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The Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) has selected its leadership for the coming year.
Lee Thomas Miller has been selected to serve as president, while Jenn Schott will serve as vp of the organization. Outgoing president Steve Bogard, who previously served as NSAI president from 2006-2012 and was elected to the role again in 2017, is the longest-running president in NSAI’s history. Bogard chose not to seek another leadership term, though he will continue serving on NSAI’s board of directors.
The results of the general election also include new board member Trannie Anderson joining for a first term, while 10 current board members were re-elected to two-year terms: Steve Bogard, Chris DeStefano, J.T. Harding, Byron Hill, Josh Kear, Jamie Moore, Jon Nite, Liz Rose, Jenn Schott and Emily Shackelton. Meanwhile, Roger Brown was re-appointed to a one-year term as legislative chair, while Rhett Akins and Caitlyn Smith were re-appointed to the organization’s “artist writer” board positions for one-year terms and Brett James was re-appointed to a one-year term in the industry liaison role.
The new additions join existing board members Miller, Kelly Archer, Sarah Buxton, David Hodges, Jessie Jo Dillon, Tim Nichols, Josh Osborne, Rivers Rutherford, Anthony L. Smith, Troy Verges and Parker Welling, whose terms expire in 2025.
“Steve Bogard led NSAI through complicated trials where we sought higher streaming rates, the Music Modernization Act, and many challenges as we sought to improve compensation for American Songwriters,” said NSAI executive director Bart Herbison in a statement. “Every songwriter in the United States owes him a handshake and thank you for his work and the thousands of hours he sacrificed. We are also glad to welcome Lee Thomas Miller who has served as President previously and is a proven, effective advocate. And Jenn Schott who will serve as NSAI Vice-President after years of experience on our board and Executive Committee.”
NSAI Board elections happen in two phases: voting by the NSAI professional songwriter membership and appointments by the NSAI board of directors. The board terms begin each year at the April meeting.
Ricardo Chamberlain has been named COO of Puntilla Music, where he will oversee the music company’s distribution, record label and publishing divisions, Billboard has learned. “I feel immensely proud and excited to embark on this journey with Puntilla and its visionary team,” Chamberlain said in a press statement. “Working side by side with Claudio Pairot […]
Taylor Swift’s lawyers are threatening to sue a Florida college student who runs social media accounts that track celebrity private jets, calling it “stalking and harassing behavior.”
According to a report Tuesday (Feb. 6) by the Washington Post, Jack Sweeney received a cease-and-desist letter from Swift’s attorneys in December, warning they would have “have no choice but to pursue any and all legal remedies” if he did not stop posting the locations of Swift’s private jet.
Sweeney runs social media accounts that track flights by celebrities and other public figures, ranging from Kim Kardashian to Bill Gates to Donald Trump. In 2022, he was banned from X (formerly Twitter) after he posted such info for billionaire Elon Musk, the site’s owner. He cites publicly-available government flight data, alongside estimates of carbon emissions from each flight.
In the legal letter, Swift’s lawyers (led by Katie Wright Morrone of the firm Venable LLP) warned Sweeney that his posts posed an “imminent threat” to Swift’s “safety and wellbeing.” The letter said Sweeney’s posts were “in violation of several state laws,” but did not specify which ones.
“While this may be a game to you, or an avenue that you hope will earn you wealth or fame, it is a life-or-death matter for our Client,” Morrone wrote, according to the Post. “Ms. Swift has dealt with stalkers and other individuals who wish her harm.”
The letter also referenced the earlier dispute with Musk, including Sweeney’s offer to delete the account for $50,000: “We are aware of your public disputes with other high-profile individuals and your tactics in those interactions, including offering to stop your harmful behavior only in exchange for items of value.”
News of the dispute with Sweeney comes just weeks after a man named David Crowe was arrested outside Swift’s Manhattan home and charged with stalking; prosecutors say Crowe was spotted more than 30 times outside her apartment and had repeatedly attempted to enter the building. In 2022, another man was arrested after he crashed his car into her building and attempted to get inside.
In a statement Tuesday on the letter to Sweeney, Swift’s spokeswoman, Tree Paine, stressed the risk of stalkers: “We cannot comment on any ongoing police investigation but can confirm the timing of stalkers suggests a connection. His posts tell you exactly when and where she would be.”
