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Music in the streaming era has become a different creature entirely. It’s no longer just something artists create and listeners consume; increasingly, it’s something companies buy, own and find new ways to monetize. As the value of publishing catalogs has exploded, ownership and licensing have become nearly as central to the modern music business as making the songs themselves.
Now, Seeker Music is pushing that idea one step further.
Instead of simply sitting on its catalog and waiting for licensing opportunities, the company is turning those songs into the raw material for new records. Through its newly relaunched music is fun imprint, Seeker is building what it calls the industry’s first label centered entirely around “catalog flips” which are new songs created through samples, interpolations, covers, remixes, and other reinterpretations of music it already controls.
The label’s first swing comes with Flo Rida and Sage the Gemini’s “Vacation,” a reworking of The Go-Go’s 1982 single of the same name. It’s an appropriately familiar launching point for an idea built around making old songs feel new again.
“Andrew, one of my A&Rs I’ve worked with for years, had mentioned working on flipping some songs, he brought me a few ideas, and “Vacation” by The Go-Go’s was one of the ideas. It was a very feel-good, fun-sounding idea, and I’m always on the vibe of fun and a good feeling, so it really connected with me,” Flo Rida tells New Times.
But “Vacation” also works as something of a proof of concept for Seeker. The company isn’t waiting for an artist to stumble across one of its songs and request a sample. Instead, its team is digging into the catalog itself, finding records with potential for reinterpretation and pairing them with contemporary artists, writers, and producers. In the case of “Vacation,” Seeker VP of A&R Andrew Grant helped organize the initial writing session before bringing the idea to Flo Rida, who later recorded the track with Sage the Gemini.
For Seeker CEO Evan Bogart, the goal isn’t simply squeezing another revenue stream out of an older hit. It’s about keeping those songs moving through culture. “At Seeker, we believe celebrating great music isn’t just about preserving legacy. It’s about extending it by introducing the songs we love to new generations,” he says.
It’s a philosophy that turns the traditional idea of catalog ownership on its head. Rather than treating older music as an asset whose value comes primarily from streams, syncs and licensing, Seeker is treating its catalog almost like an A&R roster of its own with material that can continue producing new records long after the original songs were released.
Is this going to be the future of music?
