Publishing
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Sony Music Publishing returned to No. 1 on the Hot 100 Songs and Top Radio Airplay charts in the first quarter, regaining ground it lost to Warner Chappell Music at the end of last year.
The publisher regained the top spot on Top Radio Airplay — which it had held for 14 consecutive quarters until the fourth quarter of 2024 — with 27.61% of the market and clinched No. 1 on Hot 100 Songs with 28.31%, thanks to its share of a whopping 73 songs on both charts, including the No. 1s on each: “Die With a Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars on the former and “Luther” by Kendrick Lamar and SZA on the latter. Lamar also ranked as the quarter’s top Hot 100 Songs writer.
Warner Chappell dropped to No. 2 (22.45%) on Top Radio Airplay and to No. 3 on Hot 100 Songs (20.52%) with stakes in 61 and 62 songs, respectively. The No. 1 Top Radio Airplay songwriter, Amy Allen, co-wrote eight of those tracks, including the Sabrina Carpenter hits “Espresso” and “Taste,” as well as the Rosé and Bruno Mars smash, “APT.”
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Universal Music Publishing Group rose one position to No. 2 on Hot 100 Songs due to a dramatic quarter-to-quarter market-share surge from 19.92% to 25.04%. Its strong showing was fueled by Lamar, who wrote or co-wrote eight songs on that chart.
Kobalt and BMG remained steady at No. 4 and No. 5, respectively, on both rankings despite Hot 100 Songs market-share declines. Kobalt dropped from 10.89% to 8.23% quarter to quarter, and BMG fell from 4.67% to 3.64%. Each has a piece of “Die With a Smile,” which helped maintain their positions as the top indie publishers in the rankings.
For the last three months of 2024, Pulse finished ninth on Top Radio Airplay and fell short of the Hot 100 Songs top 10. It has made significant gains since then, ranking at No. 6 on the former and at No. 8 on the latter, thanks to the continued success of Koe Wetzel’s “High Road,” which finished the first quarter at No. 13 on Top Radio Airplay and No. 32 on Hot 100 Songs. Pulse also benefited from shares of five other Top Radio Airplay hits in the first quarter and six more for Hot 100 Songs.
Recognition Music, previously known as Hipgnosis Songs Group, rose one position on Hot 100 Songs to No. 7 but fell one spot on Top Radio Airplay. Its shares of songs included “Espresso” and Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control,” both holdover hits from 2024.
First-timers on the rankings are Whooping Crane Music and Mothership Music, which took the ninth and 10th spots, respectively, on Hot 100 Songs. The former had a share in the No. 14 song, Lamar’s “Squabble Up.” The latter is the home of Latin alt-rock band The Marías, who, after years of building a fan base, have begun to break into the mainstream. This year, their song “No One Noticed” went viral and hit No. 34 on the Hot 100 in the first quarter. The act also appears on Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco’s “Ojos Tristes.”
Additional reporting by Ed Christman.
Avex Music Group (AMG) announced on Tuesday (May 20) that it has signed fast-rising producer Elkan to a global publishing deal. Additionally, AMG has partnered with Elkan on his JV publishing company, Toibox by Elkan. Under the new deal, Elkan’s catalog, including previous works and future output, will be published through AMG. Already this year, […]
SACEM collected a record 1.6 billion euros ($1.73 billion) in 2024, up 7.7% from 2023, the French organization announced this week, fueled largely by international expansion. In France, SACEM collected 852 million euros ($922 million, based on the average annual conversion rate for 2024), up about 2%. Internationally, though, it took in 749 million euros ($811), a gain of 15%. That means that almost half of SACEM’s revenue is international, which is significant for a CMO in a market with a strong national repertoire. Royalty distributions were up 12%, to 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion).
For SACEM, like other big European CMOs, it’s a whole new world, thanks to the ability to represent online rights across much of the world (although not the U.S.). As general music business growth slows, mostly due to streaming subscription saturation in big markets, this has allowed SACEM to continue to grow by signing deals with publishers and other CMOs.
