Paramount Global Signs First Look Deal With LL Cool J’s Rock The Bells, Leads $15 Million Funding Round
deadline.comLL Cool J’s Rock The Bells said Paramount Global, along with Raine Ventures and Irving Azoff of Iconic Artists Group, led a $15 million funding round for the hip-hop platform, which has also signed a first look deal with Par.
Amex Ventures, Wildcat Capital Management and Capstar Ventures also participated in the Series B raise, with additional investment from ASK Capital, North Island (Glenn Hutchins), AME Cloud Ventures and XO Capital.
The fresh funds will help scale the three pillars of the business – content, commerce and experiences — including creating more long-form projects, launching retail partnerships and experiential events, and expanding in Europe.
It will also grow its annual Rock The Bells Festival. “This Series B round is a reflection of the confidence that our investors have in Rock The Bells as a global platform,” said CEO LL Cool J, who founded Rock The Bells in 2018. “Hip-Hop is an art form that many people doubted from day one, but our culture continues to rise to higher heights…This is just the beginning.” The company features Rock The Bells Radio on SiriusXM, a content platform at RockTheBells.com, licensing and merchandising partnerships with mass retailers, and curated experiences and activations with partners globally.
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