Peermusic has bought Sydney-based 120 Publishing, gaining a catalog of roughly 5,000 songs and control over the administration of 120,000 copyrights. Karen Hamilton, who ran the Australian publisher, is also taking charge as Peermusic Australia's new managing director. The price remains private.
The move adds more dance and electronic music to Peermusic's business. Through 120, the firm gains links with producers, songwriters, and topliners, along with K-pop and J-pop talent. The catalog also has publishing ties across Australia and New Zealand.
Tim McGee started 120 Publishing as part of Ministry of Sound Australia's music business, which later became TMRW Music. Its first job was to support the writers behind the label group's releases. Hamilton took charge of operations after joining the team.
And she has quite a track record. With over 30 years in the music business, Hamilton has dealt with artist development, royalties, copyright, and licensing. Her past roles include work at AMCOS, MMA Music, Mana Music, and Warner Chappell.
Her career also took her to John Woodruff Management, where she worked on projects tied to Savage Garden and Darren Hayes. Later, she helped launch Rough Cut Music Publishing, which signed acts such as Evermore, Kisschasy, Trial Kennedy, and The Butterfly Effect.
Beyond those roles, Hamilton serves as deputy chair at AMPAL and sits on the AMCOS board. Her experience gives Peermusic a leader who already knows the local scene and its global links.
CEO Mary Megan Peer sees the purchase as a way to boost the firm's reach in Australasia and help more songs find audiences abroad. She also backed Hamilton's experience in building careers across borders.
Ralph W. Peer welcomed the deal for similar reasons. He praised Hamilton's work with artists and expects the new setup to offer better creative and business support. His roles at Peermusic span the UK, Africa, and the Middle East, following earlier leadership duties in Australasia.
Hamilton, for her part, sees the merger as a chance for her writers to tap into a far larger business network. Her main goal remains helping artists build careers, with more access to overseas projects and rights services.
McGee also backed the sale. He said the two firms share a focus on independent music and fair support for songwriters. Keeping Hamilton involved was a key part of giving the catalog a stable path forward.
The deal comes after several other Peermusic buys. Arctic Rights Management in Norway brought more than 5,000 music assets, with rights linked to Dua Lipa tracks such as Don't Start Now and New Rules, along with Zedd and Katy Perry's 365.
Earlier deals added Premier Muzik, All Right Music, and Global Master Rights, helping Peermusic build a business that serves over 300 recording rights holders and 3,000 artists.
South Korea was another key market. A purchase of Music Cube brought in 40,000 local copyrights, with BTS among the acts tied to the songs. That country has since become Peermusic's third-biggest market by revenue.
The wider company has 39 branches spread across 33 nations and bills itself as the largest independent global firm in music publishing and neighboring rights.
For the legal side, Simpsons Solicitors and chief counsel Tim Cohan worked with Peermusic, while Brett Oaten Solicitors advised 120 Publishing.
The move adds more dance and electronic music to Peermusic's business. Through 120, the firm gains links with producers, songwriters, and topliners, along with K-pop and J-pop talent. The catalog also has publishing ties across Australia and New Zealand.
Tim McGee started 120 Publishing as part of Ministry of Sound Australia's music business, which later became TMRW Music. Its first job was to support the writers behind the label group's releases. Hamilton took charge of operations after joining the team.
And she has quite a track record. With over 30 years in the music business, Hamilton has dealt with artist development, royalties, copyright, and licensing. Her past roles include work at AMCOS, MMA Music, Mana Music, and Warner Chappell.
Her career also took her to John Woodruff Management, where she worked on projects tied to Savage Garden and Darren Hayes. Later, she helped launch Rough Cut Music Publishing, which signed acts such as Evermore, Kisschasy, Trial Kennedy, and The Butterfly Effect.
Beyond those roles, Hamilton serves as deputy chair at AMPAL and sits on the AMCOS board. Her experience gives Peermusic a leader who already knows the local scene and its global links.
CEO Mary Megan Peer sees the purchase as a way to boost the firm's reach in Australasia and help more songs find audiences abroad. She also backed Hamilton's experience in building careers across borders.
Ralph W. Peer welcomed the deal for similar reasons. He praised Hamilton's work with artists and expects the new setup to offer better creative and business support. His roles at Peermusic span the UK, Africa, and the Middle East, following earlier leadership duties in Australasia.
Hamilton, for her part, sees the merger as a chance for her writers to tap into a far larger business network. Her main goal remains helping artists build careers, with more access to overseas projects and rights services.
McGee also backed the sale. He said the two firms share a focus on independent music and fair support for songwriters. Keeping Hamilton involved was a key part of giving the catalog a stable path forward.
The deal comes after several other Peermusic buys. Arctic Rights Management in Norway brought more than 5,000 music assets, with rights linked to Dua Lipa tracks such as Don't Start Now and New Rules, along with Zedd and Katy Perry's 365.
Earlier deals added Premier Muzik, All Right Music, and Global Master Rights, helping Peermusic build a business that serves over 300 recording rights holders and 3,000 artists.
South Korea was another key market. A purchase of Music Cube brought in 40,000 local copyrights, with BTS among the acts tied to the songs. That country has since become Peermusic's third-biggest market by revenue.
The wider company has 39 branches spread across 33 nations and bills itself as the largest independent global firm in music publishing and neighboring rights.
For the legal side, Simpsons Solicitors and chief counsel Tim Cohan worked with Peermusic, while Brett Oaten Solicitors advised 120 Publishing.
