Tones And I signs neighbouring rights deal with Kobalt

Tones And I has signed with Kobalt on a deal that sees the independent music company represent her neighbouring rights collections around the globe.

Tones (real name Toni Watson) will be offered a range of global administration and royalty maximization services through Kobalt. In other words, Tones’ cross-border neighbouring rights income will come down through Kobalt’s royalty pipeline.

In a statement, Simon Moor, Managing Director of Kobalt Music Group APAC, explains: “The rise of Tones And I and her single ‘Dance Monkey’ has been both ubiquitous and chart topping, but when you consider songs such as ‘Never Seen The Rain’ and ‘Johnny Run Away’, the true depth of talent becomes apparent and it is easy to see that the future will be both bright as well as enduring.”

Tones’ freak hit ‘Dance Monkey’ is still charging on charts around the world.

Watch Tones And I’s ‘Dance Monkey’:

On the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart this week, ‘Dance Monkey’ holds at No. 5, its peak position, for a second cycle.

During its surge last year, ‘Dance Monkey’ reached No. 1 in 30 territories, and ruled the Official U.K. Singles Chart for 11 weeks, a record for a solo female artist.

In Australia, the track conquered the ARIA Singles Chart for a whopping 24 weeks, easily an all-time record.

It’s bolted past 2 billion streams and, along the way, became the most Shazamed song in history. To top it off, ‘Dance Monkey’ is recognised as the longest-running No. 1 on the Spotify global charts, and its music video has clocked up close to 700 million hits on YouTube (and counting).

Speaking on the new deal, Regan Lethbridge, David Morgan (both Lemon Tree Music) and Jackson Walkden-Brown (Artists Only), co-managers of Tones and I, note: “We’re absolutely pumped to be working with Kobalt on the neighbouring rights front. Our detailed discussions leading up to doing this deal really reinforced for us that they’re the best in the business when it comes to this relatively complex and evolving income stream. They’re exceptionally passionate about Tones and we’re very confident that this will be a long and fruitful relationship.”

Kobalt Neighbouring Rights claims to be the world’s largest agent in the complex neighbouring rights space, with more than 2,000 performers on its books including A$AP Rocky, The Chainsmokers, Dua Lipa, Lewis Capaldi, Lil Wayne, Sia and Young Thug.

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.