Quick verdict
Primary Wave Music is a major music rights company founded by Larry Mestel that has deployed over $2 billion acquiring catalogs from legacy mainstream artists like Whitney Houston, Stevie Nicks, and Bob Marley. SPACE works with independent creators in ambient, lo-fi, and wellness genres at any catalog size. These buyers serve entirely different market segments — Primary Wave targets proven hit catalogs, while SPACE is built for indie creators.
SPACE
SPACE is a direct music rights buyer specializing in ambient, lo-fi, meditation, and wellness genres. Designed for independent creators, SPACE offers a straightforward process: submit your catalog, receive an evaluation, and get a direct offer with no auction, commission, or listing fees. SPACE supports both full and partial rights sales, allowing creators to monetize their catalogs while retaining creative control and ownership flexibility.
Strengths
- +Accessible to independent and emerging creators at any catalog size
- +No commission, listing fees, or hidden costs
- +Specializes in ambient, lo-fi, and wellness music valuation
- +Partial rights sales preserve creator ownership and ongoing royalty income
- +Fast, transparent process from submission to payout
- +Creators retain creative control over their work
Limitations
- −Focused on ambient, lo-fi, and wellness genres — not suitable for mainstream catalogs
- −Smaller operation compared to billion-dollar institutional buyers
- −Cannot match the scale, marketing, or brand partnership capabilities of major rights companies
Primary Wave Music
Primary Wave Music is a major independent music company founded in 2006 by Larry Mestel, a former executive at Virgin Records and Island Def Jam. The company has raised and deployed over $2 billion to acquire publishing and master recording interests in iconic catalogs. Primary Wave's portfolio includes interests in the catalogs of Whitney Houston, Stevie Nicks, Bob Marley, James Brown, Def Leppard, Ray Charles, and dozens of other legendary artists. The company takes an active management approach, investing heavily in marketing, brand partnerships, sync licensing, and streaming optimization to grow the value of acquired catalogs.
Strengths
- +Over $2 billion deployed in catalog acquisitions with deep financial resources
- +Active catalog management — marketing, brand partnerships, sync, and streaming optimization
- +Proven track record with some of the most iconic catalogs in music history
- +Experienced leadership with deep industry relationships
- +Strong brand partnership capabilities that create new revenue streams for acquired catalogs
Limitations
- −Focused exclusively on major established artists with proven hit catalogs
- −Minimum deal sizes are well into the millions, excluding independent creators
- −Not accessible to niche-genre or emerging artists
- −Extended due diligence and negotiation processes typical of institutional acquisitions
- −Acquired catalogs are actively managed by Primary Wave, meaning creators cede control
Feature comparison
| Feature | SPACE | Primary Wave Music |
|---|---|---|
| Target seller | Independent and emerging creators | Major established artists with iconic catalogs |
| Minimum deal size | No strict minimum — welcomes smaller catalogs | Multi-million dollar deals (typically $5M+) |
| Genre focus | Ambient, lo-fi, meditation, wellness | Mainstream pop, rock, R&B, soul, country |
| Capital deployed | Privately funded, niche-focused | $2B+ deployed across major acquisitions |
| Deal structure | Direct purchase with partial rights options | Full or partial catalog acquisition with active management |
| Post-acquisition management | Creator continues to manage their work | Primary Wave actively markets, licenses, and promotes acquired catalogs |
| Payout speed | Typically within days of acceptance | Months (extensive due diligence, legal review, and negotiation) |
| Creative control | Retained by the creator | Shared or transferred — Primary Wave makes marketing and licensing decisions |
| Brand partnerships | Not a core offering | Core competency — securing brand deals, merchandise, and commercial partnerships for legacy catalogs |
| Commission / fees | No commission or fees | Deal terms negotiated individually; management fees built into partnership structure |
Our verdict
Primary Wave and SPACE are not competitors — they serve entirely different segments of the music rights market. Primary Wave is an institutional-scale acquirer pursuing multi-million dollar deals with legacy mainstream artists whose catalogs have massive cultural footprint and proven commercial history. If you're an independent ambient or wellness music creator, Primary Wave is simply not a relevant buyer for your catalog. SPACE exists specifically for the independent creators that institutional buyers like Primary Wave don't serve: artists in the ambient, lo-fi, and wellness space who want to monetize their catalogs without needing a platinum-selling track record. If you're a legacy mainstream artist or estate with a catalog generating significant royalties, Primary Wave's active management approach can potentially grow the value of your catalog through brand partnerships and strategic marketing. If you're an indie creator in a niche genre looking for a fast, accessible, commission-free sale, SPACE is the practical choice.
Common questions
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