Publishing
Primary Wave has partnered with The Cars to acquire the rockers’ artist royalties, the company announced today (June 4). The deal, which encompasses classic rock staples such as “Just What I Needed,” “My Best Friend’s Girl” and the Billboard Hot 100 top five hits “Shake It Up” (No. 4) and “Drive” (No. 3), follows Primary […]
PRS For Music paid out £1.02 billion ($1.3 billion) in royalties to songwriters, composers and publishers in 2024, according to reports from the U.K. collection society.
That figure is up 8.1% from 2023, when royalty payouts to its members reached £943.6 million ($1.2 billion). This means that PRS For Music have delivered early on their five-year plan to achieve £1 billion in royalties paid out by 2026.
Last year, reported revenue growth was up 6.1% to £1.15 billion ($1.46 billion), marking a notable deceleration from the 12.5% increase recorded in 2023, when PRS For Music broke the billion-pound barrier for the first time.
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Elsewhere, international revenues at the end of 2024 jumped 79.6% from 2015 levels to £351.4 million ($448.8 million). The organization attributed the continued growth to “a renewed commercial mindset and investment in data and technology infrastructure.”
The society’s online royalties grew 9% in 2024 to £401.2 million ($512 million). Collections from the video games sector accounted for a significant portion of this increase, after PRS For Music secured a partnership with Sony Playstation’s streaming service to build on its long-standing download deal.
Public performance royalty collections were also a key driver of growth, increasing by 14% in 2024 primarily due to a lift in collections from the live sector, which were up 30% year-on-year.
In a statement, PRS For Music’s CEO Andrea Czapary Martin — who features in the inaugural Billboard U.K. Power Players list — said, “PRS members have the right to demand their society think differently, challenge the norms in an industry where tradition is too often an excuse for inaction. To constantly evolve to meet their changing needs and expectations.
“Indeed, it is because we recognize the need to constantly challenge ourselves that we have been able to double the royalties paid to songwriters, composers and publishers in less than a decade.”
The above figures were announced at PRS For Music’s annual general meeting, which took place in London on Tuesday (June 3) and was also where new council representatives were elected. Singer-songwriter Cathy Dennis has joined the Writer Council as a member alongside Tom Gray, chair of the Ivors Academy, and composer Philip Pope.
PRS for Music’s Publisher Council increased its membership, welcoming including Megan Hall, senior vp of business and legal affairs at Concord Music Publishing; Nigel Gilroy, global head of legal & business affairs at Novello and Company; Daniel Lang, senior vp of global society relations & digital rights at Warner Chappell Music; and Richard Paine, director of commercial rights & business affairs at Faber Music.
Julian Nott, chair of the PRS Members’ Council, said, “I’m delighted to welcome our new and re-elected Council members. The wealth of knowledge, experience and expertise that they have amassed during their careers will bring a huge amount of insight and ensure the Council continues to deliver the best possible society for members and that every part of the membership is served by the organization.”
ICMP, the global music publishing organization representing 90% of the world’s commercially released music, has released its first-ever report on global music revenue, documenting the earnings of 16 of the top music markets.
In total, ICMP found that these select markets — United States, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Germany, Australia, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Canada, South Korea, the Netherlands, Brazil, Mexico, Hong Kong and South Africa — were worth more than $11 billion alone. Because some markets have slightly different accounting periods, the revenue in the report stems from the markets’ last 12 months of completed financial data. Largely, that data is from 2023.
The report helps publishers and songwriters make sense of what trends are building in this sector of the music business and how music lovers across markets are consuming music differently.
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Overall, digital revenue makes up 47.1% of the $11 billion plus in total revenue earned by the 16 markets, while 20.2% of revenue came from synchronization (songs placed in films, TV shows, commercials and video games); 21.5% stemmed from non-digital performance (songs played in restaurants, stores and other public venues); 5.9% came from non-digital mechanicals (songs sold as digital downloads, CDs, vinyl records, cassettes and more); and 4.6% was described as “other.”
In total, 40.9% of overall global publishing revenue was collected directly by publishers, and 59.1% was collected by performing rights organizations (PROs) and other collective management organizations (CMOs), which act as middlemen between licensees and publishers.
Below is a breakdown of Billboard’s top takeaways from the report.
