Publishing Briefs
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Sony Music Publishing U.K. has signed folk singer-songwriter Myles Smith to an exclusive publishing deal on the heels of his breakthrough hit “Stargazing.” Even before “Stargazing” shot Smith to stardom, he was quickly amassing a fan base with other streaming successes like “Solo” and “My Home.” Iconoclast has acquired the publishing catalog, sound records and […]
Livelihood Music Company has brought on three-time Grammy-nominated hitmaker Ali Tamposi as a principal. In this role, she will join fellow songwriters JKash and Michael Pollack at the helm of the new independent music publisher. Tamposi has penned some of the biggest pop hits of the 21st century, including “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” by Kelly Clarkson, “Havana” by Camila Cabello, “Senorita” by Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello, “Let Me Love You” by Justin Bieber and DJ Snake, “It Ain’t Me” by Selena Gomez and Kygo, “Youngblood” by 5 Seconds of Summer and “Break My Heart” by Dua Lipa. “I’m thrilled to be joining Livelihood Music Company, and expanding my sphere into the role of publisher,” says Tamposi. “Stepping into this new role creates a perfect blend of my two greatest passions – songwriting and motherhood – both requiring continuous nurturing and selfless devotion.”
Iconoclast, an artist and brand development company founded by Olivier Chastan, has acquired the catalog of rapper, singer and actress Eve. This includes her shares of hit singles like “Gangsta Lovin’,” “Love Is Blind” and “Who’s That Girl” among others. More recently, her work inspired a new generation of talent when she was sampled in Central Cee’s 2022 track “Doja.” Henry Root of Smith Entertainment Law represented Iconoclast, with Michael Poster of Michaelman & Robinson, LLP serving as advisor. Wayne Russell and Pippa Wealthall of Massive Management represented Eve in the transaction. Talya Shalsom and Tim Smith of Statham Gill Davies Law, with Benjamin Vermeil of Jab Music also facilitated the deal.
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Prescription Songs has signed Grammy-winning producer/writer Tobias Wincorn to a global publishing deal. Among Wincorn’s many credits are works released by Fred again.., Missy Elliott, Lizzo, Swedish House Mafia, Fridayy, Jack Harlow, Shenseea, Megan Thee Stallion, and more. Most frequently, he works with Fred again.., Timbaland and Murda Beatz. In addition to his work in the studio, he has also previously worked as an a&r consultant for Crush Music, Seeker Music, and Hipgnosis Songs Group.
Killphonic Rights, an LA-based rights management company, has partnered with Stilwell Creative Capital. Stilwell is investing $3 million of working capital for a proportional stake of equity in Killphonic. The money will be put towards expanding services for the company’s growing roster of artists, writers, labels and publishers.
Warner Chappell Music UK has signed Will Manning to a global publishing deal. An award-winning broadcaster, producer and songwriter, Manning was a DJ for stations like KISS FM, BBC 1xtra, The Hits, Capital FM before signing a record deal with RCA last year. Now, he releases his own music and writes with others. This includes his work on the dance banger “Kisses” by BI3ss.
Low Profile, a music licensing company established by Jen Pearce in 2017, has launched a music publishing division. Its first signees are Thandii, Steady Holiday, Lani Rose, Petite Noir, Kassa Overall and Camp Saint Helene. As the company’s press release states, this new division is “dedicated to providing songwriters with transparent, fair deals and essential resources to help them navigate the intricacies of music publishing.” Among its services, Low Profile offers its clients access to its proprietary Advance Calculator tool to demystify how publishing deals are put together.
AllTrack, the latest U.S. performing rights organization (PRO), has launched a suite of APIs now-available to platforms like streaming services, UGC platforms, distributor and publishing administrators. The APIs will include a direct single-click PRO registration capability for unaffiliated creators from within a platforms, authentification of songwriters profiles and account details, access to detailed song-level metadata, the ability to display songwriter credits to end users and immediate clearance of performing rights.
