Publishing
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ASCAP collections grew 14.1% to $1.737 billion in 2023 and payouts to songwriters and publishers increased 14.7% to $1.592 billion, the performance rights organization reported Wednesday (Feb. 28). Those figures represent a record year for ASCAP in both revenue buckets, as well as all-time highs for any U.S. performance rights organization ever, ASCAP claimed.
The last time BMI revealed its annual financials — for the year ended June 30, 2022 — the PRO reported collections of $1.573 billion and pay outs of $1.471 billion. BMI did not disclose any full-year financial information in its most recent annual report for its fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, and is not likely to disclose any financial information going forward, since it’s now owned by institutional investor New Mountain Capital and will be operating on a for-profit basis. ASCAP now stands as the only U.S. PRO operating on a not-for-profit basis.
ASCAP’s collections break down to $1.327 billion domestically (up 12.7% from the year prior), and $410 million internationally (up 19.2%). For distributions, ASCAP paid out $1.217 billion domestically (up 16.1%), and $375 million internationally (up 10.3%).
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“ASCAP’s mission and not-for-profit business model are more important now than ever before, as artificial intelligence transforms the music landscape, and the need for legislative advocacy to protect creators in DC has never been more important,” ASCAP chairman and president Paul Williams said in a statement. “ASCAP will always be a champion for the humans who create music and demand transparency and fair payment from those who exploit our work. ASCAP makes it possible for our songwriter and composer members to write the next song, to earn a living and to support their families. No one else in the industry has the backs of songwriters like ASCAP.”
In announcing its financial results, the organization pointed out that unlike its competitors, ASCAP has no debt, no shareholders, no private owners and no private equity investors. In other words, ASCAP’s music creator and publisher members are the sole beneficiaries of ASCAP’s financial success.
Moreover, it noted that a democratically elected Board of Directors composed of music publishers and music creators sets the royalty distribution rules and cost allocations based on follow-the-dollar principles. It is the only U.S. PRO that makes those distribution rules publicly available on its website providing transparency to its membership.
“We are delivering industry-leading technical innovation, legislative advocacy and revenue growth that solely benefits our members, not outside investors or shareholders,” ASCAP CEO Elizabeth Matthews said in a statement. “As we like to say, private equity never wrote an iconic love song which is why we fight purely for songwriters, composers and publishers, not for those who use creators and their works of art for their own profits or to secure their own debt. ASCAP differs from others because our mission and purpose is clear and unique.”
In looking at new technology, the PRO reported that in 2023 its board of directors adopted six principles to guide its response to the technology and later submitted them on behalf of members to a U.S. Copyright Office study on generative artificial intelligence. And it reported it had held some AI symposiums for members.
During the year, ASCAP membership grew by 66,000 new members bringing total membership to 960,000 members. Some of those new members included PinkPantheress, Jack Antonoff, Tyla, and Jared Leto and Shannon Leto of 30 Seconds to Mars, as well as art-pop singer-songwriter Caroline Polachek, alt-rocker d4vd, jazz vocalist Samara Joy, country genre bender Jessie Murph, dark balladeer Chappell Roan, post-punker ThxSoMuch and writer-producer Alexander 23, among others
Moreover, the organization says its song catalog now includes 19 million copyrights that consists of music from the likes of Beyoncé, Billy Joel, Cardi B, Dua Lipa, Garth Brooks, Jay-Z, Katy Perry, Lil Baby, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mariah Carey, Olivia Rodrigo, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder and Usher, among others.
Getting back to the financial numbers, ASCAP notes that since the launch of its strategic growth plan in 2015, its compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for total revenue through 2023 has increased to 7%, and the CAGR for total distributions over the same time period rose to 8%.
Moreover, ASCAP reported that in 2023, audio streaming revenue rose 21%, general licensing revenue rose 23%, radio revenue rose 10% and audio-visual revenue rose 3% as compared to 2022. However, ASCAP didn’t break out the specific revenue numbers like it used to in the years preceding 2015, the last year that ASCAP provided extensive insight into its financials.
