Photo Credit: Michael Cantor (Virgin Music), Steven Melrose (Seeker), Evan Bogart (Seeker), Jacqueline Saturn (Virgin Music North America), Cindy James (Virgin Music North America) / Photo by Rich Polk
Seeker Music Group, backed by M&G, has announced a global distribution partnership with Virgin Music Group, building on years of collaboration to expand its $400 million catalog.
Seeker Music Group, led by creative executive and songwriter Evan Bogart and with backing from M&G, has announced a global distribution partnership with Virgin Music Group. The deal builds on years of collaboration between the two entities and will expand Seeker’s global reach and scale across its growing $400 million catalog of over 19,000 copyrights and recordings.
Under the new agreement, Virgin Music Group will serve as Seeker’s global distribution partner for its catalog of recordings and new project releases, amplifying Seeker worldwide and bringing “enhanced strategy,” marketing, and infrastructure to drive new audiences.
Since launching in 2020, Seeker’s creator-led team has built a unique strategy around acquiring music they genuinely love, identifying that music’s untapped potential, and extending its cultural and commercial legacy through high-touch creative catalog management.
That approach spans everything from innovative sampling and interpolation strategies to collaborative songwriting and producer partnerships aimed at creating fresh IP, proactive sync and creative licensing, a proprietary short-form content amplification strategy, and bespoke catalog marketing campaigns with artist-forward storytelling.
This creative philosophy helped power one of the biggest hits of 2024, Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” which interpolates Seeker’s catalog cut “Tipsy” by J-Kwon. It has also shaped other major releases by the likes of Mario, Coco Jones, Teyana Taylor, Megan Thee Stallion, Chris Brown, Pop Smoke, and more. Seeker has also paired that approach with targeted catalog campaigns, such as its work with Christopher Cross’ catalog, which has grown his Spotify monthly listeners from roughly 2.5 to more than 8 million, alongside a steady pipeline of catalog-driven new records: reissues, rarities, demos, and new remixes and covers.
In the past few years, Seeker has put out reissues and never-before-publicly heard music from the artists like Run the Jewels and Christopher Cross, and worked with artists ranging from Allen Stone and Benny Sings (covering Cross), to Tayla Parx and Say She She (covering SWV hits written by Brian Alexander Morgan) to reimagine and release catalog music in fresh new ways. Upcoming reissue and remix projects this year are in the works with key catalog artists like Joan Jett, Christopher Cross, and Nu Shooz.
Through its work with Virgin, Seeker will now further expand and accelerate its playbook globally, on the heels of a period of significant overall growth. Last month, Seeker announced the closing of its inaugural $267 million asset-backed securitization.
“Seeker represents the kind of forward-thinking, creator-driven company we love partnering with at Virgin Music Group,” said Cindy James, General Manager of Virgin Music Group North America. “Steven, Evan, and their team have a unique ability to reimagine catalog and artist partnerships in ways that feel fresh, relevant, and culturally impactful. With our global infrastructure and their creative vision, we see a tremendous opportunity to amplify this music and connect it with new audiences around the world, and we’re incredibly excited about what we can build together.”
“This partnership is a game-changer for Seeker in how we elevate our catalog and artists,” said Evan Bogart, Seeker Music CEO. “We are so excited about the cultural impact and importance of the records we have the opportunity to support, and Virgin is the best at championing independent catalogs and artists on a global scale. Whether it is Nu Shooz, Run the Jewels, Joan Jett, or Christopher Cross, we are now in a position to celebrate our music with more energy and resources than ever before. Seeker is here to build, preserve, and extend legacies, and Virgin is the perfect partner to help us scale that mission.”
“We’ve been good friends with and huge admirers of Nat, TJ, Jacqueline, and Cindy for a while, so it made all the sense in the world for us to team up with them and their great extended global family,” said Seeker Chief Creative Officer Steven Melrose. “They bring the same creative passion and forward-thinking spirit that defines Seeker, and together we’ll unlock new opportunities for our artists and catalogs worldwide!”
