Cosmos Music and Ted Carroll, Trevor Churchill and Roger Armstrong - the founders of Ace Records and its associated companies - are happy to announce that Cosmos has entered into a long-term agreement to acquire a substantial interest in the owned master and publishing repertoire of the Ace group (amounting to some 9,000 masters and 3,000 compositions) and will work closely together with the management team at Ace Records to maintain and further build on its 46-year legacy.

Cosmos will take on management of that wide array of recordings and songs acquired by Ace over the years. This will enhance Ace’s standing as a vast, deep and globally relevant source of primarily Anglo-American repertoire. Cosmos will focus on the marketing, sales and promotion of these master and publishing rights in the digital market place along with synchronisation and other licensing and branding opportunities.

Ace Records will remain an independent record company under its existing management team. Ace Records will continue to handle origination, production and distribution of physical product for the owned catalogue as well as for product from a wide range of third-party repertoire sources, which it will continue to represent independently under license. All backroom operations including administration of royalties will continue as they have done.

Ted, Trevor and Roger feel strongly that this development will maintain the legacy that they established for the Ace group. Though age has not yet withered the three founding directors, there comes a time when a younger generation needs to take over the reins albeit, no doubt, with some back-seat driving.

The three founding members at Ace comment:

- Having spent considerable time and effort trying to find a suitable partner to carry on the legacy of Ace Records, we feel strongly that in Cosmos we have found the perfect match, as people who are fully engaged in the traditions of Ace Records, musically, emotionally and culturally.

Founding partner at Cosmos, Fredrik Ekander, comments:

- It is a true honour and a real privilege for Cosmos Music to have been trusted by Ted, Trevor and Roger to help carry the Ace torch into the future. I bought my first Ace LP when I was 14 years old. Today - almost 40 years later - I get to say that it is our actual job to continue working this legacy catalogue worldwide. Absolutely amazing.

ACE RECORDS

Founded in 1975, initially as Chiswick Records, Ace Records has now established itself as one of the premier catalogue labels of our time. Initially it issued a mix of new recordings and catalogue releases, but more recently it has concentrated on the latter. Chiswick had success with Rocky Sharpe & the Replays, Sniff ‘n’ the Tears, The Damned and Motörhead, showing an eclectic A&R policy that has continued into the catalogue world. Ace also acquired many US catalogues over the years, including Kent-Modern, Spring, Goldwax, Sensation and Fraternity. They include recordings by artists such as John Lee Hooker, Etta James, BB King, Millie Jackson, Joe Simon, The Fatback Band, James Carr, Lonnie Mack, Ike & Tina Turner and many other iconic names. Additionally, Ace Records has always licensed widely from both the major labels and independents, many of whom have long term relationships with the label. Ace Records has produced and continues to produce spectacularly curated CD and LP issues, across a wide range of styles, genres and concepts.

COSMOS MUSIC

Cosmos Music is an independent music company in Europe and one of the oldest indie labels in the world. Its history dates back to 1966, when inhouse imprint Amigo was founded in Stockholm, Sweden. Cosmos owns a vast catalogue of master recordings that spans over six decades and most musical genres, while its music publishing division represents close to one million international copyrights for the Nordic region. Cosmos focuses on A&R, global digital sales and international marketing of both new artists and songwriters and of its deep catalogue.