GEMA to sell Zebralution to DistroKid investor Insight Holdings

GEMA confirmed that it will sell 100 per cent of Zebralution to Insight Holdings, which invests through its growth equity arm, Insight Partners. The German not-for-profit organisation first acquired a majority stake in Zebralution in 2019 and took full ownership in 2023 following the departure of co-founders Kurt Thielen and Sascha Lazimbat.

GEMA chief executive Tobias Holzmüller said the company believed Zebralution was well positioned under new ownership. He said the distributor was “now excellently positioned, and with its new shareholders, is gaining additional momentum for technology-driven growth and innovation”.

Insight Partners is already active in the digital music distribution sector, having made a substantial investment in DistroKid in 2021. Since then, Insight has said it has supported DistroKid in strengthening its marketing strategy, expanding internationally and managing a leadership transition.

While the shared investor does not automatically imply a formal link between DistroKid and Zebralution, industry observers have noted that the two businesses could be complementary. Zebralution has a stronger presence in Europe, while DistroKid is more established in North America. Zebralution also offers higher-level distribution services to record labels beyond standard music releases.

Founded in 2004, Zebralution was an early entrant in the digital distribution market. It has worked with independent labels and artists and expanded into audiobook distribution in 2010. More recently, the company has moved into podcast distribution.

GEMA said the sale remains subject to regulatory clearance and described Insight Holdings as having extensive expertise in digital business models. No financial details of the transaction have been disclosed.