Warner Chappell Music has signed a global publishing agreement with hitmaking songwriter John Ryan. With six writing and production credits on Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet and cuts with Thomas Rhett, Teddy Swims, Harry Styles, Benson Boone, Maren Morris, Maroon 5, Niall Horan and more, WCM president of North America, Ryan Press, calls Ryan “a pop powerhouse.”
Primary Wave has partnered with the estate of Ric Ocasek on the late Cars songwriter’s publishing catalog as well as his name, image and likeness rights. The terms of the deal will see the publishing company work with all the songs from his time with the “Magic” band and his songs as a solo artist.
Audius, a decentralized music streaming service and community platform, has signed a global licensing agreement with Kobalt. The deal provides a new revenue stream for Kobalt’s roster of songwriters, and it creates a pathway for the music fans who use Audius to support their favorite artists with direct U.S. dollar payments. This is the latest in a string of deals Audius has made this year with the music business establishment to ensure proper licenses are in place and that musicians can get paid from the platform. This includes new agreements with ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and GMR.
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UMPG UK has signed producer and writer James Ford to a global publishing administration deal. Though he is best known as a creative collaborator of top acts like Arctic Monkeys, Depeche Mode via Foals, Florence and The Machine, Haim, Gorillaz and Jessie Ware, Ford also recently launched his own solo project with the 2023 album The Hum.
Savan Kotecha, renowned for his work with The Weeknd, Ariana Grande and One Direction, has joined forces with major Indian talent management company REPRESENT to launch Outwrite, India’s first incubator for songwriters. With Outwrite, Kotecha hopes to start a global hub for songwriters, producers, musicians, and engineers, offering end-to-end solutions for everything related to music creation and supervision, and to bring more Indian musical talent into the top writing rooms.
Big Yellow Dog Music has signed Trent Tomlinson to a global music publishing deal. Tomlinson is best known for penning hits like “Damn Strait” by Scotty McCreery and “In Case You Didn’t Know” by Brett Young as well as other artists like Lainey Wilson, George Strait, Chris Young, and Sara Evans.
Sony Music Publishing has signed an exclusive worldwide co-publishing agreement with hit songwriter and producer Jeremy Stover, covering his future works. As part of the deal, Sony has also acquired several of Stover’s songs, including hits by Tim McGraw and Justin Moore, underscoring its ongoing creative partnership with RED Creative Group. Stover, known for his current singles like Justin Moore’s “This Is My Dirt” and Ashley McBryde’s “The Devil I Know,” continues to work with major artists such as Luke Combs, Priscilla Block, and Travis Denning.
Position Music has signed Erik Ron to a worldwide publishing deal. A go-to collaborator in the rock and alternative space, Ron has worked with the likes of jxdn, Bad Omens, Huddy, Ellise, Charlotte Sands, Maggie Lindemann, Loveless, Jack Harris, MOD SUN, Emei, Sueco, Neoni, grandson, nothing,nowhere., Papa Roach and more.
Position Music has signed Fabio Aguilar to a global publishing deal in collaboration with Grammy-winning producer Keanu Beats. The news arrives on the heels of Auilar’s BMI Hip Hop Award win for co-producing “HOTEL LOBBY (Unc & Phew)” by Quavo and Takeoff. Just 22, Aguilar is a producer, loop specialist, beatmaker, and instrumentalist, he is also known for working with the likes of Lil Baby, Jack Harlow, NLE Choppa, Roddy Ricch, Denzel Curry and Logic.
Downtown Music Publishing (DMP) today announces a global music publishing deal with PDU, the record label and publishing company from iconic Italian singer Mina. Under this new agreement, DMP will provide global publishing administration and sync services for Mina’s prestigious catalog.
Campbell Connelly, part of Wise Music Group, has signed an exclusive songwriter agreement with Josephine Stephenson. The deal further cements Stephenson’s relationship with Wise Music Group. (Her concert repertoire is published by Leduc through Wise’s offices in Paris.) A composer, arranger, and performer, Stephenson has worked as an arranger or performer with Damon Albarn, Radiohead, Arctic Monkeys and Daughter.
