 | |
| Company type | Non-profit |
|---|---|
| Merlin Network | |
| Industry | Music distribution |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Headquarters | London[1] |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people |
|
| Services | Digital music licensing |
| Members | Principal member labels
|
| Website | merlinnetwork |
Merlin is a digital rights music licensing partner for independent record labels, distributors, and other music rights holders around the world. It was founded in 2007 with Charles Caldas as the chief executive. In January 2026, Charlie Lexton, who joined Merlin at its inception, stepped into the role of Merlin CEO.[2] The company is a member-based organization representing the digital licensing rights for hundreds of independent labels and distributors in nearly every country around the globe and represents 15% of the global music market share.[3] As of 2019, Merlin has paid out over two billion dollars.[4][5]
History
Merlin was launched in early 2007 at the Marché International du Disque et de l'Edition Musicale in Cannes. The company was founded by Alison Wenham (WIN), Michel Lambot (PIAS), Tom Silverman (Tommy Boy) and Martin Mills (Beggars Group);[6] Charles Caldas was the first chief executive.[7] The organization's first commercial deal was a 2008 license with Spotify as one of the then-regional streaming service's original licensing partners.
The company has negotiated settlements for copyright infringement with distributors such as Grooveshark, Limewire and XM Satellite Radio. Its content has been distributed through TikTok, Facebook/Instagram, Deezer, Pandora Music, SoundCloud, Spotify, Vevo, YouTube Premium and other services.[8]
In February 2013, Merlin and IMPALA signed an agreement with Warner Music Group after it acquired Parlophone, to transfer 30% of that label's value to Merlin and IMPALA members. The divestment ended with the transfer of rights to the independent sector.[9]
In 2016, Merlin opened an office in Tokyo, Japan, to expand its global operations.[10]
In March 2018 the company entered into agreements with the three Chinese streaming services – NetEase, Alibaba, and Tencent – for digital music distribution in China. In May 2018, the company sold all of its Spotify shares for an estimated $125 million-plus, passing the proceeds on to its members.[11] A landmark global licensing deal in December 2019 saw Merlin partnering with Boomplay Music.[12]
In 2020, Jeremy Sirota joined Merlin as its second CEO. The organization expanded its deals to include Apple, Snap, and Triller.[13][14]
In January 2021, Merlin held a "Celebrate Music" event. At the event, it unveiled a new brand, a new logo, and an updated website.[15]
In August 2021, Feed Media Group, the B2B music licensing subscription service, signed a music licensing deal with Merlin, for its Adaptr product. Adaptr is a subscription-based platform. The deal provides access to a catalog of licensed music from Merlin member labels, distributors, and their artists.[16]
In September 2021, Merlin and South Asian music and audio streaming service JioSaavn announced that they had extended and enhanced an existing music licensing partnership. The expanded partnership enabled Merlin's membership to increase their presence in South Asia and expanded JioSaavn's catalog offering to its worldwide audience.[17]
Merlin added to its list of partners in October 2021 when it announced a deal with TREBEL, the maker of a licensed music app with on-demand and offline play sponsored by brand advertisers.[18] The company ended the year by announcing an expanded licensing agreement with African music streaming service Boomplay.[19]
In January 2022, Merlin partnered with UK-based Lickd to allow creators to legally use Merlin members' music in their YouTube videos.[20]
Next, in early February 2022, Merlin announced a partnership with Twitch, the interactive live streaming service for content spanning gaming, entertainment, sports, music, and more.[21]
April 2022 saw the company announce a deal with FLO, a leading streaming application in Korea.[22]
In October 2022, Pinterest announced a deal to brin[23] g Merlin members' musical repertoire to its platform.[24] That month also saw a partnership announced with China-based short-form video platform Kuaishou.[25]
Merlin announced two new partnerships in December 2022: first with VR fitness app Supernatural[26] and then with STYNGR, a gaming music platform.[27]
In May 2023, Merlin unveiled a global licensing deal with SoundCloud.[28] In late June, the company announced a partnership with all-in-one visual communication platform Canva to grant Canva customers in many countries access to use music clips in their designs.[29]
March 2024 saw a renewed partnership with Deezer.[30] The following month, Merlin announced a partnership with Audiomack.[31]
In early June 2024, the organization announced the launch of Merlin Connect, a solution for emerging technology platforms to license fully cleared, quality independent music handpicked by Merlin members.[32] Later that month, Merlin renewed its strategic partnership with Meta in a deal that covers Meta properties including Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger.[33]
The Merlin Engage mentorship program launched in 2023. With its recently announced third year in 2025, it is a program catered to a diverse and unique Merlin membership. It pairs executive-level mentors with talented mentees to help shape the next generation of female leaders in the independent music space. The program crosses borders, cultures, and music genres to build community, inspire confidence, and offer support and workshops in building soft skills, such as managing up, powerful storytelling and handling adversity.[34]
In August 2025, Merlin entered into a commercial licensing partnership with ElevenLabs, a leading AI audio research and product company.[35] Under the agreement, Merlin licensed the training and commercialization of ElevenLabs’ music AI models trained on Merlin members’ content. The deal was noted for the “responsible guardrails” it established to ensure that artists’ rights and contributions are respected and fairly compensated.[36]
Structure
Executives
As of January 2025, Merlin's executive team is:
- Charlie Lexton, CEO
- Adam Wright, CFO
- Kaoruko Hill, GM APAC
- Jim Mahoney, SVP, Member & Partner Success
Board members
The current Board was elected in 2024 and is composed of:[37]
- Pascal Bittard, Owner, IDOL
- Golda Bitterli, VP of Sales, Revelator
- Jeffrey Chiang, Director of Global Business, Fluxus
- Marie Clausen, Managing Director North America, Ninja Tune
- Tom Deakin, Head of EMEA, AudioSalad
- Eniko Gallasz, Managing Director, WM Music Distribution
- Fer Isella, Founder and CEO, limbo music
- Megan Jasper, CEO, Sub Pop
- Chris Maund, Co-CEO, Mushroom Music
- Carlos Mills, Founder & CEO, Mills Records
- Louis Posen, President & Executive Director, Hopeless Records
- Michael Ugwu, CEO, Freeme Digital
- Darius Van Arman, Co-CEO of Secretly Group (Reappointed as Chairperson of Merlin's Board for 2024)
- Horst Weidenmüller, CEO & Owner, !K7
- Justin West, President & CEO, Secret City
- Simon Wheeler, Director of Global Commercial Strategy, Beggars
Advisory board members
- Jennifer Newman Sharpe, General Counsel, Exceleration
References
- ^ [s.n.] (15 March 2018). Merlin Network strikes streaming deals for independent music in China. BBC News. Accessed February 2019.
