Got The Beat,” Whitney Houston’s “Million Dollar Bill” and Fantasia’s “When I See U.”
Seeker Music, which was founded in 2020 by songwriter and entrepreneur Evan Bogart, takes a creative and active approach to catalog management, treating older songs with the same approach as its new, frontline releases. To date, the company has acquired catalogs from artists such as Run The Jewels, Teddy Geiger, Jon Bellion, John Ryan, Plested and MoZella. Its frontline publishing roster includes Kito, Robopop, Sofía Valdés and K Sotomayor, while its frontline label roster includes Kareen Lomax, CARR, Dead Pony, Latroit, ONR and Fourth Daughter.
“In joining forces with Seeker Music and the Samplémoose initiative, I feel a profound sense of alignment with a team that not only values the legacy of music but also pioneers new pathways for creativity and innovation,” said Kosine in a statement. “This partnership marks a significant milestone in my career, offering a unique platform to reimagine the classics while nurturing the next generation of talent. I’m thrilled to embark on this journey, blending tradition with innovation, and to contribute to the music industry in a way that resonates across generations.”
Evan Bogart added: “When we started acquiring catalogs at Seeker, I only was interested in songs I wish I wrote, or projects I wish I had worked on, and that’s hands-down, undeniably Kosine’s body of work. Me and Kos go way back and have been collaborating on music for almost 15 years. Now, we get to write our next chapter together, working closely on Samplémoose, and investing in each other, in ways a publishing company and producer haven’t before. It’s a major honor to have this opportunity to build with him.”
Seeker Music has signed Australian-born songwriter, producer, DJ, and artist Kito to a publishing agreement. Known for her collaborations with artists like FLETCHER, Empress Of, Jorja Smith and more, Kito’s deal is one of the company’s first frontline signings.
Kito first became known as a DJ at the start of the 2010s, remixing songs like Beyonce’s “Run the World,” Saweetie and Doja Cat’s “Best Friend,” and MARINA’s “Venus Fly Trap.” Later on, as she developed her writing and production skills, Kito earned cuts with Mabel, BANKS, Tinashé and Jorja Smith and released her own EP Blossom, featuring Jeremih, ZHU and Terror Jr.
Seeker Music was founded in 2020 and quietly amassed a catalog of music IP over the next two years, including hits recorded by Run the Jewels, Christopher Cross, Ginuwine and more. The company is administered by Downtown and funded by London-based private equity firm M&G.
Seeker Music founder and CEO, Evan Bogart, told Billboard in a previous interview that his aim was always to become a multi-hyphenate music company, developing current songwriters and artists as well as building up a robust back catalog of songs, however, the company’s frontline efforts were hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic. “I invest with my heart before money,” the executive explained, adding that meeting talent over Zoom made it difficult to foster camaraderie with potential signees. Now that in-person meetings and writing sessions have resumed, Seeker has bolstered its frontline business, signing acts like Kito as well as Sofía Valdés (Warner Records), Katie Pearlman (Kelly Clarkson, Grace Potter, Sabrina Carpenter), Sweetsound (Jesse Baez, Snoop Dogg, Natanael Cano), and MNDR.
Kito noted that she opted to sign with Seeker for its “quality over quantity” approach to its roster and that Bogart is a songwriter himself. Best known for penning hits like “SOS” by Rihanna and “Halo” by Beyonce, Kito says of Bogart “I trust Evan because he understands what it’s like to write a song and bring it into the world. He’s also built himself as a songwriter ‘business,’ and worked with, and mentored, some of the greatest writers in the world. The whole team at Seeker really ‘gets’ the creative process and what’s important to music creators. I’m excited for this next chapter together and everything we’re cooking up for 2023 and beyond.”
Bogart says of the deal, “everyone wanted to sign Kito and I couldn’t be prouder that she chose Seeker to be her family. She’s insanely talented and she’s going to dominate music, and the music business, in the years to come.”
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