ESMAA, an Abu Dhabi-based rights management entity representing global music stakeholders in the Gulf and Middle East, and Anghami, a top music streaming platform in the Middle East and North Africa region, have agreed on a new music licensing agreement on behalf of independent music publishers. The deal marks the resolution of a legal dispute between ESMAA (representing PopArabia and Reservoir) and Anghami.
Maison Arts has re-signed Suki Waterhouse to a global publishing deal, further building upon her longstanding partnership with the Los Angeles-based boutique publisher, which has supported her since the start of her career. Under the new deal, Waterhouse’s upcoming album, Memoir of a Sparklemuffin, will be included and is set to release on Sept. 13 via Sub Pop Records.
The Other Songs has formed a new partnership with Universal Music Publishing Group and has signed “Easily” and “Nothing” singer/songwriter Bruno Major to a worldwide publishing deal. As part of their expansion, the UK-based independent publisher, founded by brothers Alastair and Billy Webber, has also brought on Jacque O’Leary as its new general manager.
Primary Wave Music has acquired the publishing, artist royalties and neighboring rights for the composer, flugelhorn and trumpet player Chuck Mangione. This encompasses his entire catalog, including jazz hits like “Feels So Good,” “Bellavia,” “Land of Make Believe,” “Give It All You Got, But Slowly,” “Children of Sanchez,” “Once Upon A Love Time,” “Chase The Clouds Away.”
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Kobalt has signed songwriter/producer Max Wolfgang to a global publishing administration deal. Though he is perhaps best known for his production work with BLACKPINK, BTS, Ed Sheeran and Olivia Dean, Wolfgang first gained attention as the frontman of British alt-rock band Wolf Gang.
Platinum Grammar Publishing and LISTEN TO THE KIDS PUBLISHING have signed Adam Wendler to a global publishing agreement. A co-writer for Dasha’s viral hit “Austin,” this is Wendler’s first-ever publishing deal.
Prescription Songs, in partnership with Disruptive Label publishing, is excited to announce the recent signing of JAYA. A rising Nigerian artist, songwriter and producer, JAYA has an upcoming placement on DaBaby’s next album and is currently working on records for Oxlade, RunTown, Lion King 2, and a number of Nigerian acts as well.
Song Sleuth has partnered with Regalías Digitales, the leading royalty collection agency in the Latin music industry and beyond, to identify undetected user-generated live music content and maximize collections for their rightsholders. Song Sleuth has also entered into a 12 month commercial trial with ICE, to ensure that ICE Core Society & Publisher Partners are properly collecting on UGC uses of their catalogs.
Position Music has signed Abe Parker to a worldwide publishing deal. An artist, producer and multi-instrumentalist, the rising star has experienced viral success with singles “Butterflies,” “Empty House,” and “Stupid Face.”
Warner Chappell Music and Songs & Daughters have signed singer-songwriter Emmi Elliott. A country and Christian songwriter, president and founder of Songs & Daughters, Nicolle Galyon, says “she’s a brilliant creative.”
Liz Phair has signed a global publishing administration deal with Warner Chappell Music. The agreement encompasses her full catalog, including hits like “Why Can’t I?,” “Supernova” and “Never Said.” Phair said of the deal: “My songs represent my life’s work, and I am excited to take a fresh look at my catalog with the support of such a unique and maverick team at Warner Chappell, co-headed by the charismatic Carianne Marshall.”
Jonas Group Publishing has signed two-time SESAC songwriter of the year Justin Ebach, a writer behind hits like Luke Bryan’s “Down To One”; Jordan Davis’s multi-platinum “Singles You Up”; “Sleep Without You” and “Here Tonight” by Brett Young; and Jon Pardi’s “Your Heart or Mine.” Ebach said in a statement, “I look forward to celebrating a lot of success together.”
