Bella Figura Music Secures Additional Funding from Consortium of Institutional Investors to Expand Global Catalogue Acquisitions

09 April 2024 - Press release

Canadian pension fund OPTrust joins Freshstream Investment Partners in Consortium

Bella Figura Music (“BFM”), the London-based music company, is pleased to announce the successful closing of a significant equity funding round to expand its portfolio of music catalogues and further develop its unique proposition. 

The round was led by private equity firm Freshstream with co-investment secured from a consortium of leading institutional investors including the Canadian pension fund OPTrust, a strategic family office and a leading Dutch private equity investor.

BFM was started in 2022 by music entrepreneurs Alexi Cory-Smith and Neelesh Prabhu who partnered with Freshstream following a highly successful tenure at BMG UK. Alexi and Neelesh spotted a gap in the market for a creative, boutique independent music company capable of enhancing value for creators and rights owners in the digital age.

In the last six months BFM has expanded its portfolio to include the music catalogues of Jeff Silverman (Aloe Blacc, Adele, Lee Fields, Truth & Soul) and Adrian Wright (The Human League). These build upon the company’s existing collection of industry leading catalogues, including David Gray’s record label IHT, R3HAB’s pre-2022 recordings catalogue, and Guy Chambers’ publishing catalogue which includes iconic Robbie Williams hits such as ‘Angels’, ‘Feel’ and ‘Let Me Entertain You’.

Freshstream’s partnership with BFM follows its successful track record of working with experienced management teams to accelerate and scale their businesses.

Alexi Cory-Smith, CEO of Bella Figura Music, commented:
“We have achieved a lot in just over 2 years, but there is so much more we have planned. We aim to continue building and enhancing our catalogue of beautiful music while generating significant value for creators and rights owners. Bella Figura is built for the digital music age, unburdened by legacy systems with a strategy that truly reflects how we all access and consume music in today’s world. We are delighted to have a growing base of investors joining us on this journey.”

Giuseppe Silvestri, Venture Partner at Freshstream, said:
“Alexi and Neelesh have continued to demonstrate that they are right on the pulse of the music industry, with a knack for identifying the catalogues with the most potential and developing a proposition which benefits rights owners and investors alike. We are excited to grow the partnership further with the next wave of investment in BFM.”

Morgan McCormick, Senior Managing Director and Head of Europe, OPTrust said:
“Bella Figura Music represents a fresh approach to an evolving industry. Investing in the future of music aligns with OPTrust’s long-term focus and our mission to deliver a secure retirement to our members. We are thrilled to be investing to support the future growth ambitions of the business.