Third Side Music Partners With Legendary Soundway Records And Soundway Publishing

Global independent music publisher Third Side Music (TSM) is excited to announce its new partnership with independent label Soundway Records and Soundway Publishing.

Having purchased an interest in both companies, Third Side Music is expanding its international footprint as Soundway's catalog, staff, and ownership group join the TSM family. This also sees TSM entering the master rights business to complement its global music publishing presence.

Soundway Records, which was founded in 2002 by English DJ and collector Miles Cleret, is renowned internationally for its critically-acclaimed rare compilations, and LP re-issues of the most exciting sounds around the globe. From its first release "Ghana Sounds: Afrobeat, Funk & Fusion in '70s Ghana," to its most recent "Ritmo Fantasia: Balearic Spanish Synth-Pop, Boogie and House (1982-1992)" compilation, Soundway has specialized in spotlighting and discovering deep classics from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Panama, French Caribbean, Colombia, Brazil, Thailand, South Africa, and many other countries. Contemporary artists on the roster include Lord Echo, Mauskovic Dance Band, Felbm, Dexter Story, Carlos Nino, Ondatropica, Meridian Brothers, Julien Dyne, and Flamingo Pier, among others. Soundway Publishing is also home for the majority of the label's compositions, artists, songwriters, and composers. Among the company's many awards and accolades, it was notably hailed by The Guardian as "One of the 10 British Labels defining the Sound of 2014," and in 2017 named "Label Of The Year" at the Worldwide Awards in London.

The strategic new partnership is a natural fit, building upon tremendous synergies and recent successes. For the last three years the team has worked together developing unique creative and synch licensing opportunities, placing music from Soundway's catalog and roster in major advertising, films and TV series, video games, and other media, including A24's film Zola, global campaigns for Apple Watch, Postmates, FIFA22, Facebook, H&M, and American Express, as well as the series AMC's Better Call Saul, HBO Max's Betty, and AppleTV's Little America, and many others.

Soundway Records and TSM will work together on releases, with the first to include the lost 1980s classics by Nigerian afro-boogie kings Steve Black and Steve Monite. The LP reissues are anchored by huge sync placements catapulting them back into the public eye after nearly 4 decades. The recent Apple AirPods Pro global advertising campaign "Jump" centers on a Young Franco track sampling Monite's single "Things Fall Apart" from his first and only album, Only You.

With offices in Montreal and Los Angeles, TSM is well-recognized cross borders for its music-obsessed, creative publishing operation centered on an "artist-first" attitude. Co-founded in 2005 by Patrick Curley and Jeff Waye, who serve as President and COO respectively, the company has amassed a treasure trove of 70,000 titles in its diverse, eclectic catalog, and a roster featuring artists, songwriters, and composers such as BadBadNotGood, Courtney Barnett, Blonde Redhead, SOFI TUKKER, Pharoah Sanders, Colin Stetson, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Kurt Vile, The Cinematic Orchestra, to name a few. TSM is also entrusted with timeless legacy music catalogs, including the works of Clyde Otis Music Group, Studio One/JamRec (Jamaican producer Clement "Coxsone" Dodd), and GRAMMY Award-winning composer Galt MacDermot, and more.

"We're delighted to announce our new partnership with Soundway Records and Publishing. The stellar team has always blown us away with their dedication, curation, and musical taste. Soundway brings a truly global sound into our creative pitching and services, and they have helped land some of our favorite sync placements. What three people have accomplished for the label in 19 years is truly impressive, and this is an amazing jump off point to come together and grow significantly bigger," said Patrick Curley, Co-founder and President of Third Side Music.

"Partnering with Third Side Music is particularly appealing, as we both come from a truly independent place. At the core of everything we do, our values align in how we support and promote rosters, release music, and do equitable deals with artists, composers, and licensors," said Miles Cleret, Founder of Soundway Records and Soundway Publishing. "Their unwavering artist-first approach, infrastructure, and resources will empower us with incredible opportunities to expand. With complete creative independence to continue releasing groundbreaking compilations and re-issues of the best music from around the world, we're really excited for what's next!"

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