Create Music Group Valued at $2.2B
Music tech firm Create Music Group has completed a $450M funding round, giving the company a $2.2B valuation. The new capital will be used to support its continued expansion.
Founded in 2015 by Jonathan Strauss and Alexandre Williams, Create Music Group initially focused on identifying and collecting unclaimed advertising revenue for artists on YouTube. The company has since evolved into a full-service platform for independent artists and labels, offering distribution, publishing, and data analytics. The recent $450M funding round was led by institutional investors Ares Management, 2 Mile, and Flexpoint Ford, with the company's founders retaining a majority stake. This infusion of capital is earmarked for further acquisitions, development of proprietary technology, and global expansion. This new valuation marks a significant jump from the $1 billion valuation the company received in a June 2024 funding round led by Flexpoint Ford. Over the past year alone, Create Music Group has invested over $500 million in various growth initiatives and acquisitions. The company has been on an aggressive acquisition spree, recently purchasing the independent electronic label Monstercat in May 2025 and the Berlin-based label group !K7 Music in April 2025. It also acquired the UK dance music company Cr2 Records in December 2025 and made a strategic investment of over $300 million in the indie music company Nettwerk Music Group. Create Music Group's proprietary technology is a key differentiator, providing artists with daily royalty data from major streaming platforms like YouTube, Apple Music, and Spotify. As of June 2024, the company was generating over 25 billion music streams per month across all digital service providers. The company's client roster includes over 25,000 artists and 5,000 label clients. In a notable success, Create Music Group distributed Tekashi 6ix9ine's "Trollz" with Nicki Minaj, which became the first independently distributed single to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This new valuation places Create Music Group in a competitive position within the music technology landscape. For comparison, Paris-based competitor Believe was the subject of a buyout offer that valued the company at approximately $1.98 billion in June 2025.
