HarbourView Equity Partners has landed a partnership with Chaka Khan that puts catalog development, global licensing, and new creative ventures at the center of the deal. For publishers and rights holders, how major catalogs continue to be positioned as active business assets, not just legacy holdings.
Khan’s catalog becomes the latest prize
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the agreement includes a stake in Khan’s catalog. The deal arrives as Khan is experiencing renewed creative momentum, following the release of her single Chakzilla in May 2026, her first new music in more than seven years.
Khan also recently completed a run on the Queens! 4 Legends, 1 Stage tour with Gladys Knight, Patti LaBelle, and Stephanie Mills. Billboard recognized the tour as one of the highest-grossing R&B tours of the year.
HarbourView keeps building its portfolio
HarbourView founder and CEO Sherrese Clarke said Khan is “a remarkable talent” whose voice, spirit, and presence have “moved effortlessly across generations while never losing their power or soul.” Clarke also called Khan an iconic vocalist, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, and said HarbourView is honored to work alongside her as she continues to evolve her legacy.
Khan said music is “the most powerful and generous thing I know,” and said HarbourView understands what her music means “not just as a business, but as a body of love.” She added that seeing her songs still finding new ears and new hearts fills her with joy.
The partnership marks another step in HarbourView’s expansion of its entertainment portfolio. The Newark, New Jersey-headquartered firm was founded in 2021 by former Tempo Music CEO Sherrese Clarke with backing from Apollo Global Management.
A legacy catalog with proven staying power
Khan is an 11-time Grammy Award winner whose career spans more than five decades, beginning as the lead vocalist of funk band Rufus. Her catalog includes I’m Every Woman, Ain’t Nobody, Sweet Thing, Through the Fire, Tell Me Something Good, Like Sugar, and I Feel for You, the 1984 crossover hit featuring Grandmaster Melle Mel that the press release describes as the first R&B track to feature a rap artist.
She was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2023 with the Musical Excellence Award, received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2026, and the BET Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006.
HarbourView said it has been active on the acquisition front, including music and non-music assets from the estate of Quincy Jones in March, the pre-2024 catalog of Stefflon Don in May 2026, a majority stake in Slipknot’s catalog, and the publishing catalog and select masters of T-Pain.
The company also pointed to recent value-creation examples across its portfolio, including Daniel Caesar’s Blessed appearing in Netflix’s Forever, Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain being used in the official F1 movie trailer, and Bad Bunny’s EoO sampling Hector y Tito’s Perreo Baby from HarbourView’s catalog.
What to watch next: HarbourView said it has amassed approximately $3.88 billion in regulatory assets under management and over 70 music catalogs, with a catalog of approximately 41,000 songs, setting up more activity around how it develops and licenses major rights assets.
For editorial consideration and industry coverage inquiries, contact [email protected]