According to the Post’s report, many of Sweeney’s posts are derived from government data compiled by the Federal Aviation Administration. Though celebrities can request to hide their planes from those databases — and Swift appears to have done so — volunteer hobbyists can still track such aircraft via the signals they broadcast, and they often upload such info to independent public websites.
In the Post report, Sweeney said that he was merely posting public information that’s “already out there.” His attorney went further, calling the claims from Swift’s attorneys “hyperbolic and unfounded” and saying the posts posed “no threat” to the superstar.
Queen is finally getting close to selling its catalog, according to sources — and may even already be in an exclusive period with an undisclosed suitor.
The music assets include recorded music, publishing and ancillary income streams, according to sources, who suggest Queen is seeking a $1.2 billion payday. Those ancillary revenue streams include revenue from the 2018 smash film Bohemian Rhapsody, merchandise and other licensing opportunities. The deal may also include royalties from the North America master recordings catalog, which Queen sold to the Disney-owned Hollywood Records at some unknown point since the label began licensing the band’s recordings in the early 1990s.
In the past, Hollywood has maintained that when it acquired Queen’s master recordings it was for life of copyright, which could mean the label has the band’s later albums in the U.S. for a total of 35 years, given that U.S. copyright law allows creators to terminate and reclaim their copyright after that term.
There have been numerous media reports about Queen seeking a record $1 billion catalog sale since the band started shopping it in May 2023 — the first of which by Music Business Worldwide. While many of those stories suggested that Queen was in discussions with Universal Music Group and that Disney, Hollywood’s owner, was also approached, sources say that the band’s music assets were shopped to only a few select suitors because the band members wanted to be comfortable in entrusting stewardship of its catalog. Moreover, because of the price the band is seeking, sources suggest that some of the potential strategic buyers may have partnered with financial institutions to make an offer.
Sources say that each band member — Brian May, Roger Taylor, John Deacon and the estate of the late Freddie Mercury — has his own lawyer involved to collectively shop the deal. Billboard reached out to lawyers who are or were officers for the band’s company, Queen Productions Ltd., as well as Hollywood Records and UMG, all of whom either declined a request for comment or didn’t respond.
The Queen catalog includes iconic hit songs such as “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Killer Queen,” “Another One Bites the Dust,” “Radio Ga Ga,” “Somebody to Love,” “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” “You’re My Best Friend, “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions.” Since 1991, the Queen catalog has generated nearly 38 million album consumption units in the U.S.; and has nearly 41.7 billion in global on-demand streams, according to Luminate.
Since late 2018, Queen’s sales and streaming activity has been turbocharged by the Bohemian Rhapsody theatrical film that came out that year.
For perspective, from 1991 to the end of 2017, Queen’s U.S. sales and streaming activity totaled 25.9 million album consumption units, according to Luminate. And in the three years leading up to the Bohemian Rhapsody film’s release, Queen’s annual catalog album consumption averaged about 752,000 units. But then in 2018, with the film’s release that November, the band’s album consumption unit count jumped to 2.074 million. In 2019, its catalog activity exploded to nearly 3.58 million units.
At the end of 2023, Queen’s U.S. album consumption sales activity to date since 1991 totals nearly 37.7 million units, an increase of 45.5% from the 25.9 million in 2017.
According to financial reports from Queen’s shared company, Queen Productions Limited, filed with the United Kingdom’s Companies House agency, the band reported a net profit of 18 million pounds on nearly 41 million pounds in revenue for the year ended Sept. 30, 2022. The company also reported 32.4 million pounds in gross profit and 22.16 million pounds after expenses but before taxes. For the prior fiscal year, the company reported 13.6 million pounds in net profit on revenues of 39.2 million pounds.
Music assets usually trade based on financial models built around an average of the catalog’s performance for the most recent three years. They trade on what’s known as net label share — gross profit after cost of goods but before marketing costs. Or, in the case of publishing, net publishers share — gross profit after paying out royalties.
