Former Mojo Music team launches specialist music publisher Dynamite Songs

30 May 2025 - Press release

 

• Acquisitions include rights to music by Ed Sheeran and Paolo Nutini songwriter Chris Leonard; Kendrick Lamar and Sean Kingston songwriter Sly Jordan; The Wideboys’ Jim Sullivan; Dan + Shay songwriter Danny Orton; Papa Roach’s Anthony Esperance and Bruce Elliott-Smith
• The Dynamite Songs team, led by CEO Alan Wallis, comprises Mojo Music & Media veterans, following the successful 2023 sale to Concord

Dynamite Songs, a specialist music publisher, has been launched by Alan Wallis, a co-founder of Mojo Music & Media which was acquired by Concord in 2023.

The new company is focused on acquiring and managing a select number of high-quality, culturally significant music copyrights at the mid to small end of the value scale, particularly marquee songs from lesser-known, mature catalogues with durable, repeatable NPS (net publisher’s share).

Dynamite is one of the first companies of its kind to be fully committed to smaller-sized deals and is exploring opportunities across all works and genres. With a strong collective track record of almost 50 catalogue acquisitions completed across their careers, the team now working together at Dynamite possesses the secured funding, extensive network and specialist knowledge required to operate at this more fragmented end of the music rights market, and to close deals efficiently.

The team also tailors creative and financial strategies – including fractional rights purchases – to suit each individual songwriter and their catalogue. Dynamite then maximises the potential of these catalogues through diligent administration, sync placements and strategic promotion, ensuring that both they, and their writers, continue to resonate with new generations.

Dynamite Songs is headed by CEO Alan Wallis, who has over 20 years of experience within the music industry and is widely respected as one of the world’s leading authorities in music catalogue valuations. He previously led the music transactions practice at Ernst & Young LLP before co-founding Mojo Music & Media in 2018.

The wider team at Dynamite Songs includes former Mojo Music & Media executives Sophie Brown (CFO & COO), Lisa Macy (Head of Sync) and Tom Donovan (Head of Business Development). They have been joined by Naomi Riley (Investment Manager) and Peter Thomas (Chief Catalogue Officer), who previously served as Managing Director of Carlin Music (ex-North America) and has over 30 years of experience.

Alan Wallis, CEO, Dynamite Songs, said: “The smaller end of the music rights market has been under-appreciated for too long. Our experience with Mojo Music has shown that there are brilliant songwriters and catalogues to be found – you just need to know where to look. With one of the best teams and networks in the business behind us, we’re strongly placed to navigate this market segment, allowing us to support songwriters and honour their works and legacies.”

In just four and a half years, the Mojo team built up a catalogue which spanned nine decades and comprised more than 30,000 songs, including 89 Billboard #1 hits. It contained the works of seminal bands such as REO Speedwagon (“Keep on Loving You” & “Can’t Fight This Feeling”), KISS (“I Was Made For Lovin’ You”, “Crazy, Crazy Nights” & “Rock & Roll All Nite”) and Cheap Trick (“I Want You to Want Me”, “Surrender” & “Dream Police”).

 

Dynamite Songs has already completed a string of acquisitions including:

• The songwriting catalogue and neighbouring rights of Chris Leonard (including Ed Sheeran’s “Lego House” and “Give Me Love” and Paolo Nutini’s “Loving You”)
• The songwriting interest of Sylvester “Sly” Jordan (including Sean Kingston’s “Beautiful Girls”, Kenrick Lamar’s “The Recipe”, Eminem’s “Higher”, Dr Dre’s “Kush” and Kelly Rowland’s “Train on a Track”)
• The publishing rights of Anthony Esperance of Papa Roach (including their hit songs “Help”, “Kill the Noise”, and “Falling Apart”)
• The rights to six songs by Danny Orton for Dan + Shay (including their hits “19 You +Me” and “Show You Off”)
• The songwriting interests of Jim Sullivan of the Wideboys (including “Sambuca” feat. Danny G and “Daddy O” with Shaznay Lewis)
• The publishing interests of Bruce Elliott-Smith (including ATB’s “Ecstasy” and “Marrakesh” and Dannii Minogue’s “You Won’t Forget About Me”)