London-based screen music investment company, the Cutting Edge Group, and its Connecticut-based partner, Wood Creek Capital Management, have bought the Varèse Sarabande soundtrack label. The record company, which issues approximately 40 soundtracks every year, will increase its output to 60.

The acquisition is the first step in the expansion of Cutting Edge, expected to cost around $100m. The company has already been developing its portfolio by taking on music rights management and composer representation, and investing in soundtracks while the films are still in production, thereby influencing the quality of the score.

Varése Sarabande was founded in Los Angeles in 1978. Its recent soundtracks include music from Gangster Squad, The Bourne Legacy, The Help and the second season of HBO’s Game of Thrones. The company has built its catalogue by focusing mainly on scores, rather than on song compilations, which require expensive rights.