Now Reading: Zebralution Changes Hands Again as Bookwire Buys Distributor
-
01
Zebralution Changes Hands Again as Bookwire Buys Distributor
Photo Credit: Tina Jürgens, Managing Director of Zebralution
Frankfurt-based Bookwire acquires 100% of Berlin-based digital distributor Zebralution’s shares from German rights collection society GEMA.
On Monday, Frankfurt-based e-book platform Bookwire announced the 100% acquisition of Berlin-based digital distributor Zebralution from German music rights collection society GEMA. The deal comes just two months after GEMA sold Zebralution to New York-based private equity firm and major DistroKid investor Insight Holdings Group.
Back in October, UK-based Delta Software Group acquired Bookwire from long-time investor VR EquityPartners in a deal reportedly valuing Bookwire at around $115 million. Notably, it’s not clear from Bookwire’s announcement if the same investor now controls both companies.
“The acquisition of Zebralution strengthens our mission to be the best possible partner with the best technical solutions so that our customers can be even more successful in the future,” said John Ruhrmann, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Bookwire.
“There is substantial potential in the integration. We are combining our strengths, uniting market-leading expertise, increasing our speed of innovation, and thus clearly focusing on the future,” said Jens Klingelhöfer, CEO and co-founder of Bookwire. “Especially in an industry that is currently changing rapidly due to new technologies, this is crucial in order to proactively solve the challenges faced by publishers and audiobook labels. We are talking about the next level of digital publishing.”
Founded in 2010, Bookwire operates a cloud-based platform that distributes over 1.8 million e-books and 300,000 audiobooks to retailers worldwide on behalf of 3,500 publishers. Bookwire’s distribution network includes major platforms like Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, Audible, and Spotify. The company has around 150 employees across offices in Germany, the UK, Spain, France, Brazil, Italy, and the United States.
Zebralution was founded in 2004 as the “first digital distributor for independent labels in Europe.” Since then, it has expanded into audiobooks, podcasts, and platform technology. The company works with over 1,500 labels and publishers across 10 offices in eight countries.
“Bookwire and Zebralution have an excellent starting point for further growth based on leading technology, a strong international customer and partner portfolio, and in-depth format expertise,” said Tina Jürgens, Managing Director of Zebralution.
“Further developments will take place gradually based on an integration roadmap that will be finalized in the coming months,” said Christian Lindemann, COO of Bookwire. Additionally, the company said that services, contacts, and processes remain unchanged for existing Zebralution customers during the transition.
GEMA’s sale of Zebralution in January followed its acquisition of a majority stake in the business back in December 2019. In late 2023, following the departure of co-founders Kurt Thielen and Sascha Lazimbat, GEMA became Zebralution’s sole shareholder.
