Specialist Music Investment Platform Round Hill Music Further Strengthens Executive Team With Two Strategic Hires
NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Round Hill Music Royalty Partners LP (“Round Hill Music” or the “Company”), the pioneering private equity platform founded in 2010 that currently manages a c.US$900 million portfolio of music rights, has appointed Jeff Bunder as Global Chief Financial Officer and James King as Chief Capital Officer. The newly created positions further strengthen Round Hill’s executive team against the backdrop of a continuing expansion of the music rights market and increasing appetite among global investors for exposure to its consistent stream of revenues and capital appreciation potential.
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Round Hill Music’s Chief Capital Officer James King (Photo: Business Wire)
Jeff Bunder, based in Nashville, has close to 40 years of private equity experience, having held key leadership positions over his 30 years at EY, including capping his long career at the firm as Global Private Equity Leader. He was one of the founding members of the Transaction Advisory Services practice and has worked on hundreds of transactions throughout his career. Jeff previously served as a Partner & CFO at Lindsay Goldberg, a middle-market private equity firm based in New York City, where he served on the valuation and investment committees and supported numerous portfolio companies in their post-acquisition periods. Most recently, he was at Edgelight Capital where Jeff was Partner & CFO of the Telecom-focused investment platform. Jeff has extensive experience in executing both private equity and strategic transactions, as well as supporting acquired companies in achieving their operational and growth objectives. As Global CFO at Round Hill Music, Jeff will oversee the Company’s finance, accounting, tax, valuation and investor relations functions and support its financial strategy, capital management and fund performance. He will also serve on the management, investment and valuation committees.
James King, based in London, joins Round Hill Music from the investment bank Cavendish, where he led the Investment Companies division, advising alternative asset investment funds on capital raising, corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions and restructuring. James was the lead advisor on Round Hill Music Royalty Fund’s successful IPO on the London Stock Exchange, subsequent catalogue acquisitions, capital raises and sale in October 2023. While at Vodacom, prior to joining Cavendish, James led and successfully implemented the largest TMT broad based black economic empowerment transaction in South African history, a c.R16.4 billion preference share and debt-funded deal. With over 25 years of corporate finance and private equity experience across the UK, Europe and Africa, James will focus on expanding Round Hill’s investor base in the United Kingdom and Europe and execute on the capital formation strategy aligned with the Company’s music catalog acquisition and growth objectives. He will be working closely with Chief of Investor Relations and Business Development, Katie Kowinski, who joined the firm in late 2024.
Josh Gruss, Founder and CEO at Round Hill Music, said: “As the momentum in the music industry continues to build, investor interest in music rights is stronger than ever; we are well primed to respond to this as we embark on the next phase of our strategic journey at Round Hill. By welcoming executives of Jeff and James’s caliber we are elevating the institutional strength of our team, not only gaining access to their impressive expertise and experience, but also underlining our long-term conviction in the incredible investment potential of music and our unwavering ambition to remain at the forefront of its evolution.”
Jeff Bunder, Global CFO, added: “Round Hill, under Josh’s leadership, has built a strong reputation as an investment firm leader in acquiring and exploiting music IP rights. The team has generated a notable track record, having built out a platform that sets it apart from many of its peers. It’s an exciting time for music royalties in its emergence as an attractive investment class. I’m looking forward to helping achieve the growth objectives of this business and to assisting Round Hill in fulfilling its strategic ambitions.”
James King, Chief Capital Officer, said: “Over the past five years, I have had the privilege of working closely with the Round Hill team and have been continually impressed by their deep expertise and passion for this unique sector. As we pursue strategic capital markets opportunities and seek to expand our investor base in the United Kingdom and Europe, I look forward to leveraging my experience within the team to identify new avenues for growth and deliver exceptional value to our investors.”
Backed by a strong investor base, Round Hill has one of the longest track records in music catalog investment, having successfully raised and deployed more than $1.1 billion since inception. Its fully integrated asset management and music IP management platform sets it apart, giving Round Hill complete oversight of portfolio investments and an in-house team of music industry experts across the entertainment epicenters of London, Los Angeles, Nashville and New York. This team actively manages Round Hill’s catalogs to maximize income streams and optimize their value.
The US$469 million sale of the Round Hill Music Royalty Fund portfolio in October 2023 marked a second successful exit opportunity for investors who had participated in Round Hill Fund I, originally launched in 2011. Today, Round Hill owns and manages a c.US$900 million portfolio across a series of funds comprising over 200,000 songs performed by time-tested and iconic artists including Whitney Houston, Bruno Mars, Chaka Khan, Morgan Wallen, Goo Goo Dolls, Bryan Adams, Matchbox Twenty, The Killers, Meat Loaf, Madonna and many more.
About Round Hill Music Royalty Partners LP
Founded in 2010, Round Hill Music is a leading private equity platform specializing in music catalog investment and management, with over US$900 million in assets under management. With a presence in the major music and entertainment markets of New York, Nashville, Los Angeles and London, Round Hill Music combines deep music industry expertise and investment acumen to acquire, manage and monetize high-quality music rights.
Benefitting from its established reputation and trusted relationships across the music industry, Round Hill has acquired over 190 time-tested catalogs, including 200,000+ songs performed by iconic artists such as Whitney Houston, Bruno Mars and Louis Armstrong. Its experienced approach to music rights management and proprietary investment capabilities support its delivery of attractive risk-adjusted returns to investors through disciplined, value-driven strategies. Round Hill Music is set apart by its c.55-strong in-house team which enhances asset value through active management, frontline investing and advanced sync licensing across film, television and advertising platforms.
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Contacts
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
Claire Turvey / James Geddes / Tomas Nevrkla @ Fourth Pillar
RHM@fourthpillarpr.com