Chord Music Partners Announces Strategic Investment from Searchlight Capital Partners.
Chord Music Partners, a leading management and acquisition platform for music intellectual property, today announced it has received a strategic investment from funds advised by Searchlight Capital Partners, L.P., a leading global private investment firm.
Chord’s partnership with Searchlight will accelerate the Company’s growth through the expansion of its recorded music and publishing catalogs, as well as enhance Chord’s ability to identify and execute new acquisition opportunities. Founded in 2021, Chord’s portfolio includes works from many of the world’s most iconic artists and songwriters, including Morgan Wallen, The Weeknd, David Guetta, Lorde and John Legend, among others. Chord’s standing as a leading platform for music investment is strengthened by key industry relationships, including a strategic partnership with Universal Music Group that was announced in 2024.
Sam Hendel, Dundee Partners’ Managing Principal and Co-Founder of Chord, added, “Searchlight’s expertise, network and ability to meaningfully contribute toward expanding Chord’s premier IP portfolio make Searchlight an ideal strategic partner for our Company’s next chapter. We’re thrilled to welcome them into the fold and look forward to pursuing the increasingly exciting opportunity set within today’s music landscape together.”
Darren Glatt, Partner at Searchlight, said, “The Chord team has built an incredibly strong and diversified platform at the forefront of music investment and evolved Chord into the desired home for the works and legacies of the world’s premier artists. Searchlight looks forward to contributing to Chord’s next chapter of growth and value creation for both its artists and existing investors.”
Searchlight was advised on this transaction by Lazard and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP.
About Chord Music Partners
Chord Music Partners is one of the world’s leading independent music rights platforms, formed through a strategic partnership between Dundee Partners and Universal Music Group. Chord combines institutional capital with global operational scale and active rights management. The platform’s growing portfolio includes works by some of the most influential artists in music, including The Weeknd, Lorde, David Guetta, and Morgan Wallen, demonstrating its focus on culturally relevant, high-performing intellectual property across genres and geographies. Under the partnership, Chord’s music publishing rights are administered through Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) and recorded music through UMG’s Virgin Music Group (VMG).