Toy and game company Hasbro has signed an exclusive worldwide administration deal with Sony Music Publishing.
The partnership will see Sony Music Publishing representing Hasbro’s global catalog, comprising thousands of tracks from franchises like Peppa Pig, Transformers, and My Little Pony, among others.
Hasbro’s global recorded music distribution partner will be Magic Star, the children’s and family division of The Orchard, a music and entertainment company owned by Sony Music.
Magic Star will leverage The Orchard’s suite of artist and label services to facilitate music delivery for Hasbro’s product lines and future marketing initiatives. The collaboration aims to create synergies between music, play, and storytelling, providing an enriched experience for audiences.
“Music plays such an integral part in many of our children’s programming, as it allows kids to engage with our characters and storylines in exciting ways. Stories are meant to teach kids important life lessons, celebrate major family moments and so much more. By incorporating music into our storytelling, little ones can better understand and enjoy the content they’re watching,” said Matt Proulx, Vice President Location Based Entertainment at Hasbro.
“By incorporating music into our storytelling, little ones can better understand and enjoy the content they’re watching.”
Matt Proulx, Hasbro
“Additionally, music featured on our beloved shows, like Peppa Pig, can be taken off TV screens or tablets, so families can listen to the tunes on the go and add to their playlists.”
“We’re thrilled to work with Sony Music Publishing and Magic Star, true audio industry leaders, to expand upon those experiences. With their expertise and Hasbro’s Blueprint 2.0 strategy of finding innovative ways to connect with fans, we are set up for success in creating fun singable and danceable opportunities for families everywhere,” continued Proulx.
Will Speer, Managing Director at Magic Star, added: “We are thrilled to be partnering with Hasbro on their rich array of amazing kids and family brands and very much look forward to bringing their associated stories and characters to life through the power of music.”
Sony Music Publishing’s Visual & Media Rights Director, Rob Stratton, said: “We are unbelievably excited to continue our work with Peppa Pig and welcome Hasbro’s iconic brands into the Sony family. Hasbro is a creative powerhouse and through our market leading administration and digital services I’m confident this will enable Hasbro’s continued growth and future success.”
This partnership follows Hasbro’s $3.8 billion acquisition of Entertainment One nearly four years ago, which included music assets such as Death Row Records, Dualtone Music Group, Last Gang Entertainment, and the UK-based production music house Audio Network.
Death Row Record is home to recordings from the likes of Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and Tupac Shakur. Hasbro also owns controlling catalog recordings from Brandy, Wu Tang Clan, Chuck Berry and more.
Separately, Hasbro has also signed another partnership with Amazon’s audio storytelling platform, Audible, to develop and produce the first-ever Peppa Pig podcast, according to The Wrap.
“We’re delighted to work with Hasbro to expand our family listening content with one of the most popular and impactful brands, Peppa Pig,” Aurelie de Troyer, Head of Content UK and Canada at Audible, was quoted by The Wrap as saying.
“Peppa is a first best friend for millions of preschoolers around the world, inspiring them to jump in to every first adventure with confidence and curiosity. We can’t wait to bring her inimitable storytelling to the medium of podcasting for the first time,” said Esra Cafer, senior VP of Global Brand Management at eOne Hasbro.
Music Business Worldwide