Good morning, creators. ☀️ Day 24 is here, and today we are looking at four signals worth watching — a beloved pop catalog finally whole again under one roof, independent publishers drawing a line on AI training, a European kids' slate getting one global licensing agent, and a spaghetti western synthwave pack from our own catalog. Let's get into it.
1. Seeker Music Acquires JoJo's First Two Albums — Originals and Re-Recordings Together at Last
What happened: Announced Thursday, October 23, Seeker Music — the music rights, publishing and record company led by songwriter Evan Bogart and backed by M&G Investments — has acquired both the original recordings and the re-recorded versions of JoJo's first two albums: her 2004 self-titled debut and 2006's The High Road, plus the versions she re-recorded and released independently in 2018, now renamed the Clover Room Editions. Seeker already held publishing interests in "Leave (Get Out)" and "Too Little Too Late," and marked the deal the same day with a deluxe 20th anniversary edition of The High Road — four bonus tracks from the original 2006 editions plus a new Spanish-language acoustic take, "Acepto La Realidad (Versión Acústica)," with 180g vinyl to follow. Financial terms were not disclosed. (Source: Music Business Worldwide)
Why it matters: For years this catalog lived split in two — originals in one place, re-recordings in another — which makes licensing slow and messy. One owner for every version means one conversation for sync, samples and anniversaries, and the celebration is already rolling: JoJo's seven-date "The High Road Tour: 20 Years Unplugged" opens November 13 in Boston and closes November 24 in Chicago.
The ETS/Zillion angle: This is why paperwork is built before the party around here. Epic Toy Sound keeps its masters and publishing under one roof from day one, registered and ready, so a track can move from a creator's reel to a brand campaign without a rights scavenger hunt. Dig into the catalog yourself in our action figures collection's companion audio packs at toysandbeats.com.
2. IMPF Backs Reservoir's Legal Action Against Suno and Anthropic
What happened: In a statement issued Thursday, October 23, the IMPF — the Independent Music Publishers International Forum — said it "welcomes and supports" the legal action taken by Reservoir against generative AI companies Suno and Anthropic, arguing the companies behind these AI products are "built on and profit from the hard work and creativity of songwriters and composers without permission, remuneration or credit." IMPF noted that, together with IMPEL, it recently issued a licensing framework for generative AI that received widespread support from CMOs and others, and called on AI companies to "come to the table and negotiate fair licenses for songwriters' and composers' work." (Source: Record of the Day / IMPF)
Why it matters: Notice where the statement lands: not on banning the technology, but on licensing it. The independent publishing community is building the framework first and inviting the AI companies to pay under it — permission, remuneration and credit as the price of training on human work.
The ETS/Zillion angle: Our whole catalog starts with human hands — original recordings made by a real producer and a community of real artists — and every work is registered so the credit and the collection have somewhere to land. When the industry finishes drawing this line, catalogs with clean human authorship and clean paperwork are the ones that hold their value. That is the ground this house was built on.
3. Toon2Tango Takes Global Licensing for Mediawan Kids & Family — Including the Astro Boy Reboot
What happened: Reported Monday, October 19, Mediawan Kids & Family and Toon2Tango have signed an exclusive worldwide licensing and merchandising agreement: Toon2Tango — a Leonine Studios company and part of the wider Mediawan Group — will identify, negotiate and manage licensing deals across the entire kids and family portfolio, covering toys, games, apparel, home and living products, publishing, digital games and promotions. The combined slate is headlined by Method Animation's reboot of Astro Boy, alongside "Wadoo," "Maddie + Triggs," "Paluten Freedom," "Niko," "Agent 203," "Showtime," and "Eldrador," developed with German toy company Schleich. Toon2Tango CEO Hans Ulrich Stoef also flagged a direct-to-consumer push with the group's own fan merchandise platforms, and the deal builds on a distribution agreement the two signed in March 2025. (Source: PhoenixQ, reporting Variety)
Why it matters: One agent, one portfolio, every product category, worldwide — that is licensing run as a system instead of a scramble. A classic character like Astro Boy gets a reboot on screen and a coordinated shelf life off screen, with fan-direct merchandise built into the plan from the start.
The ETS/Zillion angle: Characters live at the center of our world too — a figure on a collector's shelf becomes cover art, and the cover art becomes a release the community shoots and shares. Hunt for your next display centerpiece in our action figures collection, and meet the photographers turning toys into art over at zillionmarketplace.com.
4. House Spotlight: "Neon Revolver" — Epic Toy Sound
What happened: Released August 31, 2026, "Neon Revolver" (UPC 701486665591) is Epic Toy Sound's eight-track spaghetti western synthwave ride — high noon at the arcade, where twang meets neon. The tracklist pairs dusty duels with community firepower: "Rebel Run," "Cyber Outlaw," "Neon Bounty Hunter" featuring KIDULT, "Standoff" featuring Darc Reign, "Shake Em' Off" featuring Rokez, and "Spagetti in Space" featuring Toymirth, closing out with "Tumbleweed Glitch" and "Vapodust." Five of the eight tracks are already registered, with the remaining three in the registration queue — and the full pack is live in the store as the Neon Revolver digital download pack for $3.99. (Source: Epic Toy Sound / Zillion Records catalog and ISRC records)
Why it matters: This is the Cyber and Vigilante end of the sonic map — music built for creators shooting lone-gunslinger figures, desert dioramas and retro game worlds. One pack gives a whole shoot a consistent score, licensed and ready to post.
The ETS/Zillion angle: Eight tracks, four featured collaborators, one store page, registrations rolling — the machine in miniature. Every collaborator's name rides on the release, every release feeds the store, and every post points back home. Saddle up with the Neon Revolver pack and browse the full action figures lineup at toysandbeats.com.
Thank you for starting your Saturday with us — four signals, one community, and a catalog that keeps growing because creators and collectors like you keep showing up. Go make something beautiful today. One love. ✌️
Ronnie Desiderio is the founder of Epic Toy Sound and Zillion Records, and the producer behind the Toys and Beats catalog — two decades of original music, paired with the toy photography community that gives it a face. More about the story behind the sound →