Category: Music

Members of Children Of Bodom performed the first of two special tribute concerts earlier tonight (Thursday, February 26) at Tavastia club in Helsinki, Finland.

Dubbed Children Of Bodom – A Celebration Of Music, the event brought together original bassist Henkka Seppälä, keyboardist Janne Wirman, drummer Jaska Raatikainen and early-era guitarist Alexander Kuoppala. They were joined by longtime friend Samy Elbanna of Lost Society, who stepped in to honor late guitarist/vocalist and primary songwriter Alexi Laiho.

Laiho passed away on December 29, 2020, at his home in Helsinki. His death was later confirmed to have been caused by alcohol-induced degeneration of the liver and pancreas connective tissue. He also had painkillers, opioids and insomnia medication in his system and had struggled with long-term health issues.

When the shows were first announced last October, the band said in a statement: “We want to celebrate the life’s work of our band and at the same time the musical legacy of our friend and bandmate Alexi. The gig will be played at the Tavastia club, which is important to Children Of Bodom, and at the same time, we will fulfill the long-standing wish of our fans.”

Tavastia holds historic importance for the band, having hosted key performances throughout their career. The setlist for the first night spanned the group’s catalog, delivering a 20-song retrospective:

1. Living Dead Beat
2. Sixpounder
3. Bodom Beach Terror
4. Silent Night, Bodom Night
5. Deadnight Warrior
6. Towards Dead End
7. Everytime I Die
8. Bodom After Midnight
9. Lake Bodom
10. Bed Of Razors
11. Needled 24/7
12. Angels Don’t Kill
13. Blooddrunk
14. Warheart
15. Follow The Reaper
16. Downfall
17. Are You Dead Yet?
18. Hate Me!
19. Hate Crew Deathroll
20. In Your Face

Fan-filmed footage from the concert has already surfaced online, capturing an emotional evening that paid tribute not only to Laiho‘s virtuosity but also to the enduring legacy of one of Finland’s most influential metal exports.

The second and final Children Of Bodom – A Celebration Of Music performance is set to take place at Tavastia as well, closing a heartfelt chapter in the band’s history.

GoldState Music, the investment firm founded by music industry veteran Charles Goldstuck, has entered a strategic partnership with Bridgepoint Group, the London-listed mid-market investor.

Under the deal, announced on Thursday (February 26), Bridgepoint has committed what the two parties describe as “a significant investment” as lead investor in GoldState’s Growth Strategy – a dedicated fund focused on building and scaling music-oriented businesses globally.

The partnership marks a notable evolution for GoldState.

The company’s two previous fundraises – a partnership with private equity firm Flexpoint Ford in late 2023, and a USD $500 million raise co-led by Northleaf Capital Partners and Ares Management last April – were focused primarily on the acquisition of music rights, including catalogs, master recordings, and publishing assets.

MBW understands that those two funds jointly provided GoldState with approximately $1 billion in spending capacity, of which just over half has been deployed to date.

This new fund, by contrast, is focused on growth equity investments in music and music-adjacent companies – not catalog acquisitions.

Further financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

However, a source close to the details told MBW: “Charles is looking to deploy up to a billion dollars in growth equity capital over the next few years. This isn’t a billion-dollar raise, but it gives him a mechanism he can upsize to get in that ballpark.”

Goldstuck declined to comment when contacted by MBW.

In the official announcement of the Bridgepoint partnership, Goldstuck said: “The continued expansion of the music ecosystem, coupled with the vibrancy we see in all facets of the industry, makes this one of the most exciting times in recent music investing.

“Partnering with Bridgepoint is a natural expansion of our investment activities, and I could not be happier partnering with Rohit and his team.”

“Led by Charles, GoldState has an exceptional track record of capitalising on these dynamics and is perfectly complemented by Bridgepoint’s growing expertise.”

Rohit Dhote, Bridgepoint

Rohit Dhote, Partner and Co-Head of Credit Opportunities at Bridgepoint, added: “The music space continues to exhibit robust structural growth, supported by streaming expansion and the increasing global independence of artists.

“Led by Charles, GoldState has an exceptional track record of capitalising on these dynamics and is perfectly complemented by Bridgepoint’s growing expertise in providing creative capital solutions across the music ecosystem.”

GoldState says the Growth Strategy will target “growing, profitable companies with healthy organic growth rates, exceptional leadership teams and well-established market positions.”

MBW understands that Goldstuck and his team are currently reviewing potential investments in multiple music and music-adjacent companies, including those operating in artist services, distribution, and various AI-powered players.

Target areas, according to the official announcement, span “the broader music ecosystem, including rights management platforms, digital distribution, music technology and related infrastructure.”

As with GoldState’s previous raises, MBW understands that Goldstuck and his company have made a substantial minority contribution to the new fund – giving the GoldState founder personal ‘skin in the game.’