However, the Bohemian Rhapsody film produced incredible financial rewards, throwing off the kinds of averages commonly used to price these deals. When investors look at music catalogs, they try to eliminate what they consider one-time activity bonanzas like a new boxset coming out; or in the case of Queen, setting aside the sales and streaming activity in the immediate aftermath of the film.
By the time the Queen music assets came to market in May 2023, interested suitors were likely scrutinizing the catalog’s activity from 2020 to 2022, when the band’s music averaged nearly 1.53 million album consumption units a year. That’s more than double the 752,000 album consumption units that the band averaged in the three years before to the film’s release. After discounting 2018 and 2019 as an anomaly, Queen’s camp, however, is likely arguing that the movie has brought Queen to a bigger audience and that success will be sustained. But suitors considering the Queen acquisition nevertheless might be worried that some of that activity might still be from the film’s afterglow. And if so, how much decay might still occur before sales and streaming activity level off and become predictable?
Overall, in 2019 — the year the band’s financials were most impacted by the film — Queen reported 72.8 million pounds in revenue and, after cost of sales, a gross profit of 58.8 million pounds. In the three years prior to the movie being released, from 2016 through 2018, the Queen catalog averaged 17.6 million pounds — due to an atypically low 2016 when revenue was only 12.34 million pounds — while gross profit averaged 13.5 million pounds. From 2020 through 2022, the catalog averaged revenues of 40.7 million pounds, and gross profits of 22.2 million pounds.
It’s likely that the Queen financials don’t include all Queen revenue, as well. For example, while it may include music publishing royalties paid to the band’s publishing company, it likely doesn’t include the individual payouts from global collection societies that are paid directly to writers. With that under consideration, Billboard estimates Queen’s publishing revenue likely totals about $17 million annually, based on the 2020–2022 three years average.
For masters, Billboard estimates — also based on a three-year average — annual global revenue of about $48 million for the Queen catalog. Of that, about $16 million is from North America — where sources say the band receives artist royalties. For the remaining $32 million outside North America, Queen owns its catalog. Figuring Queen takes a quarter of the revenue from North America, and three-quarters elsewhere, the band would earn roughly $28 million annually off recorded music.
In all, that’s about $45 million that Queen earns from recorded and publishing annually, based on estimates.
Sources say Queen’s annual royalties in the deal total about $50 million, which likely also includes royalties from Bohemian Rhapsody DVD and Blu-Ray sales, band merchandise and Queen theatrical productions in the U.K.
Valuing Queen’s publishing catalog at a 25-times multiple would come to about $420 million. The masters and other income streams at a 20 times multiple would bring that valuation to $660 million. And then, adding in other tertiary income streams and then likeness and image rights could get it to $1 billion valuation.
Queen is seeking more than that, though. And the steep $1.2 billion price tag sources suggest could be one of the reasons why the catalog has been in play for so long. Now, though, it seems a deal may finally be close.
Sammy Hagar‘s company is demanding that a federal judge shut down an allegedly unauthorized Hollywood location of his Cabo Wabo Cantina, claiming that a former franchisee has gone rogue and is damaging the rock star’s reputation.
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Attorneys for Hagar’s company (Red Head Inc.) sued last month, claiming that franchisee Robert Azinian had opened a new Cabo Wabo on Hollywood Blvd across from the TCL Chinese Theatre even though his licensing deal had been terminated. Now, in a new filing Monday, they asked for an immediate injunction blocking Azinian from continuing to use the name or any other company branding on his new eatery.
“Every day that the Cabo Wabo Cantina at the new Hollywood location continues to operate under the ‘Cabo Wabo’ brand, it soils the name, reputation, and goodwill that Red Head has developed,” the company’s lawyers write. “Defendants were instructed to discontinue any and all use of the marks, but they have ignored that request.”
Hagar and his Van Halen bandmates opened Cabo Wabo Cantina in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico in 1990; after buying out his partners, he later launched a line of tequila under the same name. Hagar sold the liquor brand to Gruppo Campari for $101 million, but his Red Head Inc. continues to operate the restaurant in Cabo and later franchised locations in Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
Last month, Red Head sued Azinian in California federal court, claiming he had essentially gone rogue after years of successfully running the Los Angeles location. The lawsuit claimed that Azinian had closed his original spot on Hollywood Blvd and “surreptitiously” relocated across the street, all without seeking the required approvals. They warned the new Cabo Wabo was already causing confusion with customers, citing Instagram comments like one in which a user wondered “is Sammy Hagar still affiliated?”
