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Kobalt, The World’s Leading Independent Music Publisher, Partners With Chordal To Maximize Sync Opportunities For Its Catalog

Chordal CEO Grayson Sanders, Kobalt Executive Vice President and Head of Global Sync Rob Christensen (Photo Credit: J. Rei Photo)

Kobalt, the world’s largest independent music publisher, has teamed with Chordal, the cutting-edge music rights technology company, as its enterprise sync platform, entrusting it with its one million song catalog. The deal empowers Kobalt’s robust global sync team and marks the first time the company has fully integrated with a third-party platform to power its global creative sync transactions.

Kobalt joins other label and publishing partners already using Chordal, including [PIAS], Reservoir Media, Primary Wave, Believe, and many others, further expanding the platform’s position as the industry’s leading music technology platform.

“This partnership with Kobalt is a defining moment—not just for Chordal, but for the future of music licensing,” said Grayson Sanders, CEO of Chordal. “Kobalt has long been at the forefront of modernizing rights management, and we’re honored to help advance their mission to benefit creators worldwide.”

“Chordal's platform seamlessly integrates the creative and operational sides of the sync business, and their ability to consolidate rights holders on fractionally owned songs and masters greatly simplifies the process for buyers,” said Rob Christensen, Executive Vice President and Head of Global Sync at Kobalt. “Chordal also offers creative tools that are real game changers for creative sync teams, music supervisors and other creatives looking for music. We view this partnership as a meaningful inroad to supercharging many new sync opportunities for our writers and artists, all while ensuring they have the final say over where their music is used and at what price point.”

The move comes as Chordal’s breakthrough licensing system, InstantClear™, which launched in March 2025 after six years in development, has vaulted the company ahead of competitors in the sync licensing space. InstantClear™ makes licensing legally cleared commercial music faster and more accessible than ever, helping labels, publishers, and estates overcome traditional roadblocks in music rights management.

Kobalt’s integration with Chordal’s first-party rights API, makes it easier than ever for music supervisors, brands, film and TV producers, and other buyers to rapidly license music with real-time rights updates emanating from Kobalt’s system. With these integrations, and Kobalt’s catalog available on Chordal—alongside InstantClear™’s automated clearance system—sync transactions across new and untapped areas of the content business will be faster and more transparent.

InstantClear™, Chordal’s patent-pending licensing technology which launched last month, acts as a legal, financial, and creative bridge, quickly pulling together licenses for fractionally owned songs—a traditionally slow and complex process. By eliminating bottlenecks and automating licensing and payments, InstantClear™ will enable Kobalt’s global team, co-publishers, and label partners to close sync deals with unprecedented speed and efficiency.

Implementing this partnership also means that on a daily basis, Chordal will augment Kobalt’s global sync team, bringing them a new and expanded suite of solutions to enhance the delivery of music to supervisors and clients. The rich rights/ownership information that Chordal offers within each track (that will be updating in real time based on the Kobalt catalog), will make visualizing where other rights lie that much simpler for buyers. And most importantly, that insight will make it easier to figure out how to get clearances across the line, opening up the opportunity for streamlined collaboration with other rightsholders, and ultimately, more placements. This will also encompass new methods to bring management and songwriter partners deeper into the collaborative process of clearance.

About Chordal

Chordal is helping the music industry scale into the future of content production. The company boasts a world-class team of sync and music supervision veterans, with technologists from Google, Utopia Music, and Tesla, and has invested heavily in proprietary IP, including new AI that strengthens its machine-learning capabilities.

Chordal's advisory board includes respected leaders in the industry such as Vickie Nauman (Licensing expert and industry thought leader), Kier Lehman (Oscar-nominated music supervisor), and Josh Kessler (Music publishing industry leader). Having spent six years developing its platform and two years actively working with clients with $4.5M+ in capital invested, Chordal exited private beta in mid-2023. The launch of InstantClear™ marks the next evolution in music licensing technology.

 

About Kobalt

Kobalt Music is the leading independent music publishing destination for songwriters and publishers, powered by technology. Across 10 global offices, Kobalt serves over 1 Million songs, representing some of the biggest songwriters in the world, including Roddy Ricch, Max Martin, Karol G, Andrew Watt, Stevie Nicks, Phoebe Bridgers, The Lumineers, Gunna, Justin Quiles, The Foo Fighters, Paul McCartney, and many more. On average, Kobalt represents over 35% of the top 100 songs and albums in the US and the UK. With a relentless focus on advancing the interests of creators, Kobalt leverages cutting-edge technology to streamline the complex processes of music publishing administration. The company's dedication to transparency, coupled with its forward-thinking approach, has positioned it as a trusted partner for songwriters and rights holders navigating the ever-evolving music industry.

Kobalt’s unwavering commitment to empowering creators and reshaping the future of music rights management solidifies its standing as a global leader in the music industry. The company continues to transform the industry, most recently via AMRA, its global digital music collection society designed to maximize value for songwriters and publishers in today's digital age, while providing the highest level of transparency and efficiency. For more information about Kobalt, please visit www.kobaltmusic.com

For more information on Chordal, contact Hannah Schwartz at 

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For more information on Kobalt, contact John Vlautin at SpinLab