As a percentage of revenue, overall ASCAP paid out 91.7% of collections in 2023, which implies expenses accounting for 8.3% of revenue. Yet, ASCAP executives also say the organization’s pays out nearly 90% of collections, which means overhead amounts to a little bit more than 10% of revenue.
In any event, ASCAP claims its 90 cents payouts on every dollar of collections yield “the highest value exchange applied to the lowest overhead rate provided to creators and publishers of any U.S. PRO.”
Beyoncé‘s “Cuff It” vanished from TikTok on Tuesday (Feb. 27), the latest casualty of the platform’s stand-off with Universal Music Group (UMG).
“Cuff It” is not alone. Harry Styles‘ recordings are no longer available, SZA‘s recordings are gone, except for her new single “Saturn,” and most of Bad Bunny’s music is missing as well — even though none of these artists are signed to UMG labels.
When negotiations between UMG and TikTok fell apart at the end of January, official recordings made by UMG artists like Taylor Swift and Drake swiftly disappeared from the platform. After a grace period, songs that were penned in part by UMPG’s songwriters are now suffering the same fate.
“Cuff It” is one of many Beyoncé songs that features a contribution from a songwriter signed to Universal Music Publishing Group — in this case, Raphael Saadiq. UMPG’s roster also includes artists Styles, Rosalía, SZA, Bad Bunny and Steve Lacy for their songwriting credits. In the U.S., UMPG touches 20% to 30% of the music on TikTok, according to a rep for the platform. The rep declined to comment further.
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UMPG also declined to comment for this story. In a letter to songwriters earlier this month, the publisher said, “TikTok insists on paying our songwriters at a fraction of the rate that similarly situated major social media platforms pay — and without any material increase from our prior agreement… This is unacceptable.”
Tension between the music industry and TikTok has been growing for years. Many executives still believe it is the most effective platform for marketing music, even if it is maddeningly hard to influence.
At the same time, many around the music industry argue that TikTok does not pay enough to use the music that helped it become such a wildly popular app. (The music-tech company Pex found that 85% of TikTok videos incorporate music.) Late in 2022, UMG CEO Lucian Grainge noted that a value gap was “forming fast in the new iterations of short-form video.”
In a statement to Billboard at that time, TikTok global head of music Ole Obermann emphasized that the platform was not a music streaming service: “Our community comes to TikTok to watch videos, not to listen to full-length tracks.” He added, “We’re proud of the partnerships we are building with the industry and artists, and we are confident that we are enhancing musical engagement. That translates directly to more financial and creative opportunities for music creators.”
The simmering tension boiled over in late January. In an open letter, UMG announced that its negotiations with TikTok had fallen apart. “TikTok proposed paying our artists and songwriters at a rate that is a fraction of the rate that similarly situated major social platforms pay,” UMG wrote. The record company accused TikTok of trying to “intimidate us into conceding to a bad deal that undervalues music and shortchanges artists and songwriters as well as their fans.”
TikTok responded by saying that UMG was pushing a “false narrative.” It’s “sad and disappointing, that [UMG] has put their own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters,” TikTok continued.
HarbourView Equity Partners, which has emerged as a leading buyer of R&B/hip-hop music assets, announced that it has acquired select songwriting and publishing assets of Full Force, the music group and production team whose credits include UTFO’s “Roxanne Roxanne;” the Backstreet Boys‘ “All I Have to Give You;” Rihanna’s “That La, La La;” and their own “Ain’t My Type of Hype.” Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Besides the above songs, Full Force discovered Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam, which went on to release hits like “I Wonder If I Can Take You Home” and “All Cried Out” — both of which were on the latter group’s debut album, a collaboration credited to Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force.
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“The repertoire of Full Force defined a generation of Pop / R&B / Hip Hop with writings spanning NSync, BackStreet Boys, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam not to mention their own legacy as artists,” HarbourView Equity Partners CEO/founder Sherrese Clarke Soares said in a statement. “As exceptional songwriters, producers, and musicians, they’ve seamlessly weaved creativity and innovation into timeless tunes, collaborating with some of the most prominent icons of our generation.”
According to the announcement, Full Force’s “unique ability to seamlessly blend R&B, hip-hop, pop and dance elements in both their own performances and work with other artists…has left an enduring legacy and impact on the fabric of the music landscape.”
