CTM Outlander has acquired the master recording catalog of American singer-songwriter Matt Simons, in a deal announced on April 1, 2026. Financial terms were not disclosed.
What changes hands
The deal covers the master recordings from across Simons' career, spanning six releases: Living Proof, Pieces, Catch & Release, When the Lights Go Down, Rak Studio Sessions and Identity Crisis. The announcement concerns the recordings only; publishing rights are not part of the reported transaction.
The catalog
Simons first found an audience in the Netherlands before breaking through internationally, which gives his catalog an unusually strong European footprint for an American artist.
- Catch & Release (Deepend Remix) (2015): his breakthrough, which went to No. 1 in Germany, France, Spain and Belgium and earned Platinum and Gold certifications in markets including Canada, South Africa, Norway, Italy, Ireland, Sweden and Switzerland.
- With You (2013): a top 10 hit in the Netherlands after it featured in the Dutch TV series Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden.
- Catch & Release and Identity Crisis: two of the albums in the acquired catalog.
Why it matters
CTM Outlander is a joint venture between Netherlands-based CTM and US-based Outlander Capital, led by CEO Andre de Raaff. Since launching in 2021 it has stated an ambition to invest $1 billion in music rights over five years, and it now has offices in Amsterdam, Dallas, Nashville, London, Miami and Brussels. Earlier deals include publishing catalogs from Shane McAnally, Sam Hunt, Ross Copperman and Natalie Hemby, Dutch publisher Strengholt Music Group in 2023, Belgium's CNR catalog and Austin Mahone's masters.
For independent artists who own their masters, this deal shows how a remix-driven hit can create durable value. A single track that topped charts in several European countries keeps generating streaming income years later, and buyers with a European base, like CTM Outlander, are well placed to understand and exploit that kind of regional success. Artists whose audience is concentrated outside the US may find the strongest interest from buyers with local expertise in those markets.