Digital Revenue Dominance Varies Widely Across Markets
Latin music lovers are some of the world’s biggest digital music consumers, according to the report. Mexico’s music publishing sector earns a whopping 70.5% of its revenue from digital sources like streaming services. This makes sense, considering the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) reported in April that streaming equates to 98% of total revenue for Latin music in the U.S. on the master recording side.
When it comes to the three East Asian markets considered in ICMP’s report, their digital music consumption was strong but varied fairly significantly, proving music listeners in those markets are far from a monolith. Hong Kong’s revenue was 60% digital, whereas Japan came in at 49.7% digital and South Korea was 47.5% digital.
While Hong Kong is an outlier among East Asian countries, this does not mean that it correlated more closely with its former colonizer, the United Kingdom. In the U.K., digital represented just 41.5% of all publishing revenue.
In the European Union, digital consumption was generally much lower. Italy had just 20.3% of revenue come in from digital sources, while the number was 23.8% in France, 34.6% in the Netherlands, and 35% in Spain, which came in at the high end for the continent but was still relatively low, from a global perspective.
Synch Revenue Correlates to Strong Film/TV Markets
Given their robust film/TV businesses, it should come as no surprise that the U.S. and France had the strongest shares of synchronization in their total publishing revenue pie. The U.S. came in with 23.5% synchronization revenue and France had 18.6%.
Brazil (18.3%), Italy (17.9%), the U.K. (17.7%), Hong Kong (17.3%) and Australia (16.2%) also have strong revenues from synchronization uses. In general, countries that speak English, apart from South Africa, tended to report strong synch revenue shares, possibly due to the ubiquity of globally-distributed originally-English-language TV and film programming.
Countries like South Africa (9.7%), Mexico (9.5%), the Netherlands (9.2%) and Germany (8.8%) had much weaker synch markets, each owing just single-digit shares of their revenue in 2024 to synchs.
The Importance of CMOs Differs Across the World
For every country included in the report, more than half of their revenue was not directly sent to music publishers but through an intermediary CMO. Still, ICMP found that this percentage differed substantially from market to market.
Japan takes in the vast majority of its publishing revenue (84%) through intermediary CMOs — as do countries like South Korea (82.8%) and Brazil (77.2%).
The U.S. music publishers collect the most direct money of all the countries included in the report, with 40.9% going directly to publishers and the remaining 59.1% going through a CMO (like ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, GMR or the MLC). This lower number passing through CMOs might account for CMO regulations unique to the U.S. market. For example, ASCAP and BMI, which collect U.S. performance monies, have not been allowed to collect royalties from movie theaters when songs are played publicly (the “cinema royalty”), even though most other countries do.
To read through the full report, visit ICMP’s website.
In a perfect world, major career honors would be nicely spaced out. But sometimes, they bunch up. Case in point: On June 10, just two days before he receives the Johnny Mercer Award at the annual Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) gala, legendary Broadway composer Stephen Schwartz will receive the ASCAP Foundation Champion Award, recognizing his humanitarian efforts and contributions.
There will also be a second honoree at the ASCAP Foundation event: artist and music education advocate Chandrika Tandon, who won her first Grammy in February for best new age, ambient, or chant album for Triveni.
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While the close proximity of the two events may be less than ideal, the ASCAP Foundation event appears to be a very different kind of evening — namely, smaller and more intimate. Where the SHOF dinner and gala will be held at the Marriott Marquis Hotel, the ASCAP Foundation “cocktail celebration” will take place at the New York home of Tony-winning composer Adam Guettel (Floyd Collins, The Light in the Piazza, To Kill a Mockingbird, Days of Wine and Roses).
Composers and lyricists (and EGOT recipients) Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (Dear Evan Hansen, La La Land) will perform a tribute to Schwartz. Composer, pianist and singer-songwriter Emily Bear (Moana 2, The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical) will perform and talk about her creative journey and The ASCAP Foundation.
The ASCAP Foundation Champion Award recognizes ASCAP members who have made a significant impact through social action and humanitarian efforts. Previous recipients include Billy Joel, Natalie Merchant, Judy Collins, Arlo Guthrie and Ne-Yo.
Founded in 1975, The ASCAP Foundation has supported American music creators through music education, talent development and humanitarian programs for five decades.
ASCAP Foundation president Paul Williams said in a statement, “As we celebrate 50 years of The ASCAP Foundation’s work empowering music creators and uplifting communities, it is an honor to recognize Stephen and Chandrika — two extraordinary individuals whose artistry and humanitarianism have inspired countless creatives. Their passion reflects the very spirit of our mission, and we are proud to honor them as Champions.”
