Photo Credit: Ralph W. Peer, Managing Director, UK, and Vice President of Peermusic Africa and Middle East; Karen Hamilton, Managing Director, Peermusic Australasia / Courtesy of Peermusic
Peermusic acquires Australian music publisher 120 Publishing, appointing Karen Hamilton as Managing Director, Peermusic Australasia.
Peermusic, the world’s largest independent music publishing and neighboring rights company with 39 offices across 33 countries and over 200 employees worldwide, has announced the completion of its acquisition of 120 Publishing. In connection with that transaction, Peermusic has appointed 120 Publishing General Manager Karen Hamilton as Managing Director, Peermusic Australasia.
The deal will provide Peermusic with the publishing rights to 120 Publishing’s approximately 5,000 works and 120,000 administered copyrights. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
120 Publishing is a Sydney-based music publishing firm with a special interest in working with dance and electronic music writers, producers, and topliners and a focus on setting up collaborations between local writers and international artists. The company has grown to also represent several successful K-pop and J-pop writers and acts as a sub-publisher for some key international catalogs in Australia and New Zealand.
120 Publishing was founded by TMRW Music Group CEO Tim McGee in 2009 for Ministry of Sound Australia (now operating as TMRW Music), to support writers and producers from the group’s labels. Karen Hamilton joined in 2011 to run the company and has led its growth ever since.
“The acquisition of 120 Publishing marks our continued investment in the Australasian market and repertoire. We are proud to steward a catalog with such artistic talent and cultural importance, ensuring these songs and songwriters continue to find new opportunities globally,” said Mary Megan Peer. “Ralph and I are thrilled to welcome Karen to the helm of Peermusic Australia. Karen’s deep expertise, industry leadership, and proven ability to build her writers’ careers both in Australia and internationally will be a great addition to Peermusic Australia.”
“120 Publishing is an impressive company, grown and run by an exceptional executive, Karen Hamilton,” added Ralph W. Peer. “With this acquisition we have a unique opportunity to grow our presence in Australia and to enhance the services we are able to provide our writers at both the local and global level.”
“Karen has built a vibrant community of writers coupled with an impressive collection of local and international hits, and I am so pleased she will be bringing those same skills to Peermusic Australia. As we integrate the 120 song catalog, Karen will continue to provide a dedicated home that honors the creative vision of those writers while offering them greater reach through Peermusic’s global network.”
Karen Hamilton brings over 30 years’ experience in the industry across A&R, copyright, royalties, and licensing. Prior to joining 120 Publishing, Hamilton formerly worked at AMCOS, MMA Music, Mana Music, and Warner Chappell. In 1998 she joined John Woodruff Management to work across recordings, publishing, and management for Savage Garden and Darren Hayes, and a short time later partnered with John and Keith Welsh to form Rough Cut Music Publishing.
Over the next decade the company signed and developed several prominent Australian artists, including Evermore, Kisschasy, Trial Kennedy, and The Butterfly Effect. Karen Hamilton is currently Deputy Chair of the Australasian Music Publishers Association (AMPAL) and a Board Director of the Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS).
“As a publishing company that is truly both independent and global, Peermusic is in a class of its own. When I started working in 120 Publishing 15 years ago, my goal was to put our songwriters first, do the right thing by them, and help create international opportunities for them,” said Karen Hamilton.
“In Peermusic, I’ve found a partner who truly shares those values and delivers on that mission. Joining forces with Peermusic gives our songwriters the infrastructure and global reach to achieve their career goals much faster. Our writers will no doubt benefit from Peermusic’s international creative opportunities and worldwide administrative network. I look forward to working with the Peermusic team, and I am honored to be working with this incredible roster of songwriters.”
“We launched 120 to give the writers and producers across our label group a true in-house publishing home, one that works hand in hand with our recordings, sync, and licensing teams,” added Tim McGee, CEO, TMRW Music, and founder of 120 Publishing. “Since joining us, Karen has helped grow the business into something we’re incredibly proud of. Peermusic shares our independent, writer-first values, and as a fellow family business, it’s a natural fit for 120 and TMRW. We believe it’s the ideal home for the next chapter of the catalog and its writers, and we’re delighted that Karen will continue to play a key role going forward.”