Summer 2025 commemorates five years of industry-leading accomplishments: #1 hits, landmark catalog acquisitions, Fast Company “Most Innovative Companies,” and more
$300 million music portfolio includes 17,000+ copyrights to date
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Chief Creative Officer Steven Melrose, Chief Financial Officer Todd von Mende
(Photo Credit: Caity Krone for Seeker Music)
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Seeker Music, the creator-led music rights, publishing, and record company founded by M&G Investments and led by award-winning songwriter and creative executive Evan Bogart, is celebrating five years in business with a slate of forward-looking hires and promotions, and a recent anniversary bash at its creative campus in Los Angeles’s Frogtown neighborhood. Since launching in 2020, Seeker has built a $300 million portfolio of more than 17,000 copyrights spanning some of the biggest hits of the past five decades (including 38 songs in Spotify’s “Billion Club”), guided by a simple philosophy: invest in catalogs to celebrate and amplify music, that the Seeker team truly loves and wants to champion, treating songs and recordings with the same energy, imagination and strategy usually reserved for new releases.
Seeker’s first five years have been defined by a series of standout achievements that reflect its innovative, creator-first approach to catalog acquisitions and rights management. This year, Seeker earned the #2 spot on Fast Company’s 2025 “Most Innovative Music Companies” list, a first-time recognition for the company. In 2024, Seeker fueled the chart-dominating success of Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” which flipped Seeker’s catalog cut “Tipsy” by J-Kwon into the longest-running Billboard #1 song of all time. Other highlights over the last five years include an acclaimed Christopher Cross creative campaign that brought his catalog to new streaming, sales AND performance highs, the forging of a landmark partnership with Joan Jett and Blackheart Records, and the launch of Samplémoose (the company’s proprietary strategy focused on partnering with hit producers and songwriters to reimagine hits of the past into hits of today), to name just a few.
As it marks five years, Seeker is also recognizing new appointments across creative, financial, legal, and marketing teams. Leading the announcement is the promotion of Steven Melrose to Chief Creative Officer. Previously Global Head of Creative and a member of the Seeker team since 2021, Melrose has played a key role in spearheading catalog acquisitions and the execution of creative campaigns, including the Joan Jett and the Blackhearts’ catalog, Christopher Cross, Run the Jewels, Jay Sean, and more. Steven, who spent most of his career in records with EMI, Sony, and others, has also been instrumental in connecting with international artists and catalogs like Mark Morrison’s, Plested’s, Future Cut’s, and The Wombats, thus growing Seeker’s global footprint for its partners and acquisitions.
Joining the executive leadership team as Chief Financial Officer is Todd von Mende, a seasoned finance leader with a track record across top-tier entertainment firms, including DreamWorks Animation and Saban Music Group. His appointment signals Seeker’s ongoing investment in financial precision and growth-minded strategy as the company scales its catalog footprint and global reach.
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Seeker Music's Chief Creative Officer Steven Melrose, CEO Evan Bogart, Chief Financial Officer Todd von Mende, Chief Rights and Royalties Officer Jennifer Blakeman, and
General Counsel Dan Stuart
(Photo Credit: Caity Krone for Seeker Music)
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Additional new hires and promotions include:
- John Bowditch has been promoted to Vice President of Marketing & Innovation. Tenured since 2021, Bowditch has driven many of Seeker’s most impactful campaigns, including the campaign around Christopher Cross’ music, which has brought his catalog to streaming highs, major campaigns and vinyl repressings of Run The Jewels’ albums, and creative marketing for releases by artists including Caroline Kingsbury and CARR.
- Andrew Grant joins as Vice President of A&R following his tenure at Atlantic Records/Warner Music Group, where he was instrumental in developing major artists such as Bhad Bhabie and hit singles for artists such as Cardi B, NoCap, David Guetta, Ava Max and many more.
- Ahyiesha Sarnor joins as Attorney, Legal & Business Affairs, bringing her years of music and business law experience with Cutting Edge Media.
- Rose Campbell will join as the new Director of Marketing, bringing her experience as a former Senior Project Leader at SoundCloud and Director of Marketing at The Spellbound Group.
- Donald McGill joins as Director of Investments, bringing prior experience in music investments with Warner Chappell, Kobalt and Open On Sundays.
- Brett Wilson joins as Royalties Manager, with experience in royalty management at both BMI and Universal Music Publishing.
- Martin Chisel joins Seeker as Rights & Royalties Coordinator, coming from BMG, where he will be involved in both the rights and royalties functions.
Seeker CEO, Evan Bogart, said:
“From day one, Seeker has been reimagining what a modern music and rights company can be. As creators first, we’ve built a business that treats songs not only as legacies to preserve, but as fuel for what’s next. Five years in, the results speak for themselves: record-breaking hits, catalogs revitalized with new energy, new fans and fandom, and a redefinition of what creative catalog management can mean. Just as importantly, we’ve shown that a creator-led company can deliver real value for our partners and investors. None of it happens without this team. Their passion, talent, and vision drive everything we do. As we celebrate this milestone, I’m more energized than ever for what’s ahead: the music we’ll champion and the culture we’ll continue to serve.”
See some photos of the new hires, and from Seeker’s 5-year celebration party, below:
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Vice President of Marketing & Innovation John Bowditch
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Vice President of A&R Andrew Grant
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Attorney, Legal & Business Affairs Ahyiesha Sarnor
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Director of Marketing Rose Campbell
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Seeker Music anniversary In Frogtown, Los Angeles
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Credit for all photos: Caity Krone for Seeker Music
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About Seeker
Founded by M&G Investments and led by CEO and award-winning songwriter Evan Bogart (“Halo”), Seeker Music has taken a creator-first, creator-led approach to records, rights management, and music publishing since it was established in 2020. Their over 17,000+ copyright-strong catalog includes everything from the work of Joan Jett, Christopher Cross, Run The Jewels, Jon Bellion and Charlotte Caffey (of the Go-Go’s), to Mozella (“Wrecking Ball”), John Ryan (One Direction), Plested (Lewis Capaldi), Mark Morrison (“Return Of The Mack”), Future Cut (Lily Allen), Jay Sean (“Down”) and J-Kwon’s “Tipsy,” which has been interpolated into the longest-running Billboard #1 song of all time, the GRAMMY-nominated “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” and many more.
Seeker was recently named #2 on Fast Company’s list of Most Innovative Music Companies 2025. Alongside Bogart, the company is led by an executive team consisting of Chief Rights and Royalties Officer Jennifer Blakeman, Chief Creative Officer Steven Melrose, General Counsel Dan Stuart and Chief Financial Officer Todd von Mende, and works with a Board chaired by John Smith (BBC, Burberry), and including key investors M&G Investments.
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For more information on Seeker Music, contact Hannah Schwartz at
Shore Fire Media
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