In Monday’s filing, Red Head echoed those arguments in asking for a preliminary injunction, which will block Azinian from continuing to use any Cabo Wabo branding while the case plays out. Without such an order, Hagar’s company warned that the unauthorized eatery could cause severe damage to Cabo Wabo’s reputation.
“Defendants’ continue to use the Cabo Wabo marks in connection with their operation of the restaurant — but Red Head has no oversight, control, or even visibility as to the quality of any one aspect of Defendants’ business, such as the quality of décor, the quality of staff, the quality of materials, or the quality of food,” the lawyers write. “Red Head currently has no control over any of it.”
Neither side immediately returned requests for comment on Tuesday.
Capitol Music Group chair and CEO Michelle Jubelirer is exiting the company, she announced in a memo to staff this morning (Feb. 6) that was obtained by Billboard. The move comes less than a week after Universal Music Group chairman/CEO announced a restructure of the label groups at the company that would shift Capitol, among other labels, under the oversight of Interscope Geffen A&M chairman/CEO John Janick.
Jubelirer, who has held her current title since December 2021, will depart the label after today.
“I am deeply saddened that I will no longer be at the company we rebuilt and took to new heights over the past two years,” she writes. “As I’ve said before, I don’t think any label group has been able to turn things around as quickly as we have managed to, and I’m certain that we’ve set Capitol Music Group on course toward a great future.”
Jubelirer joined Capitol in early 2013 as executive vp under then-CMG CEO Steve Barnett, and quickly became his second in command at the music group, which also encompassed Motown, Blue Note, Astralwerks and, until recently, indie distributor Virgin Music. In 2015 she was promoted to COO, a role she held throughout Barnett’s reign atop the label, which ended at the end of 2020. She remained on as COO under Barnett’s successor, Jeff Vaughn, who spent a short time in the top role, before Jubelirer succeeded Vaughn at the end of 2021.
A longtime attorney who also spent time at Sony Music prior to joining Capitol, Jubelirer was part of the revitalization of the storied label following UMG’s acquisition of EMI in 2012, and has been a regular on Billboard’s Women in Music and Power 100 features in the years since. Upon her appointment in 2021 to the top job, Jubelirer became the first female executive to head Capitol in its 80-plus-year history.
In 2023, Capitol racked up a 6.66% market share in the U.S., including a 5.90% current market share — which measures releases from the past 18 months — which was fifth among all labels for the full year. Both numbers were up significantly over her first year at the helm in 2022, when Capitol’s overall market share stood at 6.40% and current market share was 4.97%.
Last week, Grainge announced a restructuring of UMG’s labels, returning the company to an operational structure more similar to the one that existed from 1999 through 2014, prior to the full integration of Capitol. Under this new configuration, which is loosely an East Coast-West Coast alignment, Janick is overseeing Interscope, Geffen, Capitol, Motown, Priority, Verve and Blue Note, while Republic Records CEO Monte Lipman will oversee Republic, Def Jam, Island and Mercury.
See her letter to staff below in full:
To my Capitol Music Group Team,
I wanted you to hear this news directly from me: I’ve made the extremely difficult decision to leave the company that has been my home for more than a decade, and so, today will be my last as Chair & CEO of Capitol Music Group.
I am deeply saddened that I will no longer be at the company we rebuilt and took to new heights over the past two years. As I’ve said before, I don’t think any label group has been able to turn things around as quickly as we have managed to, and I’m certain that we’ve set Capitol Music Group on course toward a great future.
Together, we became a real team; a diverse group of individuals bonded by our love of music and passion for artistry, and whose differences in backgrounds and cultural tastes made each of us stronger advocates and champions for our artists. In such a competitive and fast-paced world, we gave it our all—every minute of every day—so that our artists could seize the opportunity to realize their dreams and ultimately succeed.
I am so fortunate to work in a business that I love and be constantly surrounded by music and the talented people that create it. Every day, I renewed my promise to do my very best for our artists, and they have given me so much in return. No matter where I find myself in this business, I will always approach my relationships with artists as their advocate, their protector, and their fan.
