Fast-growing Canada-based rights company ole has acquired Anthem Entertainment Group, the label home of Rush as well as Big Wreck, Ian Thornley, Steven Page, The Tea Party, and other artists.
Anthem will continue to operate as a label under the ole Label Services banner, which includes its recently launched artist incubator Red Dot, and signals ole’s official move into the label services, master acquisition and artist development space.
The deal adds to ole’s earlier acquisitions of Core Music Publishing (Rush) and Mark Cain (Max Webster), and comprises all the legacy audio and A/V recordings of Rush and other Anthem artists, including the new release Secrets by Ian Thornley, plus Steven Page’s upcoming solo album, and the upcoming live album and concert film from the Rush R40 Tour.
Andy Curran, long-time A&R director at Anthem, joins ole as General Manager Label Services/A&R, together with Tyler Tasson as Manager, Label Services.
Ole, founded in 2004, has concluded $500m USD in acquisitions over the past 11 years. It already manages master recordings for itself and as a service to third parties.
Via its red dot artist development label, ole is currently releasing music from artists including Haley Reinhart, Josh Dorr, Josh Thompson, Jordan Davis and Sam Grow.
Ole also operates a successful and complementary YouTube multi-channel network, ole Digital, which was established in 2013 and now boasts over 5bn views across publishing, masters and A/V to date.
Said ole Chairman and CEO Robert Ott, “Ole is very excited about entering the label services business and building on the foundation of Ray Danniel’s storied company.
“Ole is very excited about entering the label services business.”
Robert Ott, Ole
“Ole is proud to continue to be the home of Rush and the other great artists with Anthem. We look forward to working closely with Anthem’s artists and business partners to further success.”
“I am pleased that Anthem and its ongoing legacy have found a new home with ole,” said Ray Danniels, President of SRO.
“After working with Robert Ott for the last year, I have found him to be a man of integrity and vision. He and ole are the right choice to lead Anthem Entertainment and Anthem Records into the future while protecting its past. I am especially pleased that he has chosen to bring Andy Curran and Tyler Tasson to ole in management positions.
“Together with Pegi Cecconi’s work as an ole consultant, this has made for a seamless transition for the artists and catalogues involved. I will continue to devote my time and energy to SRO Management, representing Rush and our other artists, as I have done for over 40 years.”
Alex Lifeson, guitarist and co-founder of Rush, said, “I’m pleased to see that Anthem Records has landed with ole, the home of our music publishing catalogue. I wish them great success with their new label business. Congratulations to our longtime manager Ray Danniels and CEO of ole, Robert Ott on completing their deal!”
Like ole, Anthem Entertainment Group is based in Toronto. It has been the stable of Rush and a host of other artists for over four decades.
Its record label, Anthem Records, has issued records from Rush and but other artists such as Max Webster, Coney Hatch, Ian Thomas, jazz flautist Moe Koffman, Gowan and Bob & Doug McKenzie.
The ole catalogue now includes over 50,000 songs and 60,000 hours of TV and film music across all genres. Copyrights under ole’s control include songs recorded by artists such as the Backstreet Boys, Beyoncé, Blake Shelton, Britney Spears, Carrie Underwood, Eric Church, Jay Z, Justin Timberlake, Kelly Clarkson, Madonna, Michael Jackson, One Direction, Rihanna, Rush, Taylor Swift, and Timbaland.
Ole also controls substantial A/V music and secondary rights including catalogs from Sony Pictures Entertainment, MGM, Miramax, Nelvana, and Nu Image/Millennium. Jingle Punks, the Production Music division of ole, provides quality content and service to creators in all media with over 400,000 tracks in its library.Music Business Worldwide