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“The strategy we’ve developed over the last years is to convince publishers and other CMOs to join forces with us to be able to better deal with platforms, not from an equal position but one that’s more balanced, and to invest in tools that benefit everyone,” SACEM CEO Cécile Rap-Veber told Billboard at the Music Biz Conference in Atlanta, where she also did a keynote interview. “We’ve secured new mandates to represent more repertoire, so we can take in more money and reduce our costs.”
For most of the history of SACEM, which has operated since the 1850s, before any of its peer societies, the organization did most of its business in France. CMOs remitted money to other CMOs, but the European organizations did not really compete with one another. That changes with a 2014 European Union Directive that generally allowed CMOs to maintain their national monopolies but also to compete for online rights. Competition in the decade since allowed two giant “licensing hubs” to emerge: SACEM and ICE, a joint venture of PRS for Music (the UK CMO), GEMA (the German one) and STIM (Swedish). While direct comparisons are difficult because of the way the different organizations report their results, SACEM has become either the biggest CMO outside the U.S. (based on royalties it collects and distributes) or the biggest in the world (based on the total amount of money it takes in, some of which it passes directly to other organizations for them to distribute).
SACEM now represents 510,000 songwriters and rightsholders worldwide, in 180 territories. Its international royalties, almost all online, have grown 29% since 2023. It signed 16 new deals – mandates is the term used – this year, in addition to the 70 it already had, including with Universal Music Publishing, ASCAP, the Canadian CMO SOCAN, and the Korean CMP KOMCA.
Rap-Veber’s strategy is that this kind of expansion creates a virtuous circle: Increased scale leads to increased revenue, which allows for increased investment, which in turn leads to further increases in scale. That scale also allows for wider scaring of costs, which lets rightsholders take a higher percentage of the money SACEM collects.
The industrywide slowdown in growth is intensifying competition among societies, as limited natural growth means expansion must come from international markets, or at the expense of peer organizations. As fears of economic contraction grow in Europe and the U.S., it is hard to imagine national growth that’s significantly higher than inflation on a sustained basis. That puts the focus on other markets, where the larger international societies can compete. “We have direct license deals now in India, Vietnam and the Philippines,” Rap-Veber says. “With almost 80 partners, we have the weight to be an international player, with more penetration in more countries.”
As SACEM expands globally, it continues to prioritize local cultural investment in France, where it follows a dedicated cultural strategy. With the money it took in from the blank media levy — a copyright fee charged on blank media and computer memory — it put aside 20 million euros ($22 million) for 3,600 cultural projects in France, including 478 festivals and 185 venues.
Atticus Ross was named a BMI Icon at the 2025 Film, TV and Visual Media Awards on Wednesday (May 14), in recognition of his body of work across film and television. The private ceremony held at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., was hosted by Mike O’Neill, BMI president & CEO, and Tracy McKnight, BMI vp, creative, film, TV & visual media.
O’Neill presented Ross with the BMI Icon Award, expressing that his “innovative spirit and passion for pushing the boundaries of composition have literally reengineered the way we experience storytelling.” He went on to say, “we are very proud to honor your incomparable contributions to the world of music as a composer, a rock pioneer and an icon.”
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Ross was emotional upon receiving the honor and stated, “The thing I love about film music is that there aren’t any rules, there aren’t any pros. Essentially, to my mind, it’s all about how we make people feel, and that’s what music is about.” Moreover, he voiced, “I put a lot of effort into making sure that this never feels like a job. I wake up every day grateful for the opportunity to make music, this is my dream, and I don’t take it lightly.”
Ross is a multifaceted musician, composer and producer who has received two Oscars, two Grammys, one Primetime Emmy, one BAFTA Award, three Golden Globe Awards and three Critics Choice Awards. He’s also won 18 BMI Film, TV and Visual Media Awards, as well as one BMI Country, one BMI Pop and one BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Award.
In addition to his work as a composer, Ross has had a successful career as a member of Nine Inch Nails and a longtime collaboration with bandmate Trent Reznor. Together, they’ve created some of the most memorable film and TV scores of the past two decades, including The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Soul, Challengers and Watchmen. Ross has also collaborated with his brother Leopold Ross and wife Claudia Sarne on movies such as The Book of Eli and Triple 9 and series like Black Mirror, Dear Mama and Shōgun.