Williams is on the board of directors of the SHOF and is a past recipient of the Johnny Mercer Award. (The ASCAP Foundation news announcement doesn’t mention Schwartz’s SHOF honor.)
These aren’t Schwartz’s only awards this year. In February, he received the Icon Award at the 15th Guild of Music Supervisors Awards in Los Angeles, where he was honored alongside veteran music supervisor Bonnie Greenberg.
Tickets to the ASCAP Foundation’s 50th Anniversary Gala run $2,000 and can be purchased here.
This week’s roundup of Publishing Briefs includes a rebrand for Sheer Publishing Africa, a pair of big deals for Warner Chappell Music and a renewal of Sony Music Publishing Nashville’s pact with Kane Brown’s creative company.
Warner Chappell Music signed a global administration and sub-publishing deal with veteran French DJ and producer Bob Sinclar, covering over 350 works from his catalog, including iconic tracks like “World Hold On,” “Love Generation,” and “The Beat Goes On.” The agreement also includes music from the influential Africanism label. Known for pioneering the French House (or French Touch) movement since 1998, Sinclar has built a successful mainstream and underground career through his label Yellow Productions, and over the years has collaborated with global stars such as Kylie Minogue, Sean Paul and Robbie Williams, and remixed tracks by Madonna, Rihanna, and Moby. “Bob Sinclar is a fervent representative of the French Touch, a true tastemaker who has always made a point of crossing borders,” said Valentin Zucca, senior A&R at WCM France. “His music, and what he did for the dance culture, had a major influence on a whole generation of listeners and artists.”
WCM also extended its joint venture with Lilly Raye Music, the publishing and management company led by Edward Matthew and Justin Martinez. Since its 2020 launch and 2023 expansion, the partnership has driven international collaborations across Asia, Europe and the United States. The venture is ramping up efforts in Germany and the Netherlands, particularly in dance and electronic music, while strengthening A&R in the UK. Achievements include Grammy recognition for work on albums by Summer Walker and Janelle Monáe, ten No. 1 hits in Sweden, and syncs with Apple and Acne Studios. They’ve also contributed to K-pop hits for LESSERAFIM and IVE, and support rising stars like Ayra Starr and RAYE. “We’ve built a really solid relationship with Edward and Justin over the past few years,” mentioned Guy Moot, co-chair and CEO of WCM. “They have an infectious enthusiasm for forging cultural connections between writers and producers from different parts of the world. The amazing results speak for themselves.”
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Sheer Publishing Africa officially rebranded as Downtown Music Publishing Africa (DMP Africa), marking a major milestone in its nearly 30-year history as a leading inie music publisher on the continent. Effective May 27, the rebrand aligns the company with Downtown Music Publishing’s global infrastructure, offering African creators enhanced access to royalty administration, tech and global services across 145 countries. DMP Africa will also introduce Neighbouring Rights Administration and Downtown’s royalty system to improve transparency and earnings access. With partnerships including Warner Chappell, Concord, and Saregama, DMP Africa is positioning itself as a global rights management leader. “This is a transformational moment,” said Managing Director Thando Makhunga. Downtown executives Emily Stephenson and Pieter van Rijn emphasized the strategic importance of Africa as a dynamic creative hub, with the latter calling it “a region rich in creativity, culture and talent.” Stephenson added that “through DMP Africa, we are investing not just in infrastructure, but in long-term relationships that will shape the future of the music industry.”
Sony Music Publishing Nashville renewed its partnership with Verse 2 Music, the joint venture founded in 2021 by Kane Brown and Kent Earls. V2 has quickly become a rising force in country music, representing top songwriters like Josh Hoge, Rivers Rutherford, and Dylan Schneider. Over four years, the venture has delivered more than 200 major label releases, 11 country airplay singles, and four No. 1 hits — including the award-winning “Thank God” by Kane and Katelyn Brown. Brown and Earls said they were “excited” and “thrilled” to renew the deal. SMPN chief Rusty Gaston added, “Kent and Kane are a creative and business dynamic duo. Just within a few years, they’ve gone from zero songs to celebrating four No. 1 singles, with multiple singles on the chart currently. Their success is just getting started, and we are so excited to continue this journey with them.”