In a statement on the deal, Brian B-Fine George of Full Force said, “Full Force is excited to be working with Harbourview, a company with a vision that’s right on trend with the future, and very dedicated to expanding the reach of our extensive song catalog.”
HarbourView Equity’s other R&B/hip-hop acquisitions include select music assets by Nelly, Wiz Khalifa and Jeremih; and the publishing catalog of songwriting and production duo Andre Harris and Vidal Davis, better known as Dre & Vidal, among others.
The company describes itself as a “multi-strategy, investment firm focused on investment opportunities in the entertainment and media space. Its asset portfolio features thousands of titles spanning numerous genres, eras, and artists, amounting to a diversified catalog of over 28,000 songs across both master recordings and publishing income streams.”
The announcement further describes HarbourView as striving “to be the standard for excellence and integrity in investing in assets and companies driven by premier intellectual property, with experience in and around esoteric asset classes, including in music, film, TV, and sports.’’
Cynthia Katz and Heidy Vaquerano from Fox Rothschild LLP served as legal counsel to HarbourView for this transaction. Full Force was represented by Karl Guthrie at The Guthrie Law Firm and JAM at Tompkins Farm Music Inc.
Sony Music Publishing (SMP) won the quarter and the year on Billboard’s last Top Radio Airplay and Hot 100 Songs publishers rankings of 2023, while Warner Chappell held on to second place on the Hot 100 and took the No. 2 spot on Top Radio Airplay as well.
Taylor Swift and Doja Cat swapped the No. 1 and No. 2 spots in the song rankings, with Doja’s “Paint the Town Red” winning Top Radio Airplay and Swift’s “Cruel Summer” taking the top spot on Hot 100 Songs.
The holidays added extra jingle to the late Johnny Marks’ royalty statement. He ranked as the top songwriter with four of his holiday classics on Hot 100 Songs, including Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” which ranked No. 6.
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Meanwhile, Ashley Gorley had a huge quarter as the leading songwriter on the Top Radio Airplay and Top Country Radio rankings, with nine and 16 song placements on the charts, respectively. His biggest hit on both was Morgan Wallen’s “Thinkin’ Bout Me.”
Although SMP topped both rankings, its market share and song count dipped across the board. Its Top Radio Airplay share declined from 30.06% in the third quarter to 27.69% and from a staggering 70 songs to a still-massive 64. On the Hot 100 Songs ranking, the publisher’s market share fell from 30.18% to 27.14% quarter to quarter, and its song placement dropped from 63 to 59. SMP’s top track for the quarter was “Cruel Summer.”
And after a five-quarter run atop the Country Airplay publisher ranking, the company fell to No. 2 with a 22.95% share, down from 28.14%.
Warner Chappell reclaimed the No. 1 Country Airplay spot, which it has held for 22 consecutive quarters before SMP’s ascendance, finishing the quarter with 30.58% of the market, up from 26.20%. That win was part of a stellar quarter for the publisher. Warner Chappell ranked No. 2 on Hot 100 Songs for the second consecutive quarter and was runner-up on Top Radio Airplay for the first time since the third quarter of 2021. Warner Chappell’s Hot 100 Songs market share was 20.65%, up from 18.18%, even though its song count fell from 49 to 44 quarter to quarter. Its Top Radio Airplay share rose more than three percentage points, from 15.87% in the third quarter to 19.12%, and its song count increased from 51 to 54. Warner Chappell’s top song was SZA’s “Snooze.”
Universal Music Publishing Group held steady at No. 3 on the Hot 100 Songs list with a 15.78% share, down from the prior quarter’s 17.95%. Song placement also fell from 43 to 41. UMPG’s 18.47% of the Top Radio Airplay market — down from 21.16% in the previous quarter, when it ranked at No. 2 — put it behind Warner Chappell. Its top song in the Hot 100 chart was “Cruel Summer,” while in the Top Radio Airplay chart it was “Paint The Town Red.”