GoldState has previously made investments alongside financial partners in companies including TouchTunes, the in-venue interactive music and entertainment platform of which Goldstuck serves as Executive Chairman, and Create Music Group, the LA-based distribution, publishing, and data analytics company (alongside Flexpoint Ford).

Bridgepoint Group, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange, says it has over $86 billion of assets under management, with a presence in Europe, North America, and Asia.

The firm’s credit arm, Bridgepoint Credit, has been active in the music space. In June last year, Bridgepoint Credit backed Rezonate Music Rights with $150 million to acquire producer catalog royalty rights globally.

GoldState was founded in 2022 by Goldstuck, who previously held executive positions at major labels including Arista Records, Capitol Records, and J Records, which he co-founded with Clive Davis. He also served as President/COO of the Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG) and was co-chairman of Hitco Entertainment, which was sold to Concord in 2022.

On the rights side, GoldState has been active in catalog acquisitions. The company acquired portfolios from CatchPoint Rights Partners and AMR Songs for approximately $200 million in late 2024, adding stakes in songs by the likes of Kanye West, Sheryl Crow, and Panic! At The Disco.

Music Business Worldwide

The Circuit Group, which owns management firms Ayita and Seven20, has launched white-label services and rights management arm for independent labels and artists.

The new offering called Beat Switch Music Services has been operating quietly for the past 24 months, building out its operational infrastructure before launching publicly.

Circuit says the new division now works with more than 20 independent labels, including Chris Lake’s Black Book Records, FISHER’s Catch & Release, and Cloonee’s Hell Bent, among others.

“We’ve spent the last two years quietly building and stress-testing this infrastructure with over 20 independent labels. The workflows are proven, the partnerships are locked in, and the results speak for themselves,” said James Sutcliffe, Global COO of The Circuit Group.

“Rather than launch with a concept, we wanted to launch with a track record. The independent sector is growing faster than ever, but the tools and support available to smaller labels haven’t kept pace. We saw an opportunity to change that, and now we have the operational foundation to do it at scale.”

The full roster spans COS Recordings, DHB Records, Diviine, Plant X, Famous When Dead Records, CDC, New World, Konkrte, Techne, Horizn, Eardrums, Kopa Records, and Blowout Beats.

The service offers distribution, rights management, royalty accounting, publishing administration, marketing, and strategic consultancy. It also offers DSP pitching, playlist strategy, sync licensing, A&R support, DJ and radio promotion, marketing release strategy, project and release schedule management, and Web3 platform services.

The news arrives three months after Circuit launched a nine-figure investment fund focused on the acquisition of music assets and other cultural IP. Dubbed Circuit Capital, the new fund is backed by $500 million from Los Angeles-based Create Music Group, which was valued last year at $1 billion following a $165 million investment round.

Circuit was founded in October 2023 by Dean and Jessica Wilson of Seven20; and Brett Fischer, David Gray, and Harvey Tadman of AYITA.

The Beat Switch division is led by Dean Wilson as CEO, alongside James Sutcliffe as Global COO. Sutcliffe previously held leadership positions at Ministry of Sound, LIVENow, and Monster Energy.

Tadman and Gray serve as Co-Presidents of Beat Switch, with Gray also heading publishing. Simon Birkumshaw serves as Director of Operations, Label Services, Charlie Tadman is the Director of A&R, and Francis Brady handles rights and administration. Bianca Price manages social media.

The launch comes nearly two years after Circuit introduced a label services division. Four months later, Circuit partnered with music publisher Kobalt to launch the Circuit Publishing division.

In October 2024, Circuit formed an exclusive distribution partnership with LabelWorx, an independent digital distributor for indie electronic music labels. The collaboration sought to enhance distribution capabilities for Circuit’s roster of artists and labels, including partners such as Catch & Release and diviine.

Sutcliffe told MBW on Thursday (February 25) that “The long-term vision for Beat Switch is to become the definitive services partner for the independent music ecosystem”.

He added: “We want to be the infrastructure layer that empowers the next generation of labels, artists, and rights holders to build sustainable, scalable businesses on their own terms. That means continuing to invest in our technology stack, deepening our industry partnerships, and expanding into new revenue verticals including sync, brand partnerships, and emerging platforms.

“We’re also integrating forward-looking technology into our framework so that as the industry evolves, our clients are already positioned to benefit. Ultimately, we want Beat Switch to be the reason an independent label never has to consider signing away their rights just to access the tools they need to compete.”

“The long-term vision for Beat Switch is to become the definitive services partner for the independent music ecosystem.”

James Sutcliffe

Commenting more broadly on the independent sector, Sutcliffe said: “The reality is that most independent labels are expected to compete with major label machinery while running on a fraction of the resources. They’re juggling distribution, royalty accounting, rights registration, publishing admin, sync, promo all with tiny teams and fragmented systems that don’t talk to each other. That means money gets left on the table. Rights go unregistered. Royalties leak.”

He claimed that “Beat Switch solves that by giving independent labels access to a fully integrated, white-label infrastructure — the same calibre of partnerships, tools, and expertise that the majors take for granted — while they retain complete control of their brand and, critically, their IP.”

