Making Music Royalties Sing

Larry Mestel is the Founder and Co-CEO of Primary Wave, one of the largest independent full-service entertainment companies. Primary Wave Publishing, the music division Larry oversees, acquires and develops the rights to iconic song titles and works with iconic artists. He has bought assets that include big name hits from Kurt Cobain, Smokey Robinson, Steven Tyler, John Lennon, Def Leppard, Hall & Oates and CeeLo Green.

Prior to founding Primary Wave in 2006, Larry spent twenty years in the music industry, serving as COO and GM of Virgin Records, EVP and GM at Arista Records, and COO of Island Entertainment Group.

Our conversation discusses the business of investing in music publishing rights, including Primary Wave’s target market, due diligence practices, unique approach to growing revenue streams, and transactions. As you might imagine, the music business has plenty of great stories, and Larry shares a few of his gems.