Iconoclast has struck a strategic partnership with Ujama Designs to acquire the intellectual property rights of Half Pint, a legend in reggae. Born Lindon Andrew Roberts, Half Pint is best known for songs like “Greetings,” “Mr. Landlord” and “Winsome,” which was covered by The Rolling Stones, and “Loving,” which was sampled in Sublime’s massive hit “What I Got.” Joe Serling and Greg Brooks from Serling Rooks Hunter McKoy Worob & Averill represented Iconoclast, while Peter Csathy of Creative Media and David Baram of Baram & Kaiser represented Half Pint.
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Concord Music Publishing has signed Grammy-winning songwriter/producer Sammy SoSo. The deal includes his back catalog, including “Water” by Tyla, and his future works.
Reach Music Publishing has acquired select publishing assets and songwriter shares from multi-platinum writer Wyatt Durrette, including his shares in songs like “Chicken Fried,” “Toes,” and “Whatever It Is” by Zac Brown Band and “Beautiful Crazy” by Luke Combs. Wyatt’s longtime publisher, Blackstone Entertainment, will remain his publisher and will co-administer these works together with Reach.
Big Machine Music has signed singer/songwriter Lanie Gardner to her first-ever global publishing deal. The news of the deal comes just after Gardner was featured on the star-studded Twisters: The Album soundtrack with her song “Chasing the Wind.”
Avex USA has signed LA-based Nigerian producer Tyson “Zone” Kong. Though he is just 23 years old, he has already worked with the likes of Jason Derulo, Sexxy Redd, Ludmilla, Lay Bankz and more.
Prescription Songs, in partnership with Hazheart Music, has added producer, songwriter and artist atlgrandma to its roster. Though he is perhaps best known for his work as a writer and producer for Willow, SNOW WIFE, Dorian Electra, The Hellp, D4ine, Izzy Spears, ericdoa, lil aaron, Y2K and Frost Children, atlgrandma also releases his own music, including his latest track “Nightmare Blunt Rotation.”
Primary Wave Music has acquired the catalog of Toto keyboardist, songwriter and composer Steve Porcaro. The multi-million dollar deal includes the ownership of Porcaro’s publishing catalog, artist royalties and neighboring rights, including some of his hits with Toto and all of his film/TV compositions, including his score for the FX show Justified.
Warner Chappell Music has signed Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and producer Cris Chil. One of the top songwriters in the Latin music market, Chil contributed to hits like “Telepatía” by Kali Uchis; “Contra La Pared” by J Balvin and Sean Paul; “Lento by Lauren Jauregui and Tainy; “Fuego” by DJ Snake, Anitta and Sean Paul; and “I Can’t Get Enough” by Selena Gomez, Benny Blanco and J Balvin.
NEON16 and UNRESTRICTED have jointly signed Mexican-American producer Frank Rio to a publishing deal. Known best as a producer for Ivan Cornejo, Becky G, A.Chal and Peso Pluma, Rio now hopes to expand his credits beyond the Latin charts.
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BMG Nashville has signed an administration deal with the publishing company Triple Play Music. Owned by Jason Aldean and his bandmates Kurt Allison and Tully Kennedy, the Triple Play roster includes John Edwards, John Morgan and Neil Thrasher.
Tim & Danny Music and Warner Chappell Music UK have signed an exclusive publishing agreement with Elmiene, a 22-year-old emerging British R&B/soul star. Along with his own artist project, Elmiene has also written with Stormzy, Timbaland and Justin Timberlake. Recently, he was named one of BBC Radio 1’s “Sound Of 2024” artists and was also nominated for the Rising Star Award at the 2024 Ivor Novello Awards.
Concord Music Publishing has signed Grammy-nominated and Juno award-winning artist Daymé Arocena to a worldwide publishing deal. The agreement also includes a selection of the neo-soul fusion singer’s back catalog.
Warner Chappell Music has signed a publishing deal with Schmitty, a rising singer-songwriter who combines the sounds of ’90s-era country hits with rock and roll influences.
