Who owns Kidz Bop?

Kidz Bop is an American children’s music group based in New York, NY. The concept was developed in 2001 by Cliff Chenfeld and Craig Balsam, who co-founded Razor & Tie. In Oct 2001, Kidz Bop released its first entry as a music brand.

The group produces family-friendly cover versions of top-ranking pop songs. Kids can use Kidz Bop’s online service to create, share, and watch content. As of Jan 2023, Kidz Bop had sold over 23 million albums and generated over 8 billion streams globally since 2001.

Kidz Bop makes money through music and live tours. The brand initially specialized in audio content creation before expanding its offering to include music videos, tours, merchandise, and talent search competitions. In Jan 2023, the group released the Kidz Bop 2023 album. The collection features the top pop hits sung by kids for kids, including “Anti-Hero,” “About That Time, “Sunroof,” and “Late Night Talking. [1]

Kidz Bop is one of the world’s leading children’s music groups. The brand earned the 75^th spot in Billboard’s Top 100 Artist of the Decade for the 2010s and won Billboard’s No. 1 Kids’ Album Artist for ten years from 2010 to 2020.

Although Kidz Bop doesn’t impose an age limit, most performers are cast between 10 and 12 years and leave the group aged 13-15. Notable former Kidz Bop members include former Disney star Ross Lynch, two-time Golden Globe winner Zendaya, and pop star Becky G. In 2023, Zendaya co-starred in Luca Guadagnino’s tennis drama and love triangle romance Challengers with Josh O’Connor. [2]

Kidz Bop uses live kids’ concerts to promote its albums, merchandise, and services. In 2007, the Kidz Bop World Tour completed 29 shows across the US Midwest and East Coast. The brand had national and global tours annually since 2008 but canceled live events in 2020 and 2021 due to health concerns. The kids’ band has visited over 50 cities. In 2023, Kidz Bop held its Never Stop Live Tour from Jun to Sep 2023. The concert toured 37 US and Canadian cities. [3]

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Who is Kidz Bop’s Parent Company?

Kidz Bop is owned by Concord, a global entertainment and talent management company founded in 1973. Concord is based in Nashville, Tennessee, with offices in major cities like Los Angeles, New York, London, Miami, Sydney, Tokyo, and Toronto.

In Jul 2023, Bob Valentine replaced Scott Pascucci as Concord CEO, and chief label officer Tom Whalley stepped down. Pascucci and Whalley joined a newly formed Concord advisory board. [4]

Concord owns over 800,000 copyrighted works by world-famous songwriters, composers, and lyricists. In 2024, Concord acquired catalogs owned by the Round Hill Music Royalty Fund for $468.8 million.

The catalogs include songs by The Beatles, Alice In Chains, The Offspring, Elvis Presley, Meatloaf, James Brown, and Billie Holiday. Concord also received a stake in the Carlin Catalogue, with famous artists like Johnny Cash, Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, and George Harrison. [5]

Concord’s business spans the entertainment industry, from children’s music to all-inclusive record labels, talent shows, and live events. The parent company operates via four segments – Concord Label Group, Music Publishing, Theatricals, and Originals. Kidz Bop falls under Concord Label Group, with Fantasy Records, Fearless Records, Loma Vista Recordings, PULSE Records, Rounder Records, Easy Eye Sound, Concord Records, and Concord Jazz. In Sep 2023, Concord acquired Mojo Music & Media’s music publishing catalog, with over 30,000 songs and 89 Billboard No.1 hits. [6]

Image credit Eric Nopanen — Image credit: Eric Nopanen

Kidz Bop’s Ownership History

Craig Balsam and Cliff Chenfeld founded Kidz Bop in 2001. They are Kidz Bop’s original owners. Each founder had three kids and noticed a lack of music for school-aged children during birthday parties. Balsam and Chenfeld used their label Razor & Tie to establish Kidz Bop to bridge the gap. The founders’ concept was to take pop music and recruit talented kids to re-record it with child-friendly lyrics. [7]

Razor & Tie was Kidz Bop’s first parent company. Kidz Bop recorded its first album under the label and revolutionized how school-aged kids consume music. Razor & Tie released the best-selling children’s albums, including Kidz Bop 25 in 2014, Kidz Bop 27 in 2015, and Kidz Bop 31 in 2016. The 2015 Kidz Bop 29 sold 1.15 million units, accounting for 23% of the children’s music album category.

Concord acquired an undisclosed stake in the record label Razor & Tie in Oct 2015. The deal made Concord and Razor & Tie joint owners of Kidz Bop. In 2018, Concord bought the remaining stake in Razor & Tie. The acquisition transferred Kidz Bop’s full ownership to Concord. [8]

Image credit Kelly Sikkema — Image credit: Kelly Sikkema

Kidz Bop’s Shareholder Structure

Kidz Bop is a wholly-owned Concord brand. Concord is a private company majority-owned by State of Michigan Retirement Systems. The long-term institutional capital backer and pension fund has invested over $1 billion in Concord. Concord’s management team owns a minority stake in the music company. In Jul 2023, Concord secured $550 million in funding. [9]

The ownership of Kidz Bop’s parent company, Concord, is about to change. The company has explored a sale in 2021 but failed to find suitable buyers. In Apr 2022, Concord hired Goldman Sachs to sell its business for $6 billion. However, the sale process fetched around $4 billion.

The company appointed Bob Valentine as its new CEO in Jul 2023 to tidy up the books as it searches for a buyer. An unnamed suitor offered around $5 billion to acquire Concord. The takeover offer wasn’t enough for Michigan Retirement Systems and Concord’s top management. [10]

Concord is a minority-owned by insiders – its longest-serving top management members. In Mar 2013, Wood Creek Capital acquired Concord from Village Roadshow Entertainment Group. The deal brought Scott Pascucci to the music company.

Pascucci is a former Concord CEO and current member of Concord Advisory. He owns a stake in the company. Another top player is Bob Valentine, who replaced Pascucci as Concord CEO in Jul 2023. Valentine was Concord’s CFO from 2005 to 2021 and Concord’s President from 2021 to 2023. He has accumulated Concord shares since joining the company. [11]

Tom Whalley and his son Ryan founded Loma Vista Recordings in 2012 and took it to Concord in 2014. Whalley owns Loma Vista with Concord and holds a minority in Concord. In Jun 2023, Whalley stepped down as Concord’s chief label officer and joined Concord’s board of directors. Another player is Jake Wisely, Concord’s former chief publishing officer. Wisely became Concord’s advisory board member in Jul 2023. He is also one of Concord’s minority shareholders. [12]

Legendary TV producers and entertainment icons, like Norman Lear, helped build Concord. Norman Lear’s Act III Communications bought Concord out of bankruptcy. The iconic TV producer co-owned Concord Records. In Dec 2023, Norman Lear died at 101 years old. [13]

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