Kobalt ranked fourth on both the Hot 100 Songs and the Top Radio Airplay charts, scoring a 10.83% market share with stakes in 29 songs on the former and an 8.81% market share with 30 songs on the latter. Kobalt’s showings on both tallies were down from the previous quarter when it had 11.33% market share with 36 songs on Hot 100 Songs and 9.94% market share with 31 songs on the Top Radio Airplay chart. Its top song in both charts was “Paint the Town Red.”
BMG moved up a position from last quarter on Top Radio Airplay to No. 5, growing its market share from 3.23% to 6.77%. Its song placements grew from 10 to 18. On the Hot 100 Songs chart, BMG stayed at No. 5, growing market share from 4.57% to 5.95% and placements from 11 to 16, also including “Paint the Town Red.”
Concord jumped four places from the prior quarter on the Top Radio Airplay rankings, growing its market share from 1.37% to 3.71% and more than doubling its song placements from six in the third quarter to 14. Its top song on that chart was Paul Russell’s “Lil Boo Thang” (No. 8). The publisher returned to the Hot 100 Songs ranking, too, landing at No. 8 with a 1.91% market share, led by Tyla’s “Water” (No. 16).
Otherwise, Pulse held steady at No. 7 in the Top Radio Airplay publisher rankings at 2.66% market share, down from 2.80% in the third quarter. Purple Rabbit Music dropped to No. 8 with 2.07% market share from 3.52% as Luke Combs’ version of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” fell from the No. 1 spot in the third quarter to No. 9. Once again, Hipgnosis Songs Group placed No. 9, with a 1.48% share, down from 1.76% in the prior quarter. And Reservoir fell to No. 10 with 1.43% market share from the prior quarter’s No. 8 finish and 1.82% market share. “Cruel Summer” was the Hipgnosis top song while “Snooze” was Reservoir’s top song.
Rounding out the Top 10 for Hot 100 Songs, Johnny Marks St. Nicholas Music ranked No. 6 with 4.96% market share. Purple Rabbit landed at No. 7 with 1.99% market share. peermusic landed at No. 9 with 1.61% market share, making the ranking for the first time since the third quarter of 2020.Pulse finished at No. 10 with 1.31% market share.
Last Quarter: Tracy Chapman + Oliver Anthony Make History
Kobalt is raising $266.5 million through the sale of a security backed by the publishing royalties of a 5,000-song catalog that includes YoungBoy Never Broke Again (a.k.a. NBA YoungBoy), AJR, Busta Rhymes and Jessie J.
The securitization is backed by a catalog valued at $410 million by Virtu Global Advisors, according to a pre-sale report by Kroll Bond Rating Agency (KBRA) released Tuesday (Feb. 20), which gave Kobalt’s asset-backed security an A- preliminary rating.
The bond allows Kobalt to raise capital on the value of the catalog and pay back investors with the publishing royalties the compositions generate. That puts music royalties in the company of common asset categories such as auto loans, mortgages and credit card receivables — all have a contractual obligation to pay — that are frequently used in asset-backed securities.
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The proceeds are expected to be used to fund reserve accounts, pay certain transaction expenses, repay existing debt and for other general corporate purposes, according to KBRA’s report.
Kobalt’s asset-backed security is the latest in a handful of large securitization deals in the music industry in recent years. Since 2021, Concord, Hipgnosis Song Management, KKR Credit Advisors (with a catalog owned and administered by Kobalt) and Northleaf Capital Partners have raised money through music asset-backed securities rated by KBRA.
The catalog backing Kobalt’s bond is diversified but younger than the typical multi-million-dollar music asset transaction. About 40% of the total net publisher share comes from compositions released since 2019 and about 43% comes from compositions first released between 2011 and 2018. Less than 3% of the total net publisher share comes from compositions from 2000 or earlier.
Nearly a third of the catalog — 29% of the last 12 months’ royalties collections — may be terminated prior to the legal final payment date in 2064, but no termination windows will fall within the next 30 years, according to KBRA. The catalogs of two artists, which account for about 1% of the catalog’s value, are subject to contractual reversion or termination prior to the final payment date. One song is currently subject to a copyright infringement claim that would result in legal expenses and reduced cash flows.