Previous BMI Icon Award recipients include Terence Blanchard, Mychael Danna, Alexandre Desplat, Ramin Djawadi, Harry Gregson-Williams, James Newton Howard, Christopher Lennertz, Thomas Newman, Rachel Portman (PRS), Mike Post, Alan Silvestri, Brian Tyler and John Williams.
During the ceremony, composers were honored for music featured in the past year’s top-grossing films, top-rated network television series, highest-ranking cable network and streamed media programs, and the most popular video games. Multiple award winners, in addition to Ross, included Fil Eisler, Tom Howe, Andrew Lockington, Blake Neely, Julia Newman, Mike Post, Carlos Rafael Rivera, Tyler Strickland and Atli Örvarsson.
The event celebrated 29 first-time award winners including Kathryn Bostic, Goh Nakamura, Kara Talve, Dara Taylor and Zack Ryan.
For a complete list of winners, visit here.
Benson Boone, Taylor Swift and Teddy Swims took top honors at the 2025 BMI Pop Awards, which were held on Tuesday (May 13) at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. The private event was hosted by Mike O’Neill, BMI president & CEO; Barbara Cane, vp of worldwide creative; Samantha Cox, vp of creative, NY; and Tracie Verlinde, vp.
Boone was presented with the BMI Champion Award by O’Neill, who praised his “boundless talent and creativity.” Previous recipients include Peso Pluma, SZA, Jonathan McReynolds, Khalid, Mark Ronson, Residente, Sebastian Krys, Keith Urban and Lee Thomas Miller.
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After receiving the award, Boone thanked BMI, his team, family and the songwriters in the room, sharing “This is not my award, this is for everyone who has been a part of working on this project. To the songwriters, producers, to my mother and father… to my label to Warner Chappell, to everyone who has played a part… it takes a huge powerhouse of a team to do what I’m trying to do, and I have a wonderful team.”
Boone also paid tribute to his cowriter and collaborator Jack LaFrantz, sharing, “If you’re a songwriter or producing or have anything to do with the creation process of music, you understand how incredible it is when you find someone you really like to work with and work well with. I would just like to give a special thank you to Mr. Jack LaFrantz. Any of these songs that you hear you would not be hearing them without him. If you’re trying to release songs, find people that you love and make it something that you love. I promise you it is the best thing ever when you find gold in the room.”
Boone then took to the stage for an intimate three-song performance backed by piano. He started off with “Slow it Down,” followed by “Drunk in My Mind” and “Beautiful Things.”
In addition to his BMI Champion honor, Boone received two BMI Pop Awards for “Beautiful Things” and “Slow It Down,” with co-writer LaFrantz. The backflipping singer-songwriter received his first BMI Pop award in 2023 for “GHOST TOWN.”
Swift was named BMI’s Pop Songwriter of the Year, which ups her collection of BMI Awards to a staggering 72 – including the BMI President’s Award in 2009 and the BMI Taylor Swift Award in 2016.
This was the second year in a row Swift has been named Pop Songwriter of the Year. She co-wrote seven of the previous year’s most-performed songs: “Don’t Blame Me,” “Down Bad,” “Fortnight,” “I Can Do It with a Broken Heart,” “Is It Over Now?,” “Now That We Don’t Talk,” and “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?.”
BMI’s Pop Song of the Year went to “Lose Control” written and performed by Teddy Swims with BMI co-writers Julian Bunetta, Marco “Infamous” Rodriguez and Mikky Ekko. The smash hit has spent a record-breaking 60 nonconsecutive weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 1 in March 2024.
Universal Music Publishing Group was named Publisher of the Year for representing 28 of the previous year’s most performed songs, including “Agora Hills” performed by Doja Cat, “Espresso” performed by Sabrina Carpenter and “Houdini” by Eminem.
