Wise Music Group’s digital education arm has been acquired by Achieve Partners, a New York-based private equity firm specializing in education-related investments.
According to an announcement on Thursday (January 9), the move “marks a pivotal moment” for Wise Music Group “as it completes its transformation into a company focused on music publishing.”
Commenting on the deal, Tomas Wise, CEO of Wise Music Group, said: “This milestone represents the culmination of years of strategic transformation for Wise Music Group.”
“We can now fully commit to our core mission of music publishing and solidify our position as the industry’s leading independent company.”
Thomas Wise, Wise Music Group
He added: “By entrusting our education business to Achieve Partners, we are confident that these brands will thrive under their stewardship.
“At the same time, we can now fully commit to our core mission of music publishing and solidify our position as the industry’s leading independent company.”
The acquisition includes education platforms MusicFirst, Charanga, Rising Software, Focus on Sound and O-Generator.
Dr. Jim Frankel, founder and managing director of MusicFirst, will continue to serve as president of the company following the acquisition.
Achieve said the transaction further advances its efforts to create a “comprehensive educational software platform for performing and visual arts.”
In addition to MusicFirst, a center for K-12 music education software and hardware, the acquisition also includes Rising Software, known for its popular music theory and ear training tools Auralia and Musition.
The deal also includes Charanga, which is billed as the UK’s largest primary music education platform; and software platforms Focus on Sound and O-Generator.
“This is an exciting new chapter for MusicFirst and our sister companies.”
Dr. Jim Frankel, Music First
“This is an exciting new chapter for MusicFirst and our sister companies. Achieve Partners’ commitment to education and technology aligns perfectly with our mission to support music educators and students,” said Jim Frankel, Ph.D. commented on the acquisition.
“I am proud of what we have accomplished and look forward to working with Achieve to drive greater innovation and impact in music education.”
“We are excited to welcome Wise Music Group’s entire suite of groundbreaking educational tools to the Achieve family.”
Troy Williams, Achieve Partners
“We are delighted to welcome Wise Music Group’s suite of groundbreaking educational tools to the Achieve family,” said Troy Williams, Managing Director of Achieve Partners.
“These companies have a proven track record of delivering innovative music education solutions to schools, teachers and students around the world.
“This is not only to support their continued development but also to ensure they continue to set the standard for digital music education.”
Previously elsewhere on Wise Music music sales groupthe company acquired a controlling stake in April 2023 Peters Groupclaims to be one of the “oldest” music publishing houses in the world.global music business
