Music Catalogs: Is There Ever A Good Time to Sell?

Music Catalogs: Is There Ever A Good Time to Sell?

From Trapital by Dan Runcie

May 5, 2026 · 36 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the complexities of selling music catalogs and the factors influencing such decisions, featuring insights from Josh Gruss of Round Hill Music.

The multiples for music rights and catalog sales continue to rise, despite high interest rates. Selling can look rational in the moment but great music keeps finding new formats, new buyers, and new value. But it's hard to look at sales are pure financial decisions. As most investors know, there are countless factors that can go into a sale. We are joined by Josh Gruss, founder of Round Hill Music. We dive deep into the deals that he's worked on that blew past expectations (The Offspring, Goo Goo Dolls), the ones that got away, and Round Hill's public and private journey over the past decade and a half. CHAPTERS 01:54 Deal cycles in music rights 06:05 The Wind-up Records miss 12:45 The Offspring breakthrough 15:49 Goo Goo Dolls and "Iris" 24:02 Round Hill going public, then selling to Concord SPONSORS Trapital Summit Tickets Early bird tickets are available until July 15. Capacity is limited. AI on the Lot The largest AI media conference bringing together artists, innovators, filmmakers, media execs, startups, creators, and developers. Chartmetric: Listen in for our Stat of the Week TRAPITAL Where technology shapes culture. New episodes and memos every week. Sign up here for free.

People in this episode

Host: Dan Runcie

Guest: Josh Gruss

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Round Hill Music, Wind-up Records, Concord

Books & works: The Offspring, Goo Goo Dolls, Iris

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