Wise Music Group Sells Music Education Division to Private Equity Firm

As part of the sale, Achieve Partners has acquired major educational platforms such as MusicFirst, Charanga, Musition, and Auralia

Wise Music Group (WMG), the UK-based parent company to publishing labels including Edition Peters, Schirmer, and Chester Music, has announced that it has sold its Music Education Division to the New York private equity firm Achieve Partners. WMG says its goal is to invest the proceeds of the sale into its core publishing business.

The acquisition includes a number of well-known education platforms, such as MusicFirst, Charanga, Musition and Auralia, Rising Software, Focus on Sound, and O-Generator. Many of these platforms are used extensively in the classroom, with Charanga being used by more than 70,000 teachers each year. These tools will be incorporated into Achieve Partners' attempt to build a comprehensive education software platform for the performing.

Dr. Jim Frankel, who launched the MusicFirst education tool in 2012, will continue to serve as the company's president following the acquisition.

The sale marks a new chapter for WMG, which was first founded by the Wise family in 1930, in that the company will now focus its efforts exclusively on music publishing.

"This is an exciting new chapter for MusicFirst and our sister companies," said Dr. Jim Frankel, Founder and Managing Director of MusicFirst. "Achieve Partners' commitment to education and technology aligns perfectly with our mission to empower music educators and students alike. I am proud of what we've accomplished and look forward to collaborating with Achieve to drive even greater innovation and impact in music education."

“This milestone represents the culmination of years of strategic transformation for Wise Music Group,” Chief Executive of Wise Music Group, Tomas Wise said. “We can now fully dedicate ourselves to our core mission of music publishing, reinforcing our position as a leading independent in the industry.”

"We are thrilled to welcome Wise Music Group's entire suite of groundbreaking education tools to the Achieve family," said Troy Williams, Managing Director of Achieve Partners. "These companies have a remarkable track record of delivering innovative music education solutions to schools, teachers, and students worldwide. This is about not just supporting their continued growth, but also ensuring that they continue to set the standard in digital music education."