I will let you know of my future plans as soon as I can.
In closing, let me simply say to each of you: Thank You. It has been my honor to be on this journey with you.
With love and appreciation,
Michelle
Luminate continues in its mission to unify data with the acquisition of Quansic, a specialist music data company with a focus on artist identification services.
Announced today (Feb. 6), the arrangement is another step in Luminate’s efforts to unify data for the entertainment industry, by tapping Quansic’s expertise in the harmonization of metadata across record labels, streaming platforms, song publishers, and artist services within the music ecosystem.
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Based in France, Quansic maintains the world’s largest artist identification database which includes over 2.5 million ISNIs (artist identifiers) and 200 million asset identifiers.
Terms of the transaction weren’t disclosed.
With immediate effect, Quansic’s team will join Luminate, remaining under founder and chief scientist FX Nuttall, who now reports to Luminate CEO Rob Jonas.
“Quansic has earned the trust of many key leaders in the music data space, which is no surprise given the quality of the product and service FX and his team have built,” explains Jonas in a statement. “We warmly welcome them into the Luminate family and look forward to collaborating and taking our music data offerings to the next level, especially as we close the gap between the disparate data that labels and publishers have historically relied on to drive their businesses forward.”
In future, Quansic’s clients will have the option to access Luminate’s industry-leading streaming and sales data, and Quansic’s data will be incorporated into Luminate’s new data platform, which was announced last year and will be launched in several phases over the coming months, serving clients in the music industry and beyond.
“Combining our unique data quality with Luminate’s scale, capabilities and influence is essential for advancing our vision to unify data within the music industry,” adds Nuttall. “We are eager to scale that work with Luminate and look forward to bringing unprecedented value to the music industry.”
Luminate is an independently operated company owned by PME TopCo, a PMC subsidiary and joint venture between Penske Media Corporation and Eldridge. Billboard is an independently operated company owned by PME Holdings, a subsidiary of PME TopCo.
This is The Legal Beat, a weekly newsletter about music law from Billboard Pro, offering you a one-stop cheat sheet of big new cases, important rulings and all the fun stuff in between.
This week: A judge denies Lizzo’s request to dismiss a bombshell harassment lawsuit filed by her backup dancers; an ugly flood of Taylor Swift deepfakes highlights a growing problem; an update on Earth Wind & Fire’s trademark lawsuit against a tribute band; and much more.
THE BIG STORY: Lizzo Harassment Case Moves Forward
Two days before Lizzo showed up to present an award at the Grammys on Sunday night, a Los Angeles judge ruled that the singer’s legal problems would not be going away any time soon.
In a decision Friday, Judge Mark H. Epstein denied Lizzo’s motion to toss out a bombshell sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuit, filed by three of her former backup dancers last year. Though he dismissed certain accusations – including a particularly loaded charge that Lizzo fat-shamed one of her dancers – the judge ruled that the remainder of the case could go forward.
Lizzo argued in October that that case should be dismissed under California’s so-called anti-SLAPP statute — a special law that makes it easier to quickly end meritless lawsuits that threaten free speech, known as “strategic lawsuits against public participation.” Her attorneys said the dancers’ case was a “brazen attempt to silence defendants’ creative voices.”
As I said at the time, that argument was an unusual one. Anti-SLAPP motions are used quite frequently in defamation lawsuits that have been filed by powerful people against their critics; I can’t ever remember seeing one used by an employer who has been sued by their workers for violating labor laws.
In his decision last week, Judge Epstein largely agreed. Though he said that finding the balance – between free speech and illegal worlkplace conduct – was “no easy task,” he ultimately decided that many of the allegations against Lizzo did not fit under the anti-SLAPP law’s protections.
Go read why in our full story on the Lizzo ruling, including a detailed breakdown of the decision and access to the actual ruling issued by the judge.
Other top stories this week…
TAYLOR SWIFT DEEPFAKES – After X was flooded with fake, sexually-explicit images of Taylor Swift, I dove deep and tried to get an understanding of the legal lay of the land. Were these deepfake images illegal? Should new laws be passed to stop them? Are social media sites doing enough to stop them? Turns out, legal experts say the ugly incident is a sign of things to come, as artificial intelligence tools make deepfakes easier to create and tech companies scale back content moderation. Go read the whole story here.
