Warner Music Group has acquired many of the core assets of concert discovery platform Songkick, including its website and app, along with the trademark. The popular app, with its 6 million-plus concert listings and 15 million monthly users, will now be a standalone brand overseen by WEA, WMG's artist and label services division.
As part of the deal, some Songkick employees related to the discovery business will move over to WMG, though exact turnover is to be determined. Financial details were not disclosed. "The move expands WMG's growing network of direct-to-fan destinations and will lead to additional offerings for Songkick users," WMG said in its announcement of the acquisition.
What's left out of the deal is the ticketing side of Songkick and, notably, the pending litigation that the company has against Live Nation and Ticketmaster. Songkick's long-running lawsuit against the ticketing giant alleges antitrust violations, anticompetitive behavior and intentional interference with smaller firms. In a statement, Songkick co-founder and CEO Matt Jones said his company will continue the legal fight "on behalf of the many artists and fans we've served over the last decade."
WMG's acquisition of the Songkick brand is immediate, and details on how the site and app will incorporate ticketing -- given that that aspect was excluded -- are being worked out.
"Fans all over the world trust Songkick to help them find events featuring the artists they love," commented Tony Harlow, president of WEA. "It's a passionate, highly engaged music community, always on the lookout for new experiences. Bringing together Songkick's discovery platform and world-class technology with our existing ecommerce expertise and global reach represents a powerful step in strengthening and evolving our direct-to-fan capabilities."
Added Jones, "Songkick was founded on the promise of improving the live experience for fans and the artists they love. Over the years, we have helped tens of millions find their next great live experience. And today, I’m excited to pass the baton on the discovery service to the great team at WMG, an ideal organization to carry on this mission and to take it in new, innovative directions."
