Pipeline Officially Acquires Clarty, Eyes B2B Music Funding Deals

Clarty co-founders Pierre Suignard (left) and Stéphane Hubert. Photo Credit: Pipeline

B2B advance specialist Pipeline is putting its $200 million war chest to good use, as it’s officially acquired catalog appraiser Clarty Partners.

London-based Pipeline reached out with word of the Clarty purchase today, a month and change after setting sail with the aforementioned funding in place. As we noted then, the debuting business’s executive roster included Clarty co-founders (and BMG vets) Pierre Suignard and Stéphane Hubert.

Now, on the heels of the funding disclosure and a subsequently announced Merlin tie-up, Pipeline has formally added Clarty to its portfolio. (Hubert and Suignard are leading the investment underwriting division; Hubert’s also joined Pipeline’s investment committee.)

According to the appropriate website, LA’s Clarty launched in 2023 and has “developed state-of-the-art methods and algorithms to obtain in seconds what others need days to accomplish.”

Per the same site, the company will “soon” roll out a “free platform to provide financial clarity and democratize music business data for creators, musicians, producers, and managers.” Among other things, this platform will offer revenue insights, visualization tools, “professional advice,” and a networking solution, the text shows.

Evidently, these and other capabilities appeal to Pipeline, which has specifically scooped up Clarty’s “core assets and intellectual property.” Running with the point, the deal rather unsurprisingly followed the selling company’s use “in multiple catalog transactions.”

And with today’s play expressly “excluding any proprietary client data or confidential information relating to Clarty’s past projects,” according to the involved parties, the relevant tools have already been “integrated into Pipeline’s core underwriting operations.”

As described by Pipeline, that integration has rendered it “a data-driven, end-to-end music asset financing platform” – something worth keeping in mind given the above-noted Merlin partnership.

In a statement, Pipeline co-founder and executive chairman Matt Spetzler, who sits on the boards of Kobalt, Soundtrack Your Brand, and Muse Group, touted Clarty’s “robust” offering.

“With Clarty,” the Jamen Capital founding partner added, “we found a comprehensive underwriting solution combining data technology, robust analytical tools, and proven music valuation expertise. We are pleased to welcome Stéphane and Pierre as core members of our founding team.”

And in remarks of his own, Stéphane Hubert emphasized the “clear and compelling vision” of Pipeline’s team, also including Jay Srivastav as head of data and product. (Previously, Srivastav co-founded and led Syncopate, “a next-generation analytics platform for music rights holders and investors.”)

“Joining Pipeline is an exciting next chapter and a unique opportunity to scale and professionalize the IP analytics platform we’ve been building, alongside a team with a clear and compelling vision,” Hubert said.