If you don’t know composer Brian Tyler by name, you are very likely to know at least some of his music thanks to the catalog of blockbuster sounds that he has created. Among his musical portfolio are the soundtracks to the Fast and the Furious franchise, the Now You See Me films, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Crazy Rich Asians, Iron Man 3, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Thor: The Dark World, Rambo: Last Blood, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone universe and the first “Official F1 Theme” for Formula 1, which airs during the global broadcast of every race.
Now, Cutting Edge Group (CEG), an investor in and manager of media music rights, has acquired the music rights and royalty streams to Tyler’s catalog of blockbuster film and TV scores, comprising more than 60,000 minutes.
Financial terms weren’t disclosed, but the company called the acquisition ” one of the largest ever completed for the rights of a single film and TV composer and comprises the soundtracks to some of the most successful works of entertainment from the past two decades, including films with a cumulative global box office of over $21 billion.”
Cutting Edge says it has been focusing on “securing rights to the defining scores of modern film and television.” Its portfolio already consists of more than 400,000 owned and/or managed media music rights valued at more than $1 billion, according to the firm.
Brian Tyler
Courtesy of Brian Tyler
Tyler was represented in the transaction by Dave Kaplan at Surfdog, Sam Schwartz and Michael Gorfaine of the Gorfaine Schwartz Agency, Scott Edel and Mitchell Manger at Loeb & Loeb, and Jean Lee at Citrin Cooperman. CEG was represented in the transaction by Michael Poster and Mehdi Sinaki of Michelman Robinson.
“Music is how we remember the stories that matter most to us. It’s the invisible thread running through a scene or story that makes it unforgettable, and I’ve spent my career trying to serve those stories as honestly as I can,” Tyler said in a statement. “Knowing that these compositions will be in the hands of a team that genuinely understands their value – not just commercially, but creatively and culturally – means everything to me.”
Tyler’s accolades include 51 BMI Music Awards, three Emmy nominations, five ASCAP Music Awards, a BAFTA nomination and 12 Goldspirit Awards, including for composer of the year. He was also honored with the BMI’s Icon Award in 2022 for his body of work.
Schwartz and Gorfaine added: “For an elite, rarified-air composer like Brian Tyler, it was key for us to find a company that truly understood the unique value of his legendary body of work.”
Cutting Edge Group COO Tara Finegan, courtesy of Faye Thomas
Tara Finegan, COO of Cutting Edge Group, lauded Tyler as “a one-of-a-kind composer who has played a pivotal role in shaping some of the most iconic films and TV shows of the 21st century.” She added: “I am extremely grateful and proud that he has trusted us with these world-class compositions and recordings, which are the emotional heartbeat of films and TV shows that span a multitude of genres and styles, and resonate with such a broad range of audiences. That quality and breadth is what makes this catalogue so compelling as a long-term investment.“
Tim Hegarty, head of M&A at Cutting Edge Group, said about the Tyler deal: “This investment reflects our unwavering commitment to securing the very best rights in media music, and our ability to complete deals of this caliber is testament to the reputation we have established within the composer community over many years.”
Tim Hegarty, head of M&A at Cutting Edge Group, courtesy of Faye Thomas
And he emphasized: “Film and television music remains one of the most resilient asset classes in the rights market, and this acquisition is a further demonstration of our ability to identify and secure its very best catalogues.”
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