PUB BRIEFS BRIEFS: Nick Autry inked a global publishing deal with Spirit Music Nashville. A former touring drummer, he’s now a Grammy-nominated engineer and producer who has worked with Carrie Underwood and Sam Hunt, and co-produced a chart-topping comedy album for Bobby Bones and The Raging Idiots … Sheltered Music formed a creative partnership with Crystal Pony Publishing and songwriter Roger Springer (“It’s a Little Too Late”). Their first signee is artist-writer Will Banister … Big Machine Music signed South African artist-writer Will Linley to an exclusive co-publishing deal. Known for viral hit “Last Call,” Linley’s catalog includes “Miss Me (When You’re Gone)” and EPs Kill All My Feelings and Magic. His new single “Cinematic” dropped May 16, launching a European pop-up tour.
Sony Music Publishing signed electronic artist and remixer Purple Disco Machine (Tino Piontek) to an exclusive worldwide songwriting deal. This joint venture between SMP’s German and UK offices aims to expand PDM’s international creative reach. Since his 2012 breakthrough “My House,” Purple Disco Machine has earned 37 platinum and 14 gold certifications, with over 1.5 billion streams. His hits “Hypnotized” and “In The Dark” with Sophie and the Giants, from the Exotica album, have surpassed a billion streams. His latest album Paradise features the hit “Substitution” with Kungs and Julian Perretta, and the 2024 chart-topper “Honey Boy” with Nile Rodgers, Benjamin Ingrosso and Shenseea. He’s also known for crafting remixes for The Rolling Stones, Dua Lipa, Lady Gaga and Lizzo. “I began working with Tino a decade ago, just after his ‘Street Life’ releases, when he was flipping samples, making club bangers and experimenting with his sound,” said SMPUK director of A&R Adrienne Bookbinder. “It’s been a pleasure witnessing Tino’s defining moments to-date, and it’s an honor to continue the story together alongside his manager Matt Jagger as we welcome him to SMP.”
Former Mojo Music executive Alan Wallis has launched Dynamite Songs, a new publishing venture that boasts rights to songs performed by Ed Sheeran, Kendrick Lamar and Papa Roach, it was announced on Wednesday (May 28).
Described as a “specialist music publisher,” Dynamite Songs has acquired around 50 catalogs to date, including those of Ed Sheeran and Paolo Nutini songwriter Chris Leonard; Sly Jordan, whose songs have been performed by Lamar and Sean Kingston; Jim Sullivan of the English electronic music duo The Wideboys; Dan + Shay songwriter Danny Orton; and Papa Roach’s Anthony Esperance and Bruce Elliott-Smith.
With backing from Crestline Investors Inc., a Fort Worth, Texas-based investment manager with $16 billion in alternative credit assets under management that previously invested in Mojo, Wallis says Dynamite will focus on rights to enduring catalogs that are considered “smaller sized deals.”
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“The smaller end of the music rights market has been under-appreciated for too long,” said Wallis, who previously led the music transactions practice valuing catalogs at Ernst & Young LLP and will serve as Dynamic Songs’ CEO.
“Our experience with Mojo Music has shown that there are brilliant songwriters and catalogues to be found — you just need to know where to look. With one of the best teams and networks in the business behind us, we’re strongly placed to navigate this market segment, allowing us to support songwriters and honour their works and legacies,” Wallis said in a statement.
Started in 2018 by Wallis and two former Spirit Music Group principals, Mark Fried and Peter Shane, Mojo Music & Media grew to include some 40 catalogs and 30,000 songs before it was acquired by Concord in 2023 for an undisclosed amount. Mojo’s portfolio included portions of songs recorded by REO Speedwagon, KISS, Cheap Trick, Duran Duran and Earth Wind & Fire.
Wallis’s team includes former Mojo Music & Media executives Sophie Brown, who will serve as CFO/COO; Lisa Macy, who will serve as head of sync; and Tom Donovan, Dynamite’s head of business development. Dynamite’s investment manager is Naomi Riley, whil Peter Thomas, previously MD of Carlin Music, serves as chief catalogue officer.
K Music has signed a worldwide admin deal with Kobalt, the company announced on Wednesday (May 28). The agreement was done via the indie label’s K Music Publishing; Kobalt will administer future output and select tracks in the company’s repertoire.
The strategic partnership with Kobalt aims to provide K Music Publishing with the global reach and resources to “further elevate its artists, expand their presence worldwide, and drive continued success in the evolving music industry,” according to a press release. Founded in 2019 by Alfredo Becerra, Leonardo Soto and Carlos Santos, K Music is home to música mexicana star Luis R Conriquez.