‘GEORGE & TAMMY’ CASE – Showtime was hit with a lawsuit over the 2022 television series centered on country music legends George Jones and Tammy Wynette, filed by the estate of Wynette’s later husband George Richey. The lawsuit claims that the producers presented a “disparaging” portrayal of Richey that turned him into the “villain” of the show. But it’s not a defamation lawsuit…
RAP ON TRIAL? NOT IN BK – A federal judge overseeing Jam Master Jay’s murder trial in Brooklyn ruled that prosecutors could not cite rap lyrics written by the rapper’s alleged killer as evidence against him – in the process, wading into one of music law’s thorniest issues. After offering a sweeping historical overview of hip hop’s past, the judge warned that general themes of violence and crime have become “so prevalent within the genre that they have little, if any, probative value at trial.” As a result, she said they should only be admitted if they have a clear, direct connection to the facts of the case: “Music artists should be free to create without fear that their lyrics could be unfairly used against them.”
TRIBUTE TRADEMARKS – A tribute band that was sued last year by Earth, Wind & Fire for using the name “Earth Wind & Fire Legacy Reunion” won a small ruling in the ongoing trademark infringement case, allowing them to continue pursuing their eyebrow-raising counterargument: That the legendary R&B group somehow abandoned the intellectual property rights to its name.
SUBLIME MALPRACTICE SUIT – The 90s rock band filed a legal malpractice lawsuit against the prominent music law firm King Holmes Paterno & Soriano LLP, accusing its former attorneys of a “pattern of self-dealing.” Sublime’s surviving members say the firm’s lawyers – including legendary music attorneys Howard King and Peter Paterno – had undisclosed conflicts of interest on numerous matters, including brokering a merchandise deal with one of the firm’s other clients that the band claims cost it millions of dollars. When reached for comment on the allegations, King told Billboard simply: “Welcome to Fantasyland. Please enjoy the ride.”
NIRVANA’S SMILEY FACE FIGHT – A years-long legal battle over the grunge band’s famed smiley face logo could be headed for a major showdown, sparked by a former record label art designer named Robert Fisher who says he, and not Kurt Cobain, created the famed drawing.
Oscar-nominated actor Kate Hudson has signed with Virgin Music Group for her recorded music debut. The first single under the deal, “Talk About Love” — co-written by Hudson with Linda Perry and Danny Fujikawa — was released on Tuesday (Jan. 30). Hudson is managed by Jason Owen and Jake Basen at Sandbox Entertainment Group.
33 & West Talent Agency is expanding its music roster. In a signing spree, the company has announced the addition of rapper Dharius, rap group La Santa Grifa and hip-hop artist Charles Ans. According to the company, the addition of the three Mexican acts “reinforces the agency’s existing Latin music roster and further signifies 33 & West’s commitment to diversity, aligning with the growing influence and the overdue recognition of Latin artists in the United States.” – Griselda Flores
Zerb has signed with UTA for global representation outside his native Brazil. The DJ is managed by Gabriel Tofoli at Salt N Pepper Management and signed to Th3rd Brain Records with distribution by FUGA.
ADA UK has signed emerging U.K. rapper Nemzzz to an album deal. The company has also signed a deal with Dutch EDM DJ Chuckie and his Voltage label. Nemzzz is booked by Craig D’Souza at WME. Chuckie is represented by managers Sergio Bienati and Kevin Harris at Club Class as well as booking agents Simon Halliwell and Aaron Cook at Active Talent Agency (Europe and Asia); Charlie Irwin at Spin Artist Agency (United States); and Sophie van Deventer at Storm Agency (Benelux).
German American indie-pop artist Noah “NoMBe” McBeth has signed a global record deal with Position Music. His first single with the company, “Space for Two,” is slated for release on Friday (Feb. 9). NoMBe is managed by Eric Vogel and James Hadid at JET Management and booked by Alex Becket and Mike Mori at CAA. He is also signed to Position for publishing.
