Concord Music Publishing ANZ has acquired an interest in the publishing catalog of Julian Hamilton, co-founder of Australian electronic duo The Presets, in a deal announced on June 2, 2026. The size of the stake and the price were not disclosed.
What changes hands
The acquisition is partial: Concord takes an interest in Hamilton's songwriting across four albums by The Presets, the duo he formed in the mid-2000s with Kim Moyes. Alongside the purchase, Hamilton signed a new publishing agreement with Concord covering his future works and the titles that sit outside the acquired portion of his catalog. This combination of a catalog buy with an ongoing deal keeps the writer active and gives the publisher a stake in both past and future output.
The catalog
- Apocalypso (2008): ARIA Album of the Year and triple Platinum in Australia; The Presets were the first electronic act to win that award, and Hamilton and Moyes were named APRA Songwriters of the Year in 2009.
- My People and Talk Like That: two of the duo's best-known tracks from the Apocalypso era.
- This Boy's In Love, Are You The One?, Girl and the Sea and Martini: further songs included in the deal.
Hamilton, who is classically trained, also won APRA Song of the Year in 2008 for Straight Lines, co-written with Daniel Johns of Silverchair. He has worked with Flight Facilities, Cut Copy and Flume, has been sampled by Steve Angello, 3% and Bryson Tiller, and writes scores for dance companies such as Sydney Dance Company and Chunky Move.
Why it matters
Concord is building out its presence in Australia and New Zealand. The Hamilton deal follows its acquisition of Mothership Music Publishing, a catalog of more than 5,000 songs, in April 2026, and its purchase of London label Ninja Tune in March 2026.
For rightsholders, the structure is worth noting. Selling only an interest, rather than the whole catalog, lets a writer take capital now while keeping part of the upside. Pairing that sale with a publishing deal for new work is a common way for active songwriters to negotiate better terms, because the buyer is also investing in what comes next.