Wakefield Tileyard resident Music Factory Entertainment, best-known for its Jive Bunny hits, has landed a £1m investment from Finance Yorkshire.
Music Factory Entertainment Group was founded almost 40 years ago in Rotherham by John Pickles and still provides monthly Mastermix albums to DJs to this day. It has been responsible for tens of millions of record sales, worldwide number one singles and a catalogue of 15,000 sound recordings, publishing rights and brands since its foundation in 1985.
Jive Bunny alone had three consecutive UK number one singles, 13 worldwide number one singles and a triple platinum album, and is still regularly streamed across platforms including YouTube and Spotify. The company also runs dance label Tidy Trax; Pure Music GO, providing gym and fitness operators with music services, and North Star 360, a training and development programme for young people keen to pursue careers in the music industry.
The business is now headed by John’s son, executive chairman Andy who is joined in its management by his sisters Alison and Helen.
Finance Yorkshire’s investment from its growth fund has enabled the company to restructure, creating a group of associated businesses including Music Factory Recordings which will continue to distribute and optimise its catalogue worldwide.
Andy Pickles said: “With Finance Yorkshire’s investment we can develop and grow our music catalogue in what is an exciting period for the music industry. The Jive Bunny brand is still going strong and we plan to optimise it across all platforms.”
“We are very proud of what we have achieved by starting out in Rotherham and still being based in Yorkshire. For that reason, we were very attracted to work with Finance Yorkshire and its team.”
Alex McWhirter, chief executive of Finance Yorkshire, added: “Music Factory is a well-established and successful company which has stayed true to its Yorkshire roots.
“We are delighted to support the business in the next phase of its growth and its leading role in the region’s music and creative industries. It is particularly pleasing to see its investment in young people’s education through North Star 360.”
Music Factory recently relocated to a 2.500sq ft space at Tileyard North as one of the creative hub’s first anchor tenants.
