Bella Figura Music acquired Jonny Pierce's catalog

Indie pop royalties just shifted hands, and Bella Figura grabbed a chunk of The Drums’ back catalog as it flexes harder in the US.

Bella Figura snaps up Jonny Pierce catalog

• Bella Figura Music secured Jonny Pierce’s publishing rights.
• Acquisition covers releases through the Encyclopedia album.
• Early records like Summertime! and Portamento fall inside.
• Money alone has pulled over 471 million Spotify streams.

The Drums’ evolution and streaming pull

• The Drums started in Brooklyn around 2008.
• Pierce later reshaped the act into a solo vehicle.
• Spotify shows more than 4 million monthly listeners.
• Bella Figura praised the catalog’s moody surf-pop mix.

US push and leadership hires

• London-based Bella Figura expanded into the US last year.
• Gary Gersh stepped in as Chairman during that move.
• Gersh previously worked at Capitol Records and Geffen Records.
• At those labels, he brought in Nirvana and Sonic Youth.

Company war chest and prior buys

• Founded in 2022, Bella Figura Music was launched by Alexi Cory-Smith.
• Neelesh Prabhu partnered with the former BMG UK president.
• Firm says roughly 160 million dollars went into rights deals.
• Jeepster Recordings sold a sizable catalog stake weeks ago.

Catalog neighbors and funding muscle

• Pierce’s songs join RAK Music Publishing assets.
• Individual classics like I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll sit inside.
• April 2024 brought fresh equity backing from Freshstream and OPTrust.
• Investors also feature a family office and a Dutch PE group.