US Market Leader of Video Game Music Soundtracks Acquires Ship to Shore PhonoCo’s Catalog

Photo Credit: Materia Music

Materia Music acquires Ship to Shore PhonoCo’s video game music inventory and catalog, further expanding Materia’s US market leadership of video game music soundtracks.Materia Music, the Seattle-based independent record label and distributor, publisher, and rights administrator of video game music, has announced the acquisition of New York indie label Ship to Shore PhonoCo’s video game music inventory and catalog, further expanding their US market leadership of video game music soundtracks as both a label and a storefront.

The acquisition sees Materia gaining licensed properties with video game publishers including Capcom, Konami, Nintendo, Sega, Sunsoft, and Taito.

“Materia’s core strength exists as a music tech, music rights, and royalty platform. This independence has allowed us to grow and excel in areas that other labels in our space cannot,” said Sebastian Wolff, Founder and CEO of Materia Music.

The news comes less than six months after the company announced its acquisition of Australian gaming record label Boss Battle Records. Boss Battle is home to the work of composers like Kevin Penkin, known for his work on entries in the Star Wars and Pokemon video game franchises. The two entities had been in acquisition talks since 2019.“The acquisition is not just a benefit to our artists, but a critical step toward the future of the ANZ (Australia & New Zealand) video game music industry,” Wolff said at the time.

Materia’s diverse roster of composers, recording artists, and game companies includes billions of streams across the most impactful and most listened to video game music in history.

As a record label, Materia has released nearly 1,000 albums digitally, on vinyl, CD, and cassette tape, representing nearly 10,000 recordings. The company’s storefront, Materia Store, lists nearly 1,500 unique products and distributes thousands of products to international fans of video game music.

Sheet music and vinyl records of soundtracks from the games UNDERTALE, Celeste, and Hollow Knight consistently out perform other products and IP. Materia’s catalog boasts approximately 15 billion annual streams and views across platforms.