Los Angeles-based Pex, an audio content identification platform that tracks and analyzes copyrighted content on digital services, has been acquired.
Founded in 2014 by Rasty Turek, Pex’s new owner is a company called Vobile, which offers digital content protection and transaction services for entertainment companies, platforms, sports leagues, music labels, and publishers.
Vobile has confirmed that Pex COO Amadea Choplin has joined the company as Head of Music Business, while founder Rasty Turek, formerly CEO, will act as a consultant to Vobile going forward.
The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The Vobile Group was launched in 2005 and operates globally, in the US, Europe, Asia, and Australia, but has traded on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange since 2018. The company has a market cap value of HKD 7.73 billion, which converts to around USD $997 million.
Outside of music, Vobile works with Hollywood film studios and TV networks including Warner Bros Discovery, Paramount, Disney and NBC Universal.
Pex’s technology monitors social networks worldwide – as well as platforms which rely on UGC content (like TikTok etc) – to weed out music and film content that belongs to rightsholders.
Pex’s tech is used by music distributors, publishers, collection societies, brands, and platforms. The company claims on its website that its software is capable of processing 10,000 hours of content per minute and has collected and indexed 25 billion songs and videos.
Pex says that its music registry includes over 100 million recordings, including the Sony, Universal, and Warner catalogs.
The company says that its AI-powered ‘ACR technology’ was trained on user-generated content and can identify content “from speed and pitch changes to remixes, cover versions, and live performances [and] modified audio”
Last February, a study from Pex estimated that more than a third (38.03%) of all songs found on TikTok were speed or pitch-modified in 2023.
According to Vobile, the acquisition “enhances” its own services for the music industry and “strengthens its position as the global solution provider for digital audio and video content protection and monetization”.
Pex is claimed to be a “global leader in content identification technology and UGC data”.
The acquisition arrives four years after Pex secured a $57 million investment round, with participation from Tencent, Tencent Music Entertainment, the CueBall Group, NexGen Ventures Partners, Amaranthine, and others.
In 2020, Pex acquired Dubset Media Holdings in a buyout worth $25 million-plus.
“Joining Vobile marks an exciting new chapter.”
Amadea Choplin, Pex
Amadea Choplin, Chief Operating Officer at Pex, said: “Joining Vobile marks an exciting new chapter. Together at Vobile, we can make an even greater impact for our clients.”
“By integrating Pex’s advanced audio technologies, we are expanding our service capabilities to meet the growing needs of rightsholders, especially as generative AI reshapes the future of creativity.”
Yangbin Wang, Vobile
Commenting on the deal, Yangbin Wang, Chairman and CEO of Vobile, said: “Vobile has been at the forefront of helping global entertainment companies to protect and monetize their content in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
“By integrating Pex’s advanced audio technologies, we are expanding our service capabilities to meet the growing needs of rightsholders, especially as generative AI reshapes the future of creativity.”Music Business Worldwide