Wise Music Group has signed a new publishing deal with English folk duo The Staves. Comprised of sisters Jessica and Camilla Staveley-Taylor, the duo’s new publishing agreement comes on the heels of its fourth studio LP All Now, released in March.
Universal Music Publishing Group‘s Classics and Screen division has signed Poor Things and Kinds of Kindness composer Jerskin Fendrix to an exclusive, global publishing agreement. A favorite of Yorgos Lanthimos, the director discovered Fendrix after the release of his debut album Winterrise and encouraged him to pursue film scoring. The acclaimed Lanthimos film Poor Things […]
Anthem Entertainment has launched a new joint venture with Jared Gutstadt, the founder/CEO of Audio Up. The JV’s first two signees include Randy Savvy of Compton Cowoys and alt/pop/folk singer Kayslee Don Collins. The new deal puts Gutstadt and Anthem back in business together for the first time since 2019, when Gutstadt left his post as CEO of Jingle Punks, an Anthem subsidiary which he also founded. Audio Up will now have the ability to develop some of the former publishing and intellectual property assets that Gutstadt created when he was with Jingle Punks, including the Bear and a Banjo scripted podcast series. Audio Up can also work with new and existing Anthem music catalogs which the goal of creating new IP lanes for Anthem’s frontline signees. Anthem and Audio Up will also now have access to each other’s premiere studio spaces in Toronto, Nashville and Los Angeles.
Heavy Duty Music has announced new publishing deals with acclaimed indie singer/songwriter Jessica Pratt, avant-pop talent Cecile Believe (SOPHIE, Caroline Polachek) and both a publishing and label deal with Berlin-born artist/producer RIP Swirl. Swirl also acts as Heavy Duty’s first signing through its new joint venture with Imran Ahmed‘s In Real Life, which is already home to talents like Erika de Casier and Peggy Gou.
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Position Music has signed a worldwide publishing deal with Maya Kurchner in collaboration with Chosen People. Kurchner signed with Chosen People back in 2020 and has since worked with acts like Chappell Roan, Bebe Rexha,Tiësto, Alesso, Bazzi, Tinashe and more.
Third Side Music has announced an exclusive creative publishing deal to administer the works of composer Galt MacDermot in the United States. This includes his Tony-winning compositions for Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical (HAIR), Two Gentlemen of Verona, the film Rhinoceros and more.
Liz Rose Music has announced the signing of Jenna Johnson to an exclusive publishing deal. A multi-faceted talent, Johnson is best known for working alongside artists of all genres, from Nate Smith, BigXThaPlug, David Guetta, Bebe Rexha, Ty Dolla $ign, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, The Band Camino to Jared Benjamin and more.
Reservoir has signed songwriter-producer Lewis Thompson to a worldwide publishing deal for all future works. As a songwriter, Thompson has tracks like “Bed” by Joel Corry, RAYE, and David Guetta, “Head & Heart” by Joel Corry feat. MNEK and “I Wrote A Song” by Mae Muller in his repertoire. He’s also an artist in his own right, releasing tracks with David Guetta, Becky Hill and Alle Farben, dating back to 2022.
Position Music has signed Khalid “Khal” Yassein to a global publishing deal. Yassein is best known as the lead singer of indie folk outfit Wild Rivers, but he has also collaborated with a slew of other artists to date, including Sasha Sloan, venbee, Oh Wonder, Morgan Evans, The Fray, Matt Hansen, Maddie Zahm.
Rafter 3 Music and Warner Chappell Music have signed a global publishing deal with singer-songwriter Austin Michael. Hailing from Van Alstyne, Texas, Michael got his first intro to the music business through season 17 of American Idol, back when he was just 15. Since then, he moved to Austin and dedicated himself full-time to his artistry. This is his first publishing deal.
Wise Music Group has signed Sofi Paez to an exclusive publishing agreement with Berlin-based Bosworth Music GmbH. A pianist and composer born in San José, Costa Rica, Paez is now based in Berlin and experiments with piano, voice and electronic elements. Since 2023, her EP Circles gained the critical acclaim of her peers, and it led to her being handpicked to perform at Olafur Arnald’s OPIA launch event.
