NEW YORK, Oct. 13, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- John Josephson, Chairman and CEO of SESAC, the only Music Rights Organization in the United States, today announced the merger of the Harry Fox Agency's (HFA) Slingshot business teams with Rumblefish, a leader in music micro-licensing, network monetization on platforms such as YouTube and license verification utilizing its patented RADKey® technology. SESAC acquired Rumblefish in 2013 and completed its acquisition of HFA, the leading U.S. mechanical rights organization, in September 2015.
"Merging the Rumblefish and Slingshot teams will focus our integration efforts, eliminate any overlaps in customer coverage and enable the combined team to maximize the power of a unified service offering, thereby allowing us to accelerate the introduction of an innovative, expanded suite of services," Josephson said. "The expanded service portfolio we are developing will streamline the licensing process and enhance the efficiency of our administration activities, driving value for both creators and users of music."
The combined team will be led by Michael Simon, HFA's President and CEO, and operate under the Rumblefish brand, with participation from the senior management teams of both companies. Paul Anthony Troiano, Rumblefish's Founder and CEO, has announced that he will be departing the company, but will remain as an active advisor to the combined company. Slingshot's services and Rumblefish's industry leading Content ID administration, Micro-licensing and RADKey® offerings will continue uninterrupted for its hundreds of clients and hundreds of thousands of content providers as part of an expanded portfolio of services to be offered by the combined company.
The acquisition of HFA provides SESAC with the ability to offer singular licenses for the works of its affiliated writers and publishers that aggregate both performance and mechanical rights. Slingshot, HFA's next generation rights management business unit, includes a suite of information management and technology solutions designed to simplify and facilitate the administration of intellectual property rights.
ABOUT SESAC
SESAC, the only Music Rights Organization in the United States, serves both music users and the creators of music through music licensing services and the use of information technology and data science to provide timely, efficient royalty collection and distribution. SESAC is unique in its ability to offer singular licenses for the works of its affiliated writers and publishers that aggregate both performance and mechanical rights allowing SESAC to drive greater efficiency in licensing for music users, as well as enhanced value for music creators and publishers.
SESAC's Performing Rights subsidiary is the second oldest and most progressive PRO in the U.S., the only PRO to pay monthly radio royalties, and was the first PRO to pay songwriters and publishers for live performances in venues of any size. Its affiliate roster continues to grow, with recent signings such as Mariah Carey, Zac Brown, Green Day, Kesha, Charli XCX and Nikki Sixx joining stalwarts Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, Lady Antebellum and the Kurt Cobain catalog. Additionally, SESAC has long represented the music on some of TV's biggest shows including Grey's Anatomy, How I Met Your Mother, Parenthood, Dateline NBC and Dr. Phil among many others.
The acquisition of the Harry Fox Agency (HFA), the leading U.S. mechanical rights organization, and Rumblefish, a leader in music micro-licensing, paved the way for the merger of HFA'S Slingshot and Rumblefish, creating a more efficient and streamlined licensing and royalty process and maximizing network monetization on platforms such as YouTube and license verification utilizing its patented RADKey® technology. The integration of services allows SESAC to accelerate the introduction of an innovative, expanded suite of services, driving value for both creators and users of music.
Headquartered in Nashville, the company also has offices in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Miami, Portland, San Francisco and London.