“Freddy, Leo, and their team have built in K Music a modern music company infused with a passionate entrepreneurial spirit embodied by the music of its artists,” Nestor Casonu, president of Latin America for Kobalt, said in a statement. “We are thrilled to welcome K Music Publishing into the Kobalt global family.”
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“We are excited to join the Kobalt Family,” added Alfredo Becerra, CEO of K Music. “This partnership is a significant milestone for K Music and K Music Publishing. We look forward to the incredible possibilities that lie ahead. This deal is not just about securing the intellectual property of our songwriters but about offering new pathways to the talented creators we represent, helping them break through new markets, and achieving even greater success.”
The deal includes Conriquez’s runway hit “Si No Quieres No” with Netón Vega, which scored the Sonora-born singer-songwriter his first Hot 100 entry. K Music — previously Kartel Music — also includes acts such as Joel De La P, Tony Aguirre, Dinamicos Jrs, Novillos De La Sierra and Said Norzagaray on its roster.
“Kobalt partners with companies that are reshaping the future of music,” said Tere Romo, Kobalt’s senior creative director for Latin America. “K Music has consistently demonstrated its ability to discover and develop groundbreaking talent in the música mexicana community. This partnership marks an exciting new phase for both of our companies and we’re thrilled to support K Music Publishing as they continue to push the boundaries of the genre and bring their incredible artists to a global audience.”
K Music Publishing was represented in the deal by Christopher Navarro, partner at Singh, Singh & Trauben LLP.
Roger Nichols, best-known for co-writing such Carpenters hits as “We’ve Only Just Begun,” “Rainy Days and Mondays” and “I Won’t Last a Day Without You” with lyricist Paul Williams, died on May 17. He was 84.
Williams confirmed Nichols’ death in an extended, and deeply affectionate, post on Instagram. Williams didn’t list a cause of death, though he reported the basic circumstances of the death. “Roger Nichols passed away peacefully four days ago, at home with his beautiful family …his wife Terry and the daughters he was so proud of, Claire and Caitlin at his side.” (See full text of Williams Instagram post below.)
Nichols signed as an artist to A&M Records in 1968, a year before Karen and Richard Carpenter were signed to the Los Angeles-based label. His debut album Roger Nichols and the Small Circle of Friends was produced by Tommy LiPuma, engineered by Bruce Botnick, and featured session contributions from Van Dyke Parks, Randy Newman and Lenny Waronker. Although the album failed to crack the Billboard 200, A&M co-founder Herb Alpert thought there was something there and recommended that Nichols be hired by A&M’s publishing company as a staff songwriter. It was during this period that he was introduced to Williams.
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That was a characteristically astute call on Alpert’s part. Williams and Nichols were one of the hottest pop songwriting teams of the early 1970s.
Williams and Nichols took off as songwriters in the fall of 1970, when they had two songs in the top 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time. On the charts dated Oct. 17 and 24, Carpenters’ version of “We’ve Only Just Begun,” a ballad which had originated as “soft-sell” commercial for Crocker-Citizens National Bank, was in the top five (on its way to a No. 2 peak). Three Dog Night’s “Out in the Country” was holding at its No. 15 peak.
The Carpenters smash, an instant standard, was lushly romantic. The Three Dog Night hit was a fresh-sounding mix of pop, rock and folk. Having two simultaneous hits by two different acts in two different styles caught the industry’s attention. “We’ve Only Just Begun” went on to receive two Grammy nominations – for song of the year and best contemporary song — at the first live Grammy telecast in March 1971. (It lost both awards to Paul Simon’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”)
Williams and Nichols continued writing songs for the Carpenters, including “Rainy Days and Mondays,” a superb and remarkably adult ballad which reached No. 2 (it took Carole King’s letter-perfect “It’s Too Late” to keep it out of the top spot), “Let Me Be the One” (another first-rate ballad that the duo never got around to releasing as a single), and “I Won’t Last a Day Without You,” a 1972 album track that was finally released as a single in 1974, when it climbed to No. 11.
Barbra Streisand covered “I Won’t Last a Day Without You” on her ButterFly album later in 1974. On her following album, Lazy Afternoon, she recorded another Williams-Nichols song, “I Never Had It So Good.” Both of those albums went gold.