- ^ a b "Charlie Lexton appointed CEO of Merlin". www.musicbusinessworldwide.com.
- ^ Pelly, Liz (2025). Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist. New York, NY: One Signal Publishers/Atria Books. p. 19. ISBN 978-1-6680-8350-5.
- ^ "No. 81: Charles Caldas | Power 100". Billboard. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
- ^ Sanchez, Daniel (19 June 2019). "Merlin Pays Out $845 Million to Labels and Distributor Members in 2018, Reaching Over $2 Billion in Payouts". Digital Music News. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
- ^ "Merlin Turns 5". Merlin. 16 July 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
- ^ Allen, Katie (22 January 2007). "Indie music labels join together to grab a slice of online revenues". the Guardian. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
- ^ "Merlin Announces 20 Percent Price Cut For Members". Billboard. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
- ^ Ugwu, Reggie. "Warner Music Working With Impala, Merlin to Sell Parlophone Assets to Indies". Billboard.com. Archived from the original on 28 July 2019. Retrieved 19 February 2013.
- ^ "Merlin Opens Japanese Office to Expand Global Operations". Merlin. 10 October 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
- ^ Variety Staff (14 May 2018). "Merlin Sells All of Its Spotify Shares for an Estimated $125 Million-Plus". Variety. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
- ^ "Boomplay And Merlin Bring the World's Best Independent Music to Africa". Merlin. 10 December 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
- ^ LeBlanc, Larry (3 September 2021). "Interview: Merlin CEO Jeremy Sirota". CelebrityAccess. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
- ^ "Snap strikes deals for licensed music in Snapchat app". 3 August 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
- ^ "Merlin Unveils Brand 'Refresh' With New Logo, Website, 'Celebrate Music' Event". Billboard. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
- ^ "Adaptr platform agrees licensing deal with Merlin". www.musicweek.com. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
- ^ "Merlin Renews Licensing Deal With India's JioSaavn". Billboard. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
- ^ "Merlin strikes strategic partnership with free music streaming app TREBEL". Music Business Worldwide. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
- ^ "Music service Boomplay and Merlin expand licensing deal to 47 countries across Africa". Music Business Worldwide. 21 December 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ "Merlin inks multi-year deal with music licensing platform Lickd". Music Business Worldwide. 13 January 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ "Twitch partners with indie music licensing group Merlin". TechCrunch. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- ^ "Indie label agency Merlin strikes partnership with South Korean streaming app FLO". Music Business Worldwide. 14 April 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- ^ "Meta renews licensing deal with Merlin for independent music across Instagram, Facebook and Messenger". Music Business Worldwide. 12 June 2024. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
- ^ "Pinterest strikes deals with Warner, Merlin and BMG to expand music experience on platform". Music Business Worldwide. 19 October 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
- ^ "Merlin strikes multi-territory licensing deal with TikTok rival Kuaishou". Music Business Worldwide. 24 October 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
- ^ "Merlin partners with VR fitness app Supernatural". www.musicweek.com. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
- ^ "Merlin teams with gaming music platform Styngr". www.musicweek.com. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
- ^ "SoundCloud, Merlin strike global deal to bring fan-powered royalties to indie labels". Music Business Worldwide. 4 May 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (29 June 2023). "Canva Inks Deals With Warner Music Group, Merlin to Let Users Incorporate Song Clips in Their Visual Designs". Variety. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
- ^ "Indie artists shift to artist-centric payments on Deezer, as streaming service signs new deal with Merlin". Music Business Worldwide. 21 March 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ^ King, Ashley (18 April 2024). "Merlin & Audiomack Announce Partnership to Amplify Indie Music". Digital Music News. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
- ^ Rys, Dan (5 June 2024). "Merlin Launches New Initiative to Help Emerging Tech Platforms License Indie Music". Billboard. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
- ^ "Meta renews licensing deal with Merlin for independent music across Instagram, Facebook and Messenger". Music Business Worldwide. 12 June 2024. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
- ^ Bain, Katie (1 March 2024). "Women in the Male-Dominated Indie Music Sector Need Female Mentors. Merlin Is Here to Help". Billboard. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
- ^ Lin, Belle (5 August 2025). "Exclusive | Voice Startup ElevenLabs Launches AI Music Service". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
- ^ Dredge, Stuart (6 August 2025). "ElevenLabs debuts AI music service with Kobalt and Merlin deals". Music Ally. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
- ^ Brandle, Lars (10 January 2024). "Merlin Unveils 2024 Board, Prioritizes 'Meaningful, Sustainable and Value-Driven Member Growth'". Billboard. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
