James Fauntleroy, who’s sold a publishing catalog interest to HarbourView. Photo Credit: Gizelle Hernandez
HarbourView Equity Partners has taken a stake in the publishing catalog of Mariah Carey and SZA songwriter James Fauntleroy.
Newark-headquartered HarbourView reached out with word of the deal for the music IP of Inglewood-born James Fauntleroy. Said IP refers to “select publishing assets” here, though neither the catalog investor nor the selling party opted to shed light on the exact involved rights.
However, 40-year-old Fauntleroy has penned works recorded by Bruno Mars (“That’s What I Like” and the more recent “Die With a Smile”), Kelly Clarkson (“Einstein”), Rihanna (“Te Amo”), Snoop Dogg (“California Roll”), Cardi B (“Please Me”), Drake (“Finesse”), Justin Timberlake (a number of tracks across The 20/20 Experience and its follow-up), and Beyoncé (“Blow” and “No Angel”), to name just some.
Similarly, HarbourView didn’t publicly reveal the financial terms behind the transaction, but did take the opportunity to note that its overall catalog encompasses north of 29,000 songs between the compositional and recordings sides. Additionally, CEO Sherrese Clarke Soares in a statement touted the career accomplishments of the four-time Grammy winner Fauntleroy.
“James Fauntleroy has made an incredible impact with his contributions across several genres, including Pop, Hip-Hop and R&B,” relayed the HarbourView head. “With a keen ear for creating global hits, he has solidified his position as one of the best singer/songwriters and producers of this generation. We are excited to welcome him to the HarbourView family.”
Meanwhile, the Kingship executive producer Fauntleroy expressed the belief that the sale is opening up new career doors.
“My catalog sale to HarbourView is the culmination of years of work and dedication invested into the creative community and the craft of songwriting,” communicated the 1500 Sound Academy co-founder. “This partnership has already opened up more doors for growth and opportunity for me, and I’m incredibly excited and thankful to enter into this next chapter together.”
All told, HarbourView has since its 2021 debut scored IP deals involving the work of Luis Fonsi, Brad Paisley, Lady A, Blackbear, Christine McVie, and more recently Noel Zancanella. The company, which secured “close to $500 million” in KKR royalties-backed debt financing in March, announced the pact with Zancanella last week.
Despite the other plays (attributable to the likes of Iconoclast and Primary Wave) that have wrapped in the music IP sub-sector as of late, headlines haven’t been entirely positive. In a move that will hardly inspire confidence among prospective catalog sellers, Hipgnosis, having bought Barry Manilow’s work back in 2020, is reportedly suing the singer-songwriter across the pond over a bonus-payments disagreement.
