{"id":252010,"date":"2026-02-27T23:00:47","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T23:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/?p=252010"},"modified":"2026-02-28T10:48:03","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T10:48:03","slug":"how-jeff-waye-and-patrick-curley-built-third-side-music-into-an-indie-publishing-powerhouse-with-usd-25m-in-annual-revenues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/how-jeff-waye-and-patrick-curley-built-third-side-music-into-an-indie-publishing-powerhouse-with-usd-25m-in-annual-revenues\/","title":{"rendered":"How Jeff Waye and Patrick Curley built Third Side Music into an indie publishing powerhouse with USD $25M in annual revenues"},"content":{"rendered":"

Trailblazers is an MBW interview series that turns the spotlight on music entrepreneurs with the potential to become the global business power players of tomorrow. <\/b>In this feature, we speak to Jeff Waye, Co-Founder and COO, and Patrick Curley, Co-Founder, President and CEO, of global independent music publisher Third Side Music.\u00a0Trailblazers is supported by\u00a0<\/b>TuneCore<\/b><\/a>.<\/b><\/p>\n

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Third Side Music<\/strong> started life in Montreal in 2005<\/span> with a $150,000<\/strong> investment by two music industry veterans. Now, it’s an independent publishing powerhouse.<\/p>\n

The company, founded by Jeff Waye<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Patrick Curley<\/strong>, tells MBW that it’s averaged 15-20% year-over-year growth and generated over USD $25 million<\/strong> in annual revenues in 2025, all without ever taking a cent of outside capital.<\/span><\/p>\n

Waye started his career in record distribution and retail before spending a decade running Ninja Tune’s operations in North America.<\/p>\n

Curley, meanwhile, came from the indie rock world, eventually becoming an entertainment lawyer and founding Plateau, one of the first agencies to offer sync as a dedicated service.<\/p>\n

Today, their company’s track record speaks for itself: “Over 95% of our deals have been fully recouped, and we\u2019ve had 99% client retention across our active roster,” says Waye of Third Side Music.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Our passion is music not market share.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jeff Waye, Third Side Music<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

TSM’s 75,000-plus title catalog spans a roster that includes SOFI TUKKER, Sky Ferreira, BadBadNotGood, Courtney Barnett, Future Islands, Kurt Vile, Waxahatchee, and Colin Stetson, alongside iconic legacy catalogs such as The Clyde Otis Music Group, Studio One, Galt MacDermot, and Alan Watts.<\/p>\n

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The company’s sync division \u2013 with dedicated teams in Los Angeles, New York, London, Montreal, and Mexico City \u2013 has been the engine of much of its success, landing music in everything from The Bear<\/em> and The White Lotus<\/em> to brand campaigns for Apple, Dior, and Herm\u00e8s.<\/p>\n

The power of TSM’s sync operation was on full display in late 2025, when client Wolf Parade’s 2005 track I’ll Believe in Anything<\/em> was placed in the TV series Heated Rivalry<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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