Nettwerk has signed L.A.-based indie-pop artist renforshort and L.A.-based singer-songwriter Rose Betts. Renforshort’s first release on the label will be “serpentine” and Betts’ will be “War,” with both tracks set to drop on Friday (Feb. 9). Renforshort is represented by Riley Kirkwood at CAMP Management and agents Zac Bluestone and Tom Windish at Wasserman. Betts is represented by Jeremy Skaller, Jared Cotter and Madison Bickel at The Heavy Group and agents David Zedick, Alana Gitt and Akhil Hegde at UTA.
Phil Vassar has signed with agents Nick Meinema and Travis James at Action Entertainment Collaborative for global booking representation. Vassar is kicking off his 2024 tour on Feb. 29 in Savery, Wyo. He is managed by Amy Millslagle; his label is American Soul.
Baton Rouge, La.-based singer-songwriter Odie Leigh has signed with Mom + Pop, which released her new song, “No Doubt,” on Jan. 25. Leigh is represented by manager Eric Jones at Homestead Artists and booked by Wasserman’s Yitzi Peetluk and Lindsay McDowell in North America, and by the agency’s Rob Challice and Laura Flynn in the United Kingdom and the European Union.
Athens, Ga.-based indie rock band Futurebirds has signed a global recording deal with Dualtone Records, a MNRK Music Group company. A new album is slated for release later this year. The band is represented by Dawson Morris at GT Music Group and Jon Prine at Wasserman.
Nashville-based management company Big Al Management, led by founder/CEO Alex Evelyn, has signed CMT Next Women of Country alum Camille Parker to its roster. Parker recently released her debut EP and was featured on Apple TV’s original series My Kind of Country. – Jessica Nicholson
Page 1 Management has signed Nashville-based songwriter/producer/multi-instrumentalist Evan Cline and L.A.-based artist/songwriter/producer Sayak Das to its roster; both will be represented by Nina Musolino out of Nashville. Das is slated to release new music this year.
Country singer-songwriter Auburn McCormick has signed with the newly launched, Nashville-based label Rose & Thorn Records, founded by Connor Rankin and co-founded by Jared Scott.
Warner Chappell Music has signed a global publishing deal with artist-writer Morgan Wallen. As part of his deal, Wallen will have the ability to sign songwriters in partnership with WCM.
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Wallen has earned 10 No. 1 Billboard Country Airplay hits and has sold out arenas and stadiums on his One Night at a Time tour. But he’s also been deeply involved in writing many of his own chart-topping hits including “7 Summers,” “Chasin’ You,” “You Proof” and “Thought You Should Know.” Wallen’s third studio album, One Thing at a Time, has spent 18 weeks atop the Billboard 200 chart, and was named Luminate’s top album of 2023 in the U.S. Wallen was honored with the songwriter of the year accolade at the 2023 BMI Country Awards last year.
As a songwriter, Wallen’s prolific abilities as a songwriter have extended to writing songs that have become hits for Kane Brown, Jason Aldean, Keith Urban, Corey Kent and other artists.
Wallen said in a statement: “I look forward to working with Warner Chappell as my new music publishing partner and would like to thank them for also offering support in signing songwriters I believe in. In many ways, I feel like I’ve always been a songwriter first, and because of that, the publishing community is especially close to my heart. I’m honored to use this partnership as an opportunity to give other songwriters a helping hand. Thanks to Ben, Phil, Jessi, and their great team.”
Ben Vaughn, president/CEO, Warner Chappell Music Nashville, said in a statement, “When you listen to the craftsmanship of songs that Morgan is writing, such as the modern-day classics ‘7 Summers’ and ‘Thought You Should Know,’ and the impactful songs he’s written for other artists like ‘You Make It Easy’ (Jason Aldean) and ‘Wild As Her’ (Corey Kent), you start to understand that the man from East Tennessee is quickly becoming one of the most important songwriters of this generation. Our entire Warner Chappell team is so proud of the opportunity to represent his songs.”
Jessi Vaughn Stevenson, Sr. Director, A&R and Digital, Warner Chappell Music Nashville, added, “Morgan’s songwriting style has been original and distinct from the beginning and it is so exciting to get to work with someone who has seen massive commercial success built on authenticity.”