Newly formed publishing company Endurance Music Group acquired Wide Open Music from owner Ash Bowers, adding singer-songwriters Jimmie Allen and Matt Stell to the Endurance roster, Billboard Country Update learned exclusively.
The deal doubles the Endurance writing staff to 10 composers and brings in a catalog that includes the hits "Best Shot," "Prayed for You," "In Case You Didn’t Know" and "Close Your Eyes." The agreement frees Wide Open to focus on its management functions for clients Allen, Stell and newcomer Chris Bandi.
Bowers, who cowrote "Prayed for You," had not actively sought to sell Wide Open until a discussion with Endurance senior vp Mark Ahlberg. Amplified Administration, an Endurance subsidiary that Ahlberg founded, represented Wide Open. Bowers will not have an executive role at Endurance, though he retains the ability to form a joint venture with the company if he signs another writer to a publishing deal.