Added Sutcliffe: “What excites me most is the levelling of the playing field. We’re not asking labels to hand over their identity or their masters to access world-class services. They keep their brand, keep their rights, and get a dedicated team working in their time zone with the same passion for their catalogue as they do. The response from the independent community has been incredible. We’ve already built an organic client base of more than 20 labels, purely on the strength of the offering. Formalising this as Beat Switch is the next step, and I think the industry is ready for it.”

“Because IP is the single most valuable asset in music, and too many artists and labels have historically given it away in exchange for services they could have accessed independently. At The Circuit Group, everything we do is built around an IP-first philosophy. We believe that artists and labels should own and control their creative output and participate fully in its long-term value. When creators retain their rights, they build real equity. They have leverage. They have something of lasting value that appreciates over time. Beat Switch exists to give them the infrastructure to do exactly that without compromising ownership.”

Music Business Worldwide

AI music generator Suno has reached 2 million paid subscribers and $300 million in annual recurring revenue.

That’s according to CEO and co-founder Mikey Shulman, who shared the figures in a LinkedIn post on Wednesday (February 25), two years after the platform’s launch.

He also noted that over 100 million people have now used Suno.

“We launched Suno 2 years ago to let the world feel the joy of making music,” Shulman wrote. “Since then, over 100M people all over the world have used Suno, from music lovers to Grammy winners.”

The $300 million ARR figure represents a significant jump from the $200 million in annual revenue previously reported by The Wall Street Journal in November, when Suno closed a $250 million Series C funding round at a $2.45 billion post-money valuation.

Suno offers a free tier alongside two paid subscription plans: a Pro plan at $10 per month ($8 if billed annually) and a Premier plan at $30 per month ($24 if billed annually).

The new figures arrive at a turbulent moment for Suno’s relationship with the music industry.

Earlier this week, a coalition of artist representatives published an open letter titled ‘Say No to Suno’, describing the company as a “brazen smash and grab” platform and accusing it of using “unauthorized AI platform machinery trained on human artists’ work”.

The letter was signed by figures including Ron Gubitz, Executive Director of the Music Artist Coalition; Helienne Lindvall, President of the European Composer and Songwriter Alliance; and Chris Castle of the Artist Rights Institute.

Suno continues to face copyright infringement lawsuits from major music companies and key European music rights organizations.

The RIAA filed suit against both Suno and rival Udio in mid-2024, acting on behalf of all three majors, alleging “mass infringement” of copyright. Udio has since reached settlements with both Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group, signing licensing agreements with each for a new AI music platform expected to launch this year.

Warner Music Group settled with Suno in November, but the AI company remains locked in legal battles with Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment, as well as European music rights organizations, including Denmark’s Koda and Germany’s GEMA.

The open letter published by the group of artist reps earlier this week also waded into the ongoing debate over so-called “walled gardens” in AI music, criticizing Suno’s Chief Music Officer Paul Sinclair for taking aim at the closed-platform model championed by UMG in its licensing deals.

As previously reported by MBW, when WMG settled with Suno in November, the terms allowed users to continue creating and downloading songs — a contrast to the restrictions imposed in both UMG and WMG’s deals with rival Udio.

Despite the legal and reputational headwinds, Suno has been investing heavily in building bridges with the music business.

On Monday (February 23), the company appointed former Merlin CEO Jeremy Sirota as Chief Commercial Officer, the latest in a series of high-profile music industry hires.

Paul Sinclair, a former WMG executive, joined as Chief Music Officer in July 2025, while former Spotify executive Sam Berger was recently hired as Senior Director of Artist Partnerships.

“Suno lets everyone actively participate in music culture creation, bringing to life the music that’s inside millions of people. The future is creative entertainment.”

Mikey Shulman

---

In his LinkedIn post, Shulman framed Suno as a creative platform rather than a passive consumption tool, positioning it against what he described as the cultural flattening of algorithmic content feeds.

“Endless scrolling and passive consumption have flattened culture and reduced people’s taste to a homogeneous, lowest common denominator,” he wrote.

“People yearn for more, and the future of consumer entertainment is creative.”

He added: “Suno lets everyone actively participate in music culture creation, bringing to life the music that’s inside millions of people. The future is creative entertainment.”

C.C. Gong, a Principal at Menlo Ventures — which led Suno’s $250 million Series C round — also commented on the milestones in a separate LinkedIn post, arguing that Suno is “changing the default relationship people have with music” and that “creation improves consumption.”

“For decades, we listened to what artists (*record labels) released,” Gong wrote. “Now, anyone can create exactly what they want to hear instantly.”

---

Gong added that she has “personally shifted most of my listening to Suno,” saying she was “so tired of Spotify giving me the same overplayed recommendations.”

She argued that AI-generated music “unlocks an ever-expanding long tail, meaning everyone can find their song, not just a song.”

Music Business Worldwide