Songwriting assets back in focus as HarbourView snaps up Grammy Award winners’ songs

HarbourView Equity Partners has struck a deal with Wolf Cousins, the songwriting collective built by pop hitmakers Max Martin and Shellback, acquiring the publisher's share of select compositions from the group's extensive catalog.

The Newark, New Jersey-based investment firm, which targets premium intellectual property across music, entertainment, sports and media, announced the partnership this week.

Two years ago, songwriting assets were in focus as Hipgnosis, which helped trigger a wave of acquisitions after its 2018 London launch, was eventually taken private by Blackstone in a transaction that valued its equity at around $1.6 billion, underscoring how deeply Wall Street has embedded itself in the business of song ownership.

Wolf Cousins was co-founded by two of contemporary pop music's most decorated figures. Max Martin has written or co-written 30 Billboard Hot 100 number one singles, producing or co-producing 28 of them, while Shellback has contributed to global hits for artists including Adele, Maroon 5, P!nk and Usher. Both hold multiple Grammy Awards.

The collective brings together a broader roster of producers and songwriters including Ilya Salmanzadeh, Oscar Holter, Tove Lo, Ludvig Söderberg, Jakob Jerlström and Ali Payami, among others.

The catalog covered by the transaction spans recordings by some of the world's biggest-selling artists. Taylor Swift's "Style" and "...Ready For It?," Ariana Grande's "Problem," "Into You," and "No Tears Left To Cry," The Weeknd's "Can't Feel My Face," Imagine Dragons' "Believer," and Ellie Goulding's "Love Me Like You Do" are among the featured titles.

Several compositions also appear in the Broadway and West End musical & Juliet, which is built around Martin's songbook. Warner Chappell will continue to administer the catalog.

"At HarbourView, we invest in culturally relevant intellectual property and the visionary creators behind it," said Sherrese Clarke, Founder and CEO of HarbourView Equity Partners. "Max Martin and Shellback continue to hold their place as hitmakers in contemporary music, and through Wolf Cousins they have built an extraordinary creative ecosystem spanning generations and genres. We are proud to partner with them and help steward the legacy of this remarkable catalog."

Martin and Shellback pointed to the collective's founding philosophy in welcoming the arrangement. "Wolf Cousins was founded to bring songwriters and producers together in an environment built on collaboration, mentorship and creative development," they said. "HarbourView's long-term vision and respect for creators make them a natural partner for this body of work."

The deal is the latest in a rapid sequence of acquisitions for HarbourView since its 2021 launch.

The firm now holds approximately $3.88 billion in regulatory assets under management and has assembled more than 70 music catalogs, with previous deals covering works connected to Quincy Jones, Kelly Clarkson, Chaka Khan, Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac, Luis Fonsi and Wiz Khalifa, among others.