(l to r) Bella Figura Music’s Gary Gersh (chairman), Alexi Cory-Smith (co-founder and CEO), and Neelesh Prabhu (co-founder). Photo Credit: Nelta Kasparian
London-based Bella Figura just recently unveiled its latest investment – but not the financial or ownership particulars thereof. Despite this lack of concrete details, the buyer did note that the play extends to “select albums, EPs and recordings” from Jeepster, which set sail back in 1995.
From there, the label went on to release Belle and Sebastian’s If You’re Feeling Sinister (1996), The Boy with the Arab Strap (1998), Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant (2000), and Storytelling (2002), besides Snow Patrol’s debut album (1998’s Songs for Polarbears) and sophomore effort (2001’s When It’s All Over We Still Have to Clear Up).
Also part of the Jeepster catalog is the Gentle Waves’ initial album, 2000’s Swansong for You (and the 2001 follow-up EP Falling from Grace). Additionally, the decades-old label has put out projects from SixNationState, Parka, and Salako.
Addressing the investment, Bella Figura co-founder and CEO Alexi Cory-Smith noted Jeepster’s role in helping “truly distinctive records” reach fans.
“Jeepster helped bring truly distinctive records into the world. Music that has continued to resonate with listeners decades on,” said Cory-Smith. “We’re proud to become the steward of this catalogue and to support its long-term legacy through thoughtful, active rights management.”
As for how the deal fits into the bigger catalog picture, given last year’s massive IP capital commitments and the huge pile of existing song-rights agreements, the red-hot sub-sector’s direction seems clear enough.
On one hand, the Jeepster sale is the latest in a line of recent plays for entire labels (and publishers); 2025 brought transactions centering on the IP of Skorpioni, Fat Wreck Chords, Merge Records, Monstercat, Prosthetic Records, and Cooking Vinyl, to name some.
And the trend hasn’t abated to this point in 2026; earlier in January, Sony Music scooped up both Fame Recordings and, on the publishing side, Big Yellow Dog Music.
On the other hand, the space’s ample capital is also fueling asset-specific indie growth. Duetti last week pulled down another $200 million in funding, and on the straight advance front, Pipeline set sail with $200 million of its own (plus a Merlin pact).
Elsewhere in the song-rights arena, high-profile acts are continuing to cash in on their work. The Weeknd’s six-week-old Lyric Capital tie-up definitely comes to mind here, and today, Sony Music Publishing Nashville and Domain Capital revealed the purchase of Miranda Lambert’s catalog.
