Wise Music Group’s Digital Education division has been acquired by Achieve Partners, a New York-based private equity firm that specializes in education-related investments.
According to Thursday’s (January 9) announcement, the move “marks a pivotal moment” for Wise Music Group “as it completes its transition into a company solely focused on music publishing”.
Commenting on the deal, Tomas Wise, Chief Executive of Wise Music Group, said: “This milestone represents the culmination of years of strategic transformation for Wise Music Group.”
“We can now fully dedicate ourselves to our core mission of music publishing, reinforcing our position as a leading independent in the industry.”
Tomas Wise, Wise Music Group
He added: “By entrusting our education businesses to Achieve Partners, we are confident that these brands will flourish under their stewardship.
“At the same time, we can now fully dedicate ourselves to our core mission of music publishing, reinforcing our position as a leading independent in the industry.”
The acquisition includes education platforms MusicFirst, Charanga, Rising Software, Focus on Sound, and O-Generator.
Dr. Jim Frankel, Founder and Managing Director of MusicFirst will continue to serve as the company’s President following the acquisition.
Achieve said that the deal furthers its efforts to build a “comprehensive education software platform for performing and visual arts”.
In addition to MusicFirst, which acts as a central hub for K-12 music education software and hardware, the acquisition also includes Rising Software, known for its popular music theory and ear training tools Auralia and Musition.
The deal also includes Charanga, claimed to be the UK’s largest music education platform serving elementary schools; and the software platforms Focus on Sound and O-Generator.
“This is an exciting new chapter for MusicFirst and our sister companies.”
Dr. Jim Frankel, MusicFirst
“This is an exciting new chapter for MusicFirst and our sister companies. Achieve Partners’ commitment to education and technology aligns perfectly with our mission to empower music educators and students alike,” said Dr. Jim Frankel, commenting on the acquisition.
“I am proud of what we’ve accomplished and look forward to collaborating with Achieve to drive even greater innovation and impact in music education.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Wise Music Group’s entire suite of groundbreaking education tools to the Achieve family.”
Troy Williams, Achieve Partners
Troy Williams, Managing Director of Achieve Partners, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Wise Music Group’s entire suite of groundbreaking education tools to the Achieve family.
“These companies have a remarkable track record of delivering innovative music education solutions to schools, teachers, and students worldwide.
“This is about not just supporting their continued growth, but also ensuring that they continue to set the standard in digital music education.”
Elsewhere at Wise Music, formerly The Music Sales Group, the company in April 2023 acquired a controlling interest in Edition Peters Group, claimed to be “one of the world’s oldest” music publishing houses.Music Business Worldwide
