Downtown Continues International Expansion With Acquisition of Strictly Confidential Catalog

New York and London, May 13, 2019 — Downtown Music Publishing today announced its acquisition of the catalog of celebrated independent European music publisher Strictly Confidential. The acquisition includes more than 10,000 song copyrights across multiple languages and music genres, and further strengthens Downtown’s international profile as the company continues to invest and expand globally.

Established in Brussels in 1987 by Michel Lambot, Kenny Gates, and Pierre Mossiat, Strictly Confidential is one of Europe’s most significant independent music publishing houses. With affiliated companies and operations in Belgium, France, and the United Kingdom, Strictly Confidential’s catalog includes hit singles across pop, rock, R&B, dance, and world music written and/or recorded by such names as Balkan Beat Box, Bebel Gilberto, Carl Barât, Chromeo, Clarika, Deus, Editors, Élodie Frégé, Felix da Housecat, Jason Derulo, Julien Doré, Junior Jack, Mark Ronson, Olivia Ruiz, Soap&Skin, Staff Benda Bilili, Tom Odell, Vanessa Paradis, and more.

“For more than 30 years, Strictly Confidential has set a gold standard in copyright management and artistic development. Building upon Downtown’s investments in the EU and UK, we couldn’t be more excited to welcome this wonderfully diverse song catalog into our global portfolio. I want to thank Michel, Kenny, and especially Pierre, who has not only been a close friend but a strong advocate for copyright globally, in entrusting us with these important works,” said Justin Kalifowitz, CEO of Downtown Music Holdings, parent company of Downtown Music Publishing. 

“Building Strictly Confidential over the last three decades has been a labour of love for myself, Michel and Pierre, so we are delighted that it has found an amazing new home in Downtown Music Publishing. Justin Kalifowitz and his team are passionate about the music and respectful of the legacy, and we feel sure that they are the right people to take the catalogue forward. We are equally excited to be launching Strictly Songs as the new home for our music publishing interests and to be continuing our work as sub-publishers to some of the world’s best catalogues, songwriters and composers,” said Kenny Gates, co-founder of Strictly Confidential.

Through the acquisition, Downtown will control the rights to Strictly Confidential’s catalog of original music developed from 1987 through 2017. The acquisition does not include Strictly Confidential’s highly regarded music publishing administration business, which will continue to be operated by its existing management team who will also be separately developing a catalog of new original music.

The acquisition of Strictly Confidential comes as Downtown continues to expand both its song catalog and global footprint. Last month, Downtown announced it had secured the administration rights for the George Gershwin catalog. Its parent company, Downtown Music Holdings, recently completed the acquisition of AVL Digital Group and its portfolio of industry-leading music distribution, rights management and artist services businesses, including AdRev®, CD Baby®, DashGo™ and Soundrop®. Downtown Music Holdings is now the world’s leading provider of end-to-end services to artists, songwriters, labels, music publishers and other rights holders, with operations in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Latin America.

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About Downtown Music Publishing

Established in 2007, Downtown Music Publishing is one of the world's leading music rights management firms offering bespoke creative publishing services to some of the world’s most beloved songwriters and storied music catalogs. The company's catalog spans over 100 years of popular music, including legends and iconic songwriters The Beatles, John Lennon & Yoko Ono, Booker T. Jones, The Kinks, George Gershwin, Mötley Crüe, Mos Def, Phish, Tori Amos, Hans Zimmer, and John Prine, as well as today’s hitmaker songwriters such as Ryan Tedder, Benny Blanco, One Direction, Santigold, and Jimmy Napes. With offices in major music markets around the globe, Downtown also represents critically-acclaimed emerging talent, including Phony Ppl, Theophilus London, Mae Muller, Cautious Clay, and Stella Donnelly, among others. Downtown Music Publishing is owned and operated by Downtown Music Holdings. More information is available at dmpgroup.com.