Art Garfunkel recorded a tender Williams-Nichols song, “Traveling Boy,” for his first solo album, 1973’s Angel Clare, which made the top 10 on the Billboard 200. The song was released as the third single from the album, and bubbled under the Hot 100.
Nichols also had some successes with other collaborators. He teamed with William Lane to write “Times of Your Life,” which Paul Anka recorded in 1975. Like “We’ve Only Just Begun,” this song was also adapted from a popular TV commercial – for Kodak. Anka’s recording reached No 7 on the Hot 100 in February 1976.
Nichols retired soon afterwards, but his songs live on. R.E.M. covered “Out in the Country” as a B-side for their 2003 single “Bad Day.” Rumer covered “Traveling Boy” on her 2012 album Boys Don’t Cry.
Nichols was honored during Florida Chapter Presents The Recording Academy Honors 2006 at Loews Miami Beach Hotel in Miami.
He was nominated for the Songwriters Hall of Fame on Nov. 12, for the class that will be inducted on June 12. He wasn’t elected (the competition is fierce every year), but the ballot listed the five songs that are probably his most famous and enduring: “We’ve Only Just Begun,” “Rainy Days and Mondays,” “I Won’t Last a Day Without You,” “Out in the Country,” “Times of Your Life”
In a comment on Williams’ Instagram post, Nichols’ daughter Claire wrote, “My mom, Terri, and my sisters, Caroline and Caitlin, are all so proud of the man he was, and are in awe of the legacy he leaves.”
Here’s the full text of Williams’ Instagram post announcing Nichols’ death.
“The first song, Roger Nichols and I wrote was called “it’s hard to say goodbye. “… Sadly, we hit the nail on the head. Roger Nichols passed away peacefully four days ago, at home with his beautiful family …his wife Terry and the daughters he was so proud of, Claire and Caitlin at his side. They were his dream come true. His greatest joy“Roger was my writing partner and my music school… a collaboratorfor years and a friend for life. I was an out of work actor looking for a career in music when I was signed by A&M records publishing. They were looking for a lyricist for Roger Nichols. An industrial strength, lucky break that changed my life.“We wrote almost every day for several years. He was as disciplined as he was talented. I had the attention span of a sea otter… I was ready for a break after three hours and Roger would plunge ahead for another four or five. The words were born of the beauty in his completed melodies.I wrote what I heard, note for note…word for word. The lyrics waiting in the emotion already in his music. He made it easy.“After many wonderful productive years, I wanted us to write songs for movies. He had another dream. He said I wanna go fishing … wanna go back to Montana. He smiled and said something about having a family and maybe making a home by a nice little river… it was clear that he was already gone. A few years ago, I visited him and met Terry and the girls at the house by the river …and I knew he found his dream.“One last story. Roger was really excited when his daughter Caitlin was getting married last September. He chuckled and asked, “can you picture me wheeling down the aisle in my wheelchair, holding my daughter’s hand?”“Of course, I said yes then …. and right now Roger, I can picture thousands of proud dads and their beautiful daughters that walked down the aisle to your gorgeous music or danced their father and daughter dance to We’ve only just begun… picture them standing and applauding what you brought to their lives and to mine. You brought love and beauty into this world, and we will never forget you.In gratitude with much love… Paul”
Anti Social Camp, an annual songwriting camp and music festival, is returning for its fifth year. Taking place from June 9-13 in venues across New York City, the camp will feature Cigarettes After Sex, Beach Bunny, Bryce Vine, Walk the Moon, Taja Kumari, Evan Giia, Louis Cato from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and 250 more creatives.
Over the last five years, Anti Social Camp has cemented itself as a mainstay during New York Music Month, connecting artists, songwriters and producer from across the globe. Part of its mission is to revitalize New York’s place in the music industry and to connect artists at a time where “we’re increasingly isolated,” says founder Danny Ross. To do that, Anti Social Camp will feature 200 recording sessions across 40 studios. Additionally, the event boasts 10 public events at venues across the city.
Unlike most other songwriting camps, which are private and exclusive, Anti Social Camp invites hundreds of creatives into the fold, and it pairs these writing sessions with public-facing music events so that everyone can get in on the fun. Events include the Spotify Industry Showcase, the YouTube Writers Round, An Evening With Republic Records, Recording Academy Anti Social Gala and more.
