KKR Invests in India’s BookMyShow

Jamen Capital and Merlin completed their acquisition of Curve Royalty Systems, which provides royalty processing services to the music business, from Virgin Music Group after the transaction received final approval from the European Commission. The deal was first announced in June.

Curve’s leadership, team, brand, products, services and clients remain the same following the deal.

“Completing this transaction gives Curve the independence, stability and backing we need for the next stage of our development,” said Richard Leach, CEO of Curve Royalty Systems, in a statement. “For our clients, it is very much business as usual: the same team, products, service and commitment to protecting their data and interests. What changes is our ability to invest more ambitiously in the future.”

The sale of Curve was a condition of European regulators’ approval of Virgin’s acquisition of Downtown Music, Curve’s previous owner. Regulators were concerned that by taking ownership of Curve, which processes royalties for many of Virgin parent company Universal Music Group’s competitors, UMG would have unfair visibility into its rival companies’ financial data.

Curve’s clients include Armada, Defected, Epitaph, Exceleration, Reservoir, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Virgin Music Group, Netflix and BBC/Demon. — Chris Eggertsen

David Lieberman Artists Representatives was acquired by executive Allen Moon and renamed Moon Artists Management. Moon, who has spent more than 25 years helping build the company alongside founder David Lieberman, will now assume ownership and leadership of the firm, having officially acquired it in August 2025 and launched Moon Artists in 2026.

Over his career, Moon has worked for artists and dance companies including the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, Akram Khan Company, Circa, Kronos Quartet, Bang on a Can All-Stars, Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Los Angeles Master Chorale.

Nashville-based talent agency The Neal Agency (TNA) struck a partnership with WIN Artists that will allow TNA clients to extend their influence across the broader entertainment business, including film and TV. WIN, a division of Patrick Whitesell and Jason Lublin‘s agency WIN Sports Group, was launched by Josh Pryatt to help grow clients’ careers in various arenas.

“WIN Artists represent the gold standard in career stewardship, and we feel we’ve found the perfect partner to expand into the Television/Film world,” said TNA founder and CEO Austin Neal in a statement.

Added Pryatt, “Austin and his team represent generational artists whose influence reaches well beyond music, and our partnership is designed to match that ambition. By expanding into film, television, and strategic brand ventures, WIN Artists will help TNA’s clients build enterprises that define the next era of entertainment.”

Iggy Azalea invested “a substantial six-figure sum” in SHIFT, the parent company of AI-powered creator platform Fanvue — which allows fans to pay creators directly — and the AI infrastructure it runs on, according to a press release. In the wake of the investment, Azalea will become the founding member of SHIFT’s creator advisory board.

“I’ve spent my career watching the value creators generate flow everywhere except to the actual creators themselves,” said Azalea in a statement. “Every now and then a Stripe or a Shopify comes along and changes who holds the leverage. I’m backing SHIFT to be that company for the creator economy. And I’m not just the face, I’m an owner.”

Creators who use Fanvue include Cardi B, soccer player Alisha Lehmann and WNBA star Kysre Gondrezick. In January, the company closed a $22 million Series A funding round led by Inner Circle.

“SHIFT is building a growing ecosystem of apps that expands what creators can sell, payment rails built for a new era of AI-driven & agentic commerce, and financial services designed to scale creator earnings,” the release reads.

Haven Houzin House, a label venture from BMG songwriter-producer Jeff “Getty” Gitelman (Jessie Murphy, Hozier, H.E.R., Victoria Monet) and Theron Thomas (who won the Grammy for songwriter of the year, non-classical, in 2024), partnered with Republic Records on its artist Tig3r Lewis. The labels jointly released Lewis’ debut EP, Mr. Right Now, on Aug. 14. — Chris Eggertsen

Cinq Music Group announced a distribution partnership with Nairobi-based artist development and creative services company, Soul HQ. The move expands Cinq Music’s investments in African music.

“It’s taken us years to build a solid foundation in Africa for African artists to compete on a global level across various genres, so it is undoubtedly a blessing to partner with Cinq Music and leverage their global expertise and infrastructure to propel African talent even further,” Faiza Hersi, founder of Soul HQ, said in a statement.

Fotemah Mba, head of A&R and African Expansion at Cinq Music Group, said, “Partnering with Soul HQ allows us to champion artists who are shaping the future of global sound… Faiza’s leadership at Soul HQ has been instrumental in building a strong platform for East African talent, and this partnership is an important part of Cinq’s continued expansion and investment in the East African music ecosystem. Altair brings a fresh sound and undeniable value as an emerging talent to our roster, and this release is only the beginning of what Cinq and Soul HQ will accomplish together.” — Ariel King

DICE has entered several new ticketing partnerships in the U.S., including with Saint Vitus Bar in Brooklyn, N.Y., Pacific Northwest-based promotion company ViVid Presents, The Originals in Miami, Phase 3 Presents and Studio 60. — Ariel King

Drum and bass label Metalheadz has entered a global distribution partnership with LabelWorx. Since the label’s founding in 1994 by Goldie, Kemistry and Storm, and has been host to artists including Doc Scott, Adam F, Ed Rush and Grooverider.

“Metalheadz is one of those labels whose impact goes far beyond its catalog,” Dominic Kerley, vp of LabelWorx, said in a statement. “It helped shape the sound, culture and identity of drum and bass, and we’re incredibly proud to be trusted with the next chapter of that legacy. Our role is to give the label the infrastructure, reach and strategic support to continue operating at the highest level.”

Goldie said, “When you come from a legacy with a label such as Metalheadz, it has to be respected, and it’s about detail within the company, protecting the IP and furthering the ability for expansion with an organized team. This move with LabelWorx expresses that in full, where so many have failed. Metalheadz is not just a label. It’s been a solid foundation for over 30 years for cutting-edge drum and bass music.”  — Ariel King

Thirty Knots and Interscope Records have formed a strategic partnership for Temper City’s upcoming debut album.

“Temper City has a clear artistic vision, and as musicians, writers, producers and performers, they’re building something that feels genuine and distinctive,” Sam Riback, president of pop/rock at Interscope Geffen A&M, said in a statement. “We’re happy to welcome Temper City to Interscope and look forward to working alongside Thirty Knots to help bring their music to audiences around the world.”

Peter Rugo and Joey Papoutsis, co-founders of Thirty Knots, said, “We are incredibly proud of what Temper City and the Thirty Knots team have accomplished with ‘Self Aware.’ We believed in the band and the song from the beginning and independently built their first release into a No. 1 Alternative record and one of the biggest songs in the world. We are thrilled to be working alongside Interscope on the band’s upcoming album and the next chapter of Temper City.” — Ariel King