Singapore-based music fund blackx has signed what it calls a global music rights publishing deal with Singaporean singer-songwriter Tanya Chua.
The company says the deal spans the managing rights to Chua’s repertoire of musical IP rights.
The development marks blackx’s latest deal after the fund launched in late September with an initial USD $100 million in financing. Back in May, the fund acquired the catalog of Taiwanese songwriter Frances Wang (Zhong Yan).
Under the latest partnership with Chua, blackx will oversee the management of her musical IP rights, including the artist’s hits like Letting Go, and her latest award-winning album DEPART, which earned multiple wins at Taiwan’s 2022 Golden Melody Awards (GMA) for Album Of The Year and Best Mandarin Album.
The Golden Melody Awards are considered Asia’s equivalent of the Grammy Awards in the Mando-pop industry.
Chua is the only ever artist to be awarded the GMA for Best Female Singer (Mandarin) a record-breaking four times in 2006, 2008, 2012 and 2022. On Spotify, Chua has nearly 1.4 million monthly listeners.
Back in May, Chua performed sold-out shows at Taipei Arena to kick start her world tour, Kisses for the world — Let’s DEPART!, and another sold-out show at the Hong Kong Coliseum in June.
The deal with blackx also covers Chua’s future compositions and songs.
In addition to Chua’s songs, blackx will also manage the rights of top hits composed by Chua and performed by other artists like Carla Bruni, Jolin Tsai, Jam Hsiao, A-Mei, Eason Chan, Na Ying and more.
“Making great music that not only entertains but resonates with audiences has always been my focus. This partnership with blackx will raise the bar on connecting with my fans through a variety of content formats, distribution platforms and artistic collaborations. Ultimately, I hope that my works can engage and inspire more emerging songwriters, while accompanying listeners on their personal journeys throughout the years,” Chua said.
“We are stoked to partner with one of Asia’s generational talents who embodies timelessness, and to fulfil her passion and enable endless possibilities for her award-winning body of work, in turn creating new experiences for her fans not only in Asia but globally.”
Tan Chee Meng, Blackx
blackx CEO Tan Chee Meng also commented on the deal with Chua, describing her as “a landmark Asian artist,” whose works underpin the foundation for blackx to build upon.
“We are stoked to partner with one of Asia’s generational talents who embodies timelessness, and to fulfil her passion and enable endless possibilities for her award-winning body of work, in turn creating new experiences for her fans not only in Asia but globally.”
blackx will distribute and promote Chua’s IPs through emerging platforms in the Asian markets of Singapore, Greater China and Japan and explore vertical segments such as gaming and fitness.
“Singer-songwriters over the years have looked at alternative ways to optimize and enrich the life of their musical IP and assets – including transforming their top musical hits into musical scores, film plots and leveraging technology and innovation for new, immersive experiences.”
Garand Wu, Blackx
“Singer-songwriters over the years have looked at alternative ways to optimize and enrich the life of their musical IP and assets – including transforming their top musical hits into musical scores, film plots and leveraging technology and innovation for new, immersive experiences,” said blackx’s Greater China President Garand Wu.
“The possibilities that we’re seeing in this space today is even more exciting as our partnership with Tanya kicks off, given the depth and breadth of her vast content portfolio, as well as the wider Asian content we could potentially access in the future to redefine history and culture,” Wu continued.
blackx CEO Tan Chee Meng added: “Our vision has always been to enable artists to be successful in the pursuit of their craft – both creatively and commercially, as well as allowing creators and investors to participate in each other’s success.
“blackx will play a key role in managing the entire value chain end-to-end for creators to focus on their creative endeavours, while connecting with new audiences at a deeper level through different, innovative experiences.”
Music Business Worldwide