Pop music accounts for 52% of the catalog’s value while hip-hop represents 28% and rock accounts for 9%. Revenue from the United States makes up 63% of gross collections compared to 12% for the European Union and 10% for the United Kingdom.
Catch Point Rights Partners, the private-equity backed music rights acquisition firm that has purchased the publishing of such artists/songwriters and/or producers as Brantley Gilbert, Yelawolf and All Time Low, is now offering a program through which it will buy performance rights income streams from songwriters while allowing them to retain ownership and control of all of […]
Universal Music Group (UMG), the world’s largest music company, has acquired a 25.8% interest in Chord Music Partners for $240 million. As part of the deal, UMG will now handle distribution and publishing administration for Chord’s existing catalog, provided by UMG’s Virgin Music Group and Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), respectively.
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Formed in 2021 by KKR and Dundee Partners, the investment office of the Hendel family, Chord owns over 60,000 copyrights. This includes stakes in top songs like “Dreams” and “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac, “La Grange” by ZZ Top, “Counting Stars” and “Apologize” by OneRepublic, “Redbone” by Childish Gambino, “I Like Me Better” by Lauv, “Pursuit of Happiness” by Kid Cudi, “All Of Me” by John Legend, “Girls Like You” and “Sugar” by Maroon 5, “Halo” by Beyonce and “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri.
Following the completion of the transaction, KKR will exit Chord. Previously, it was the majority stakeholder in the catalog firm. Now, Dundee is increasing its share to 74.2% and UMG will hold the remaining minority share.
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UMG was advised by Goldman Sachs, Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Freshfields. DLA Piper and Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider LLP served as legal advisors to Dundee. Fifth Third Bank, National Association served as financial advisor and provided committed financing to Dundee and UMG. The Raine Group served as the exclusive financial advisor and Manatt, Phelps and Phillips, LLP served as legal advisor to Chord Music Partners. Latham & Watkins LLP served as legal counsel to KKR.
Lucian Grainge, chairman/CEO of UMG, said in a statement: “Finding partners who share our passion for identifying iconic songs and recordings that will stand the test of time and deliver long-term growth is essential, which is why we’re so pleased to be working with Stephen and Sam Hendel and Dundee Partners. With the leadership of Jody Gerson at UMPG, Nat Pastor and JT Myers at Virgin, and the support of our experienced creative executives around the world, no one can do more with music rights than our teams. We look forward to creating maximum commercial and creative value for the songwriters and artists in Chord and building for the future.”
Boyd Muir, UMG executive vp/CFO/president of operations added: “We’re excited to partner with the Hendel family in Chord for a number of reasons. First, KKR and Dundee have built a very high-quality catalog that will benefit from our first-rate management and global capabilities. Second, this new structure provides us with an efficient vehicle for future catalog acquisitions, without significant capital allocation through a combination of leverage and partner equity capital. And finally, it offers us the perfect partner to approach future growth opportunistically and flexibly, one who is equally bullish on the long-term prospects for music.”
Sam Hendel, Dundee Partners’ managing principal/co-founder of Chord, added: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Universal Music Group and embarking on this next exciting chapter for Chord. By combining a best-in-class financial acquisition vehicle with the world’s leading music company, we are creating both a premier platform for music investment as well as a permanent home for premier artists’ legacies and their iconic cultural works. We’d like to thank the team at KKR for their partnership and creating a strong foundation for Chord and its future success.”
“We are grateful to have had the opportunity to collaborate with many leading artists and to create significant value for our investors by building Chord into a differentiated and scaled portfolio,” said Jenny Box, partner at KKR. “We believe that Dundee and UMG will drive further value creation for artists and that they share our commitment to being respectful stewards of artists’ music.”
Primary Wave Music has finalized a deal with the Village People to control the rights to the group’s master recording and publishing assets as well as the rights to their name and likeness. In what is described as a “partnership” with the surviving family of Village People co-founder Henri Belolo — Jonathan and Anthony Belolo — Primary Wave will now look after “Y.M.C.A.,” “Macho Man” and other hits from the group.