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This year, Cigarettes After Sex will receive the Anti Social ICON Award at the iHeartRadio Anti Social Music Conference on Monday, June 9 at The New School’s Tishman Auditorium. Additionally, Anti Social will feature a conversation with hitmaker Scott Harris, best known for his work with Shawn Mendes, The Chainsmokers and Justin Bieber.
“At a time when we’re increasingly isolated, the need for building community among creatives — in the same place at the same time — is more important than ever. Not just for artists, but for every person who listens to music,” says Ross. “We are artists, songwriters and producers ourselves, so we created the kind of global festival we would want to attend. Beyond recording hundreds of new songs, Anti Social Camp is a forum to interact with every sector of the music industry and shape the future we want to see.”
Anti Social Camp 2025 presenting partners include TIDAL, TikTok and Jack Daniel’s; principal partners include Udio, SESAC, Soundstripe, The New York City Mayor’s Office of Media + Entertainment, The Orchard, Sony Audio, AutoTune, DistroKid, The MLC, Spotify, YouTube Songwriters, Output, EMPIRE, BMI, Cloud Microphones, Songtrust, Kosign, Amazon Music, ASCAP, Topo Chico, Brewery Ommegang, iHeartRadio, Recording Academy New York Chapter, Groover, Jammaround and Muse.
Venue partners include Republic Records, Music Hall of Williamsburg, Xanadu, BerkleeNYC Power Station,The School of Jazz & Contemporary Music at The New School, Flux Studios, Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema at Brooklyn College, 99 Scott and The Ace Hotel.
Studio partners include Republic Studios, The Cutting Room Studios, Warner Chappell, YouTooCanWoo, Second Take Sound, 343 Labs,Platinum Sound Studios, Ultra Publishing Studios, Amazon Music Studios, The Penthouse, Dimension 70, Flux Studios NYC, Nowhere Studios, Cloud Union Studio, Synthia Studios, Analogue Muse, Biscuit Head Collective, Fraser Sound Studios, Subdecibel Sound, Tightrope Recording, Antenna Studios, The Sweet Spot and ANTVGONIST Studios.
This year, Kacey Musgraves will be honored with the Songwriter Icon award at the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) annual meeting. The NMPA will also honor longtime Nashville hitmaker Rhett Akins as its Non-Performing Songwriter Icon Award recipient this year for his three decades of contributions to country music, including songs performed by Brooks & Dunn, Blake Shelton, Thomas Rhett, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan and more. The meeting will also feature a keynote conversation with Apple Music head Oliver Schusser.
The NMPA annual meeting, which will take place at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall on June 11 in New York, is known in the business as a state of the union for the music publishing sector each year and a gathering place for its top executives to mingle. Along with honoring some of the top songwriters in the industry, NMPA president/CEO David Israelite also gives a speech at each meeting, detailing how the publishing business is doing.
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Israelite has also been known to drop groundbreaking news every year in this speech. Last year, he targeted Spotify for cutting payments to songwriters and publishers by about 40% and announced his plan to send sending an official complaint to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) as well as letters to the attorneys general of nine states and a list of consumer groups — urging them to stop Spotify’s efforts to bundle music and audiobooks into its premium tiers. That built on top of previous news that the NMPA had sent a cease and desist notice to Spotify for alleged unlicensed lyrics, video and podcast content on the platform, and thatthe Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) had sued Spotify. (In January, the MLC’s case was dismissed by a judge who said Spotify’s move to cut payments was supported by “unambiguous” regulations. The MLC said it plans to keep fighting.)
Other previous bombshell announcements have included major copyright infringement lawsuits against Roblox, Twitter and more, and legal action against 100 different apps for allegedly skimming music from digital services without a license.
This year’s annual meeting will include a special segment dedicated to the Billboard Songwriter Awards, which were scheduled to take place during Grammy week but were postponed due to the Los Angeles wildfires. The award recipients will be announced at the event.
“We are thrilled to honor Kacey Musgraves whose music has always been driven by lyric and melody,” says Israelite. “A consummate songwriter, she is a successful solo hitmaker and renowned collaborator. Additionally, we look forward to celebrating the career of Rhett Akins whose songwriting has been central to the growth of country music.
“We are particularly excited to feature the Billboard Songwriter Awards after our GRAMMY Week event was postponed. The honorees are incredibly deserving, and it will be a phenomenal special segment of the program.
“Finally, Oliver Schusser has been an innovator throughout his career and we are eager to get his perspective on the myriad of opportunities and challenges for digital services in the streaming economy.”