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Superfan platform Sesh acquired by free music app TREBEL to build out artist services across the Americas
TREBEL, the ad-supported app offering free downloads and streaming of licensed music, has acquired superfan platform Sesh in a deal announced on LinkedIn on 30 July 2026. The acquisition combines TREBEL's large listener base across the United States and Latin America with Sesh's technology for identifying and directly engaging an artist's most dedicated fans, filling what TREBEL described as a gap in its "artist services" offerings. It reflects a wider industry push to monetise superfans, an opportunity Goldman Sachs valued at $4.5 billion in 2024, with Universal Music Group also recently investing in the sector.
Financial terms were not disclosed. Sesh, founded by Pepe del Río, Iñigo-Hubertus Bunzl Pelayo, María José Guzmán and Andrés Fajardo, had raised $7 million led by Miura Global in April 2025 and worked with over 250 artists, including Anitta and Mau y Ricky, whose combined following exceeds a billion social media followers. Its technology can convert a listener into an identified fan within a minute and lets artists collect data such as email and location via a digital "Member Card." TREBEL, founded in 2014 and licensed to more than 100 million tracks, reported 3.2 million monthly active users and $2.33 million in revenue for 2020 in its 2021 IPO filing, and has since expanded across Latin America.
In short
- TREBEL buys superfan platform Sesh; deal terms undisclosed.
- Combines TREBEL's huge audience with Sesh's fan-engagement tools.
- Part of a wider industry drive to monetise superfans.
Explained simply
Streaming services let people listen to music online, while artist services give musicians tools to reach and understand their audiences. Sesh is a platform that helps artists identify their most dedicated listeners and invite them to share details such as their email address and location in exchange for a digital membership card.
TREBEL is an ad-supported music app offering licensed songs for free, with users across the United States and Latin America. Adding Sesh’s tools gives it a way to connect artists with their most engaged listeners, alongside its wider listening service.
Music companies are increasingly looking for ways to serve and earn revenue from superfans, who may spend more time and money supporting artists than casual listeners. The deal brings together a large music audience and technology designed to help artists build direct relationships with those fans.
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