Throughout the ceremony, the 50 most-performed pop songs of the previous year in the U.S. were also awarded. BMI welcomed 61 first-time Pop Award winners, including J. Cole for “All My Life” by Lil Durk, Jesse Fink; Peter Finn for “Stargazing” performed by Myles Smith; Djo for “End of Beginning”; and Nevin Sastry for “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey. This also marked the first BMI Pop award for country superstar Morgan Wallen for “I Had Some Help,” co-written with Charlie Handsome and other first-time BMI Pop winners Hoskins, ERNEST and Chandler Paul Walters.
For a full list of the 2024 honorees, visit the BMI site.
The Trump Administration fired U.S. Register of Copyrights Shira Perlmutter on Saturday (May 10), sparking concerns in the music business that the White House will take the side of technology companies in debates about AI and copyright.
The move came just two days after the dismissal of Perlmutter’s boss, Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, and a day after the Copyright Office posted a report on the legal issues in training AI algorithms on copyrighted works. Although the White House has not given any reason for the move, it comes as the media business once again finds itself in conflict with Silicon Valley – this time as technology companies have far more influence in Washington.
The Register of Copyrights reports to the Librarian of Congress, and speculation on the reason for Hayden’s May 8 firing varied. Hayden, appointed by President Obama, was the first African-American and woman to hold the position, leading some to view her dismissal as politically motivated. At a May 9 press conference, the White House suggested that “there were quite concerning things that she had done at the Library of Congress,” involving DEI and “putting inappropriate books in the library for children” — although the institution isn’t a lending library, let alone one that’s set up for young readers.
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Perlmutter’s subsequent dismissal suggests that the Trump administration may be more concerned with copyright policy – and that Hayden’s firing was at least partly a step toward changing the leadership of the Copyright Office. The Copyright Office has the power to issue guidance on the state of copyright law and report to lawmakers on related legislation, and judges often use its interpretations in court decisions. Currently, the office is preparing a multi-part report, “Copyright and Artificial Intelligence,” the third part of which, about whether scanning works to train AI algorithms would qualify as infringement, was expected to come out this spring. Given the number of court cases involving this issue, as well as the potential damages faced by technology companies in them, the stakes are high.
Late on Friday (May 9), the Copyright Office posted online a “pre-publication version” of the report, which is not its usual practice. Although the issues are complicated, it interprets the law in a way that suggests such copying – especially for commercial purposes, involving generative AI products – would not qualify as fair use. The Copyright Office has no lawmaking power, but courts could be influenced by its analysis of case law.
The next day, according to several sources, Perlmutter received an email telling her she was terminated.
There has been some speculation that Perlmutter’s dismissal was the result of the decision to post the report. However, several sources who had no direct knowledge of the situation, pointed out that Perlmutter might have known her dismissal was imminent, or at least possible, and had the report posted before that occurred. (Right now, no one knows, and neither the White House nor Perlmutter has commented.) And while the report is generally seen to favor rightsholders, it is an expert interpretation of existing law, not a set of policy recommendations.
Certainly, the issue of whether scanning works to train AI qualifies as fair use or copyright infringement has become a hot one. And since the early days of the second Trump administration, music and media lobbyists have worried about the influence of the technology business. In March, the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz responded to a request for public comments on the White House AI Action Plan by saying that “neither the Copyright Office nor any other government agency should release guidance related to this issue—or other issues critical to American competitiveness in AI—until the conclusion of the National AI Action Plan process.”
In late April, the right-wing American Accountability Foundation accused both Hayden and Perlmutter of being “deep-state liberals” and suggested that the Trump Administration “return an America First agenda to the nation’s intellectual property regulation.” Although both are Democrats, Perlmutter served in the first Trump Administration as the head of copyright policy in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, which is part of the Department of Commerce. Copyright has generally been one of the few non-partisan issues in Washington, since it usually unites Democrats who support the arts with Republicans who favor strong protections for property rights.
Perlmutter’s firing is likely to intensify the copyright debate, potentially creating a rift between Silicon Valley venture capitalists aligned with the Trump administration and Democrats, as well as some Republicans, who support copyright protections and believe in the independence of government agencies. Immediately after Perlmutter’s dismissal, Rep. Joe Morelle (NY-25) released a statement calling Trump’s termination of Perlmutter “a brazen, unprecedented power grab with no legal basis.”
