Peermusic, the independent music publisher, has completed the purchase of 120 Publishing, a music publisher based in Sydney. The deal was reported by Music Week on 28 October 2026. Neither side disclosed the price, and the announcement does not identify the selling shareholders, although the company was set up by Tim McGee, who now runs Tmrw Music Group.
What changes hands
This is a company acquisition, but the asset at its core is the song catalog. Through the transaction Peermusic takes over the publishing rights to roughly 5,000 works owned by 120 Publishing, plus a book of around 120,000 copyrights that the company administers. 120 Publishing also works as a sub-publisher, representing international catalogs in Australia and New Zealand, so Peermusic inherits those local relationships too.
The team moves across with the rights. Karen Hamilton, who has run 120 Publishing since 2011, becomes managing director of Peermusic Australasia, and Peermusic says it will fold the catalog into its own operation while keeping her in a leading role.
The catalog
No individual songs or writers were named in the announcement. What is public:
- Around 5,000 owned works and about 120,000 administered copyrights
- A strong focus on dance and electronic music: writers, producers and topliners
- A roster that includes several K-pop and J-pop writers
- Sub-publishing of international catalogs for Australia and New Zealand
- Origins in 2009 as the publishing arm created for Ministry of Sound Australia (today Tmrw Music)
What it means if you are thinking of selling
The first lesson is that buyers are not only chasing famous legacy songs. Peermusic paid for a catalog defined by genre and territory: electronic music, toplining and a regional market it wants to grow in. A well organised body of work in a clear niche, with a working local team behind it, can be a strategic asset for an international publisher looking for a foothold. That is relevant for independent publishers and producer collectives in Spain, Europe and Latin America who assume only household names attract offers.
The second lesson is about what actually gets valued. Owned works and administered works are very different things. Owned copyrights generate income that transfers with the sale; administration agreements depend on contracts that may expire or contain change of control clauses. If you run a small publishing company, a buyer will separate the two in due diligence, so it pays to have a clean schedule of which works you own, which you only administer, the term left on each agreement and what happens to it if the company is sold.
Third, people are part of the price. Peermusic kept the general manager in place because relationships with writers and local partners are what keep the income flowing after closing. If your catalog depends on you personally, think about how that continuity would be offered to a buyer, whether through a transition period, a consultancy role or a joint venture.
If you want to understand how these factors translate into a multiple, read our guide on how music catalogs are valued.
What this means if you own a catalog
If you earn songwriter or publishing royalties, it helps to know your options before you sell, license or take an advance.