Founded in 1977, Village People was started by producer Jacques Morali and his partner Belolo who were working with singer and Broadway actor Victor Willis to provide background vocals for a different musical project. Then Morali told Willis, “I had a dream you sang lead vocals on an album I produced and it went very, very big.” Following his gut, Willis sang four tracks for Morali and Belolo (“San Francisco [You’ve Got Me]” “In Hollywood [Everyone’s a Star],” “Fire Island,” and “Village People”). Quickly, the Village People project became a sensation with their songs climbing to the top of the charts, and Willis, Morali, Belolo formed it as an official group, adding in the rag tag team of Felipe Rose, Alex Briley, Mark Mussler, David Forrest, Lee Mouton and Peter Whitehead to fill out its ranks.
Later, they added Randy Jones, Glenn Hughes and David Hodo to the ensemble after placing an ad in a trade paper that read: “Macho Types Wanted for World-Famous Disco Group.” Donning stereotypical “macho” costumes — like construction work, biker, cowboy and more — group went on to pen defining hits and become a symbol of the Disco era. To this day, the group continues, now comprised of Willis, Angel Morales, James Kwong, Chad Freeman, James Lee, and James J.J. Lippold.
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“As we were picking up the mantle following our father’s passing in 2019, we soon realized that – to achieve his dreams of bringing the Village People ideal into the 21st century the right way is a very bold endeavor,” say the Belolos in a joint statement. “Our partnership with the amazing team at Primary Wave now brings us the backup and expertise that will ensure we can rise to the task together. With multiple projects in development, the future looks bright as ever for the Village People!”
“The Village People have brought so much joy to listeners around the world for decades,” says Lexi Todd, vp of business and legal affairs at Primary Wave Music. “With disco-inspired music all over the contemporary charts, now is the perfect time to launch our new partnership. We look forward to working alongside Jonathan and Anthony to reinvigorate the Village People brand.”
For Will Bratton, the best part of Super Bowl LVIII was not when Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman caught the game-winning pass for an overtime touchdown or when Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker nailed a 57-yard field goal. It was when Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, during the trophy ceremony after the game, belted out an impromptu, raggedy chorus of “Viva Las Vegas” on the CBS broadcast.
Those three words, repeated several times in a pacing and melody only vaguely resembling Elvis Presley’s classic 1964 hit, have delivered an unexpected payday for the song’s rights holders.
“We were very excited about him doing that,” says Bratton, president of Pomus Songs Inc., namesake publisher for the late Doc Pomus, who wrote the song with Mort Shuman. “Royalties are paid for that performance through BMI.”
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Kelce’s rendition constituted an “ephemeral use,” according to Rachel Jacobson, who oversees film and TV for Warner Chappell Music (WCM), which administers Pomus’ recordings. As when a marching band plays an off-the-cuff snippet of a song during a televised football game, the use generates a royalty payment through BMI as a public performance. “Anything beyond that, then you come and clear it,” she says.
Although Bratton couldn’t say how much money Pomus Songs made from Kelce’s performance — “BMI’s generally three quarters behind, so we won’t have that data until probably next December” — the revenue is likely to continue. Late-night talk shows airing Kelce’s version would have to pay for a “previewing synch license,” according to Bratton, which would lead to a negotiated fee as opposed to the ephemeral use royalty payment. WCM’s Jacobson is not aware of any requests for such a license involving Kelce’s rendition of “Viva.”
For the Super Bowl, Bratton says, “It was also licensed to CBS Sports for a pre-game show and it was shown once during the game over a viewing of Taylor Swift. That paid — I don’t want to say how much, but it was good money.”
Written for the Presley film of the same name, “Viva” has come to symbolize Las Vegas glamor-and-gambling culture and has been covered by Bruce Springsteen, Dead Kennedys, ZZ Top and Shawn Colvin. Bob Dylan wrote a chapter about the song in his 2022 book, The Philosophy of Modern Song: “This is a song about faith. The kind of faith where you step under a shower spigot in the middle of the desert and fully believe water will come out.”
The song was also in The Big Lebowski and a Viagra commercial (“Viva Viagra”), which, Bratton recalls, “was a very nice synch license momentarily — but I’m not sure if we regret it or not.”
Pomus, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame songwriter who wrote classics such as The Drifters’ “Save the Last Dance for Me” and “This Magic Moment”; The Coasters’ “Young Blood”; and Presley’s “Little Sister,” was a “sports fanatic,” according to Bratton, who is married to Pomus’ daughter, Sharyn Felder. “He would have been thrilled that his song was used like that,” he says of Kelce’s “Vegas” rendition. “It was more of a holler than a sing. It was his enthusiasm that was notable.” He adds: “We just like it to make money.”
Universal Music Publishing Group has signed hitmaker and Semisonic frontman Dan Wilson to an exclusive global publishing agreement. According to the terms of the deal, UMPG will represent Wilson’s future works. “I consider it a true gift to work alongside a person who is so storied and accomplished, and yet so open to new experiences and collaborations,” said Jennifer Knoepfle, UMPG’s evp and co-head of A&R.
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Ultra Publishing has signed a deal extension with Wheezy, who first signed to the company in 2018. The new extension will also see Ultra acquiring an additional 427 songs from Wheezy, including titles released by Drake, Travis Scott Meek Mill and Lil Uzi Vert.
Kobalt has signed Latin Grammy-nominated producer and songwriter JULiA LEWiS to a global publishing administration deal. A go-to collaborator for Bad Bunny, Anitta, Rauw Alejandro, NBA YoungBoy, Feid and more, JULiA LEWiS is a certified hitmaker with top tracks like “La Jumpa,” “Classy 101” and “Kacey Talk” as part of his fast-growing catalog. He is managed by Matt Geffen, Jamil Davis and Matt Bauerschmidt of The Revels Group.
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Warner Chappell Music France has signed an administrative publishing deal with Lofi Records, the company behind the famous YouTube “Lofi Girl.” The channel provides a 24/7 feed of chill beats to relax or study to and it boasts more than 13.6 million subscribers, with 30,000-60,000 simultaneous listeners on any given day.
Avex USA has signed Jahnei “Mr. Jah” Clarke to its publishing division. A Queens-raised, Los Angeles-based hip-hop, R&B, Latin and pop producer, he is best known for his work with Luísa Sonza, 6ix9ine, Masego.
Rimas Publishing has expanded its roster, signing seven new talents. The new signees include Andrea Cruz, Elia, Harold Wendell Sanders, Manu Berlingeri, Mendoza, Nes, and Valentina.
Warner Chappell Production Music launches Run4Cover in partnership with Warner Chappell Music. Run4Cover is a new label designed to cover some of WCM‘s biggest songs in a way that might be useful for sync licensing purposes. Already their repertoire includes new renditions of hits like Radiohead (“Exit Music (For A Film),” “Karma Police”), Curtis Mayfield (“Move On Up”), Kool & The Gang (“Celebration”) and Donna Summer (“Hot Stuff”). These covers come in a wide array of styles, from string quartets to big band to trailerizations.
Concord Music Publishing has signed songwriting team Chris Miller and Nathan Tysen to a global publishing administration deal. This includes their full catalog and future works. Two of Broadway’s biggest composers today, the duo has written the music for Tuck Everlasting, The Burnt Part Boys, Blown Sideways Through Life, Revival and more together. Independently, Miller has worked on Swept Away, April Twilights, and Ravello. Tysen has worked on The Great Gatsby, Amelie, Paradise Square.
Major Bob Music has signed rising songwriter SJ McDonald to a global publishing deal. “She keeps it country and she’s a perfect fit for Major Bob,” says Andy Friday, head of publishing. Along with the announcement of her signing, McDonald also released a new single: “Hummingbird.”
Prescription Songs and Day One Songs has signed Joseph Tilley to a global publishing agreement. An artist, producer and songwriter, Tilley makes pop and R&B music. Along with his artist project, he also produces for indie pop songstress Emilee, contributing to songs like “Heaven” and “I Love You Baby.”
Sony Music Publishing and Relative Music Group have signed rising country artist Carson Wallace to a global publishing deal. Only 20, the songwriter has built an audience on TikTok, and now has achieved success with the release of singles like “Lonely Look Like,” “Leavin’ Season,” “Ghost In My Chevy” and “Light of Day.”