Edition Wilhelm Hansen, part of Wise Music Group, has signed Teitur “Teitur” Lassen to a publishing deal. The agreement is a co-publishing deal, partnered with Arlo & Betty Music, a company operated by Lassen’s longtime manager Christian Ulf-Hansen. Since getting his start nearly two decades ago, Lassen has released a slew of records, spanning from Stay Under the Stars (2006) to Songs from a Social Distance (2023) with Aarhus Jazz Orchestra.
Primary Wave Music has forged a partnership with the alternative rock band Spin Doctors. The company will now collect the group’s publishing and artist royalties as well as administer their new album, coming later this year. As part of the partnership, Spin Doctors will also have access to Primary Wave’s marketing team and publishing infrastructure, including digital strategy, licensing, synch opportunities, and TV production. The NYC-based band shot out of a cannon in the early 1990s with their debut album, Pocket Full of Kryptonite, which yielded the hits “Two Princes” and “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong” and went on to be certified 5x platinum by the RIAA. A follow-up LP, Turn It Upside Down, also went platinum and the Chris Barron-led band has gone on to release four more studio albums, the latest being 2013’s If the River Was Whiskey.
Cutting Edge‘s White Stork Music division, the publishing company founded by UK composer Tom Howe, has entered a partnership with UK production company Touchdown Films. White Stork will now provide Touchdown with finance, world-class music services and access to White Stork’s catalog of music for current and future productions. White Stork retains IP rights to its original music composed for Touchdown’s slate of projects.
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OTM Music, a boutique publishing company, has signed Stones Throw’s violinist and singer Sudan Archives, Metronomy, Still Woozy, and HONNE to new publishing deals. The deals encompass each act’s back catalog and future works. Launched in 2017 by CEO Alex Sheridan, OTM Music has a curated roster that includes Dot Da Genius and Gianluca Buccellati. Within a year, the company courted investment by Sony Music Publishing. Later, after recouping SMP’s initial investment many times over, it partnered with Firebird Music Holdings with support from Raine Group.
Concord Music Publishing has signed electronic duo Mount Kimbie (Dom Maker, Kai Campos) to a global publishing deal. The deal covers all works made by the duo moving forward, including its new album The Sunset Violent which released earlier this year. Additionally, Maker and Campos have both signed individually to Concord for publishing.
BeatStars celebrates winning two BMI Pop Awards with producer Dan Darmawan for the 3x platinum “Romantic Homicide” and 2x platinum “Here With Me” by d4vd, both of which were licensed on its marketplace. The company has surpassed $325 million in payouts to its 10 million creators, highlighting its commitment to empowering artists globally.
Producer/writer Rogét Chahayed‘s TruSauce Publishing has signed artist Amindi to its expanding roster of songwriters. The Jamaican American artist calls her melodic rap and dancehall inspired style of songwriting “pastel rap.” She is perhaps best known for her feature on Isaiah Rashad’s The House Is Burning and for touring with the likes of Amaarae, Dreamer Isioma and Saba.
Warner Chappell has signed South Carolinian singer-songwriter Ricky Young to a global publishing deal. An up-and-coming country act, Young has already collaborated with Lee Brice (“I Carry It With Me”), Bubba Sparxx (“Baby Wussup”) and John Driskell Hopkins. He also toured with Luke Combs, Luke Bryan and Darius Rucker.
Concord Music Publishing ANZ has inked a new publishing agreement with Aussie songwriter John Butler. The deal includes representation for his whole catalog in all territories, apart from Japan. This includes back catalog hits like “Better Than,” “Zebra,” and “Ocean.”
The Songwriters of North America (SONA) Foundation has partnered with mental health provider Backline to launch a new therapy assistance project. Called TAP, the program will provide qualifying songwriters up to $1,500 in funding for therapy services. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and reviewed weekly. Each week, the program manager will send new […]