Big Loud Texas has added a publishing arm, Big Loud Texas Publishing, with Timothy Allen as the publishing company’s inaugural signee. Lizzy Rector will spearhead the new venture, having been hired as publishing director for the Austin-based Big Loud Texas Publishing.
The newly-formed division will work hand-in-hand with Big Loud Texas’ co-founders, three-time Grammy winner Miranda Lambert and producer/writer/musician Jon Randall.
Rockwall, Texas native Allen, whose work as a touring musician, producer and studio musician has included time spent with Shane Smith and the Saints, caught Randall’s attention while performing music from his solo project at Texas Music Revolution. Allen resides just outside of Dallas in Royse City and counts John Moreland and Sufjan Stevens among his influences.
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Rector joins Big Loud Texas following a seven-year tenure at Big Machine Music Publishing, where she most recently served as creative manager. A Texas native and Belmont University alum, Rector will lead Big Loud Texas’ new publishing division, focusing on strengthening creative connections between Austin and Nashville.
Lizzy Rector
Chasity Posey
In partnership with Big Loud Records, Lambert and Randall founded Big Loud Texas in 2023, with the aim of promoting and cultivating Texas artists to global acclaim. They signed flagship artist Dylan Gossett along with Mercury Records and also added country neo-traditionalist Jake Worthington to the Big Loud Texas roster. Lambert and Randall, along with the Big Loud Records team, are involved with signing and developing artists for the Big Loud Texas roster, with Randall serving as president of A&R (as well as offering his producer expertise), and Brendon Anthony serving as vice president at Big Loud Texas.
“I grew up listening to incredible storytellers like Guy Clark and Emmylou Harris,” Lambert said in a statement. “Hearing their music made me realize I wanted to be an artist who poured my own truth into songs and said something meaningful through my writing. With Big Loud Texas Publishing, I’m proud to help nurture that same spirit in a new generation of writers, and I’m so excited to welcome Timothy Allen as our first signing.”
“I am so excited that we are announcing the publishing arm to Big Loud Texas,” Randall added. “Obviously songwriting is very close to our hearts. I am so grateful for the opportunity to continue growing the Big Loud Texas brand with Miranda, our partners and our team and giving songwriters a place to call home.”
“We are so grateful to have Lizzy in the Big Loud Texas family,” Anthony said in a statement. “Her experience in publishing and her vision for the company are already proving to be invaluable. Lizzy is a strong leader and a champion of songwriters. We could not have asked for a better person to take the reins.”
Randall said of signing Allen, “He is one of the most talented and musically versatile singer songwriters I’ve ever met. We so appreciate Tim entrusting us with his talent and craft and we are so proud to be a part of his musical a journey.”
(L-R): Timothy Allen, Brendon Anthony and Jon Randall
Jordan Pierce
Jack Antonoff was named ASCAP Pop Music Songwriter of the Year at a private event at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles on Thursday (May 1). The hitmaker co-wrote six of ASCAP’s most-performed songs of the past year: Sabrina Carpenter’s “Please Please Please” and no fewer than five songs by Taylor Swift: “Anti-Hero,” “Fortnight,” “I Can Do It with a Broken Heart,” “Is It Over Now? (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)” and “Karma.”
Antonoff, 41, has won 11 Grammys, including two in songwriting categories: song of the year for “We Are Young” (which he co-wrote with his fun. bandmates and Jeff Bhasker) and best rock song for “Masseduction” (which he co-wrote with Annie Clark, a.k.a. St. Vincent). He won best song musically and lyrically at the 2023 Ivor Novello Awards for “King” (which he co-wrote with Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine).
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Teddy Swims’ breakthrough hit “Lose Control” is the ASCAP Pop Music Song of the Year. Co-written by ASCAP songwriter Joshua “Ammo” Coleman, it set a new record for the longest run song in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 (59 weeks, as of this week). The smash is published by Kobalt Music and Top Notch High Quality Music.
