Diplo and Andrew Bergman Launch Independent Publisher Bison Music

Diplo and Andrew Bergman are launching Bison Music, a new independent music publisher, Billboard reported on 11 November 2026. The company will operate from New York and Los Angeles.

A music publisher looks after songs rather than recordings. It holds the rights to a song, places it with artists and collects the money the song earns when it is recorded, performed, streamed or licensed for use in films, adverts and games.

Andrew Bergman will serve as chief executive. He was previously chief executive of Downtown Music. Tom Lee will be chief operating officer, responsible for running the company day to day. Juba Lee will be chief creative officer, leading the creative side of the business, and Jenny Ilibassi will be general manager.

Diplo first set up Bison Music on his own. He then brought Bergman in as a partner.

The company's songwriter roster includes Picard Bros., Leclair, Maesic, Nitti, Kaien Cruz, BomboCat, Akira Evans and Groupthink.

Bison Music says it will focus on signing and developing songwriters early in their careers. It describes its plan as long-term artist development, rather than buying existing catalogues. A catalogue is a back list of finished songs and the rights and royalty income attached to them, and buyers often purchase whole catalogues in one deal.

For a songwriter at the start of a career, a publisher can be a steady partner. It can help pitch songs to artists, handle paperwork and licensing, and collect royalties from many sources. The arrangement usually runs for years, which is why the choice of publisher matters to the people writing the songs.

Bison Music's launch adds another independent company to a business where many songwriters work with publishers outside the largest groups. Its first deals, and how quickly its roster grows, will show how the plan works in practice.