Simon Raymonde of Cocteau Twins Sells Publishing Catalog to Seeker Music

Seeker Music has acquired the publishing catalog of songwriter, producer, bassist and keyboardist Simon Raymonde, best known as a member of Scottish band Cocteau Twins. The deal includes his entire body of work with the dream pop group.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Raymonde joined Cocteau Twins in 1983 and went on to become a main songwriter in the band across albums including Treasure, Blue Bell Knoll and Heaven or Las Vegas. He also put out work as a solo artist. Beyond his work as a musician, Raymonde co-founded and heads the U.K. indie label Bella Union, which has put out music from Beach House, Father John Misty and The Flaming Lips, among others. He has also produced and mixed albums for artists including Clearlake, The Czars, Billy Mackenzie and Fionn Regan.

According to a press release, Seeker Music’s portfolio boasts more than 19,000 copyrights with a value of over $400 million. Its other acquisitions include works by The Wombats, Mark Morrison and production duo Future Cut. Seeker is led by CEO Evan Bogart, a songwriter who founded the company in 2020 with backing from M&G Investments.

Seeker Music chief creative officer Steven Melrose said of the acquisition, “Growing up as a little boy just across the water in Edinburgh, Scotland, these songs have always provided the soundtrack to my life. Between the wonderful melodies and Liz Fraser’s incredible vocals, there’s nothing else like the music Simon has made and contributed to. When the chance to work with him presented itself, well, there’s never been a quicker yes … it’s an honor.”

He added, “Between the generational impact Simon already holds, and the global creative marketing we do at Seeker, we believe this new partnership makes the perfect pairing to further reverberate Simon’s musical influence the world over.”

“The enthusiasm for our music appears to be strong 30 years after our last studio album. Maybe stronger than ever, I’m not sure!” said Raymonde. “Seeker Music have shown that passion and excitement since we began talking last year. Hopefully the relationship with them grows alongside the work we are doing with 4AD to keep our fans happy! I’m sure all the fans want is for us to play shows and make new music. While that still seems a long way off, there’s a lot to be done with the music we have left behind.”

Raymonds was represented in the transaction by Christy McNaughtan at NMD Solicitors. Seeker was repped by Henry Root for Counsel LLP and Seeker general counsel Dan Stuart, alongside Melrose and Bogart.

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