ASCAP Pop Music Publisher of the Year goes to Sony Music Publishing. Among their list of honored works are “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” (Shaboozey), “Hot to Go!” (Chappell Roan), “Houdini” (Dua Lipa), “Not Like Us” (Kendrick Lamar), “Stick Season” (Noah Kahan) and “Texas Hold ‘Em” (Beyoncé).
ASCAP Pop Music Award-winning songwriters this year also include Amy Allen, Beyoncé, Chappell Roan, Dan Nigro, Dua Lipa, Justin Timberlake, Justin Tranter, Noah Kahan, Olivia Rodrigo, Shaboozey and Victoria Monét.
The ASCAP Pop Music Awards honor the songwriters and publishers of the most-performed ASCAP pop songs of 2024. The winning songs are determined by data for terrestrial and satellite radio and for programmed and on-demand audio streams, all provided by Luminate Data LLC.
More information on the 2025 ASCAP Pop Music Award winners is available at www.ascap.com/popawards25.
It’s gotta be the May 1st edition of Publishing Briefs, our semimonthly bulletin of recent signings, deals and doings in the wide world of music publishing. Since the last time we gabbed, Kristin Robinson whipped up a comprehensive guide to the comments submitted in the Copyright Office’s inquiry regarding PROs and Robert Levine analyzed the growing pushback among clubs and radio stations on the amount of collecting societies in the U.S.
Caught up? Here’s what else is going on:
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Warner Chappell Music Nashville and Morgan Wallen’s publishing company, Wilder Music, signed songwriter Jared Mullins to a global publishing deal. Wilder’s first signing, Mullins has co-written No. 1s like “Thank God” (Kane Brown feat. Katelyn Brown) and “Homemade” (Jake Owen), and has also collaborated with Wallen, Little Big Town and others. Originally from Maryland and West Virginia, he moved to Nashville in 2013 and has since written for Cole Swindell, Justin Moore and others. In 2022, he co-penned LOCASH’s “Beach Boys,” featuring Mike Love and Bruce Johnston. Wallen praised Mullins’ passion and creativity, while Mullins expressed gratitude for Wallen’s belief in him. “It is incredibly exciting to be working with Jared,” glowed Jessi Vaughn Stevenson, vp of A&R and digital at WCMN. “His talent is vast and varied, and to be partnering with Morgan is the cherry on top.”
Warner Chappell Music signed a worldwide administration deal with the one-and-only Diplo. A three-time Grammy winner, Diplo is known for a mess of global hits like “Where Are Ü Now,” “Lean On,” “Run the World (Girls)” and “Paper Planes.” He is a key member of Major Lazer, LSD, and Jack Ü, and his work with Silk City and Dua Lipa on “Electricity” earned platinum certification. Diplo continues to innovate with ventures like Diplo’s Run Club and his labels Mad Decent and Higher Ground. His recent projects include “Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley: Chapter 2 – Swamp Savant” and he just curated Diplo’s HonkyTonk at Stagecoach Festival, featuring artists like Paris Hilton and Anderson .Paak. “Diplo is a visionary creative whose multi-faceted success includes pushing boundaries with his own projects, creating cross-genre hits for others, and breaking talent through collaboration,” said Gabz Landman, senior vp of A&R at WCM. “It takes a rare kind of talent to be able to build and sustain a successful career that spans multiple decades – something Diplo has done almost effortlessly, and we’re so honored to help amplify his legacy even more.” Diplo added: “The Warner Chappell team … have an immensely skilled, forward thinking staff that I feel can help complement how I approach making and placing music.”
Kobalt signed Bizzy Crook, who played a key role in writing Leon Thomas’ breakout hit “Mutt.” The track recently peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and currently sits at No. 1 on the Hot R&B Songs chart. Thomas praised Crook’s dynamic songwriting process, describing it as complementary to his. “I’ll usually do the hooks and he’ll have really cool ideas for verses, and I’ll shape out a pre-chorus that really brings everything together,” Thomas said. “It’s kind of like playing Tetris with words.” Besides the original release, “Mutt” has been remixed twice, featuring collabs with Freddie Gibbs and Chris Brown. “His talent as a songwriter and storyteller is undeniable, and his work on ‘Mutt’ is a testament to the kind of creativity and vision we love to support,” said Genevieve Huguely, Kobalt’s manager of creative. “Bizzy brings a fresh perspective and a unique voice to everything he touches, and we’re proud to be part of this next chapter in his journey.”
Sony Music Publishing Nashville signed 18-year-old country singer-songwriter Caiden Wallace to a global publishing deal in partnership with Marv Green’s new venture, Out Yonder Music. Hailing from Springville, Calif., Wallace has gained attention with songs like “More Than a Night,” “Manipulate” and “Don’t Call,” which have earned millions of views on social media. His first studio-produced single, “Girl I Never Had,” was released on April 18. Rusty Gaston, CEO of SMP Nashville, praised Wallace’s raw talent and potential, observing that “his California roots are infused into every song he writes, and he is creating something special.” Green, who is Wallace’s uncle, highlighted his nephew’s “spirited work ethic and his natural born artistry” and predicted a major record deal in the near future.
VDW Music Group’s Marion Van Der Wees, BMM’s Timmy Haehl, Thomas Daniel, BMM’s Mike Molinar
Thomas Daniel signed an exclusive co-publishing agreement with Big Machine Music. His songs have been recorded by K-Pop stars ENHYPEN, Lauren Spencer Smith, Alexander Stewart, TAEYEON, and &TEAM. A multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and vocalist, Thomas has over 150 million streams of his own releases. Mike Molinar, BMM’s president, praised Thomas as a “natural,” adding, “his incredible sense of melody and capacity to capture the full range of human emotion lyrically are just a couple of reasons why we are so proud and excited that he chose us as his publishing partner.”
Armada Music Publishing signed new deals with Bloom Twins, SHELLS and Trance Wax, and extended its partnership with Da Beatfreakz. This expansion strengthens Armada’s UK presence and adds to its roster of successful producers and songwriters, including D.O.D, Ki Fitzgeral and Chicane. Ukrainian-born Bloom Twins (twin sisters Anna and Sofia Kuprienko) have joined under exclusive writer agreements to grow their songwriting careers following tracks like “High on Beat” and “DayDream.” SHELLS (Sarah Sheldrake) signed an exclusive deal after achieving a UK Top 5 hit and a BRIT nomination for “Dancing is Healing.” Belfast-based Trance Wax (Garry McCartney) brings his trance-inspired catalog and sold-out shows to the fold. Armada renewed its deal with Da Beatfreakz, whose 26x platinum hit “Prada” has over one billion streams. “This is an exciting time for Armada Music Publishing—we’re honored to join forces with Bloom Twins, SHELLS and Trance Wax, and build on the success of our partnership with Da Beatfreakz,” said Maykel Piron, CEO of Armada Music Group. “Each of them truly represents the very best in songwriting, and we’re thrilled to support them on their respective musical journeys.”
Audius, a decentralized music discovery and community platform, has partnered with Downtown Music to integrate millions of licensed recordings into its ecosystem. This deal includes both recording and publishing assets from Downtown’s catalog, giving over 4 million artists and 5,000 clients more control over monetization and fan engagement. The partnership looks to empower Downtown’s roster, including estates like John Lennon & Yoko Ono and Miles Davis, and contemporary artists like Jason Mraz and Pamungkas, to engage fans beyond traditional streaming. Audius collaborates with major names such as Skrillex, deadmau5 and Disclosure, and integrates with performance rights organizations like ASCAP and BMI. Both companies emphasized the benefits of artist autonomy and direct fan interaction, with Downtown vp of product and services strategy Harmen Hemminga highlighting Audius as a platform that “opens new doors for creative fan engagement and monetization, putting control into the hands of artists and rights holders.”
Musou Music Publishing and Warp Publishing have both joined IMPEL, the international collective licensing agency for digital music publishing rights. Musou Music Group, established in 2006 and headquartered in Athens, Greece, also includes Musou Music Production, Musou Studios and Musou Records. Warp Publishing, with offices in London and Los Angeles, grew out of Warp Records and offers personalized music publishing services to a diverse roster of artists, score composers and songwriters, including Boards of Canada, Slowdive, Khruangbin, Danny Brown and more. It also represents music catalogs for companies like Psychotic Reaction Music, Inni Music and Infine Music. Now in 17 countries, IMPEL represents top independent publishers like Beggars Music, Bucks Music and Reservoir, with a repertoire featuring global icons such as Ed Sheeran, Beyoncé and Rihanna.
Last Publishing Briefs: Reservoir Media Expands to India
The PRO business is booming! But could it become a victim of its own success?
For the 75 years after the 1939 founding of BMI, the U.S. had three organizations that collected public performance royalties for songs on behalf of composers and publishers: ASCAP, SESAC and BMI. And for much of that time — from the 1950s, when ASCAP and BMI expanded into all genres, to 1993, when a group of investors purchased SESAC — the competition might best be described as gentlemanly. ASCAP and BMI became the Coke and Pepsi of PROs, licensing similar rights, for different songs, to similar bars, restaurants, concert venues and television and radio stations. The privately owned SESAC was less aggressive than it is now.
Some licensees want to set the clock back to that simpler time. They may have inspired members of Congress to ask the Copyright Office to look into the subject, which resulted in a Notice of Inquiry and then a flood of comments. (Billboard has a guide here.) To understand why, and what this means, it helps to realize how much U.S. performance rights licensing has changed in the last decade.
In 2013, Irving Azoff, ever the disruptor, founded GMR, which like SESAC — owned by the investment group Blackstone since 2017 — signs big songwriters with big advances. Unlike ASCAP and BMI, which are more constrained by antitrust consent decrees and allow all songwriters to join, GMR and SESAC are free to cherry-pick from the most popular. (All four have big writers; GMR and SESAC just don’t have small ones.) With fewer writers, they are thought to bring in more money per performance of a song. They are also thought to be wildly profitable: A recent deal for a stake in GMR valued the company at $3.3 billion. Any business that good attracts competition, and two new PROs have emerged over the last five years: AllTrack, founded by former SESAC board member Hayden Bower; and the Florida-based PRO Music Rights.
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Things got complicated. Venues that had once received three bills for their use of music were suddenly getting five or six. Most knew they needed rights from what we might call the big four — and let’s pause for a moment to consider just how weird it is that the U.S. now has more established PROs than major labels — but some weren’t sure if they needed the rights controlled by AllTrack and PRO Music Rights. Costs went up — with the possibility of future increases — and let’s not kid ourselves that this is the real issue here.
Both the Notice of Inquiry and the responses to it are fascinating because, as several executives pointed out to me, this isn’t an issue that the Copyright Office — or even government regulation in general — seems especially well-suited to solve. The Copyright Office administers and consults on intellectual property law, and licensees presumably see the NOI as an opening move in a push for legislation that could constrain PROs — or even empower a government body to set royalty rates, as one does for mechanical rights. That would be a disaster for publishers and songwriters, which get their only negotiating power from performing rights. And licensees have much more lobbying power than the music business, simply because every Congressional district has bars and restaurants, while the music business is relatively concentrated in a few cities.
What, exactly, is the problem here? Look at the NOI, which sets out two very different issues: “The number of PROs in the United States has expanded in recent years, potentially undermining licensing efficiencies” and “PROs do not all disclose comprehensive information concerning the works that are covered by their licenses, and their royalty distribution practices and policies.” The only thing these issues have in common is that neither of them is really a matter for copyright law.
The idea that there are too many PROs is odd because for years the issue was that ASCAP and BMI had too much market power — hence the antitrust consent decrees. In legal terms, this is known as trying to have it both ways. Competition is a good thing, as long as it’s fair. If it’s not, that’s a matter for competition law — which traditionally champions competition! — not copyright.
One of the real issues behind the NOI is that it can be hard to tell which PRO controls what rights. This can be complicated, though, and the issues often have less to do with concealing information than with presenting it in an accessible way. AllTrack, which is focused on the independent market, allows potential licensees to search a database of songs to which it controls rights, but that requires looking up specific compositions. The site displays far more prominently some of the artists who play songs to which AllTrack owns at least some rights, including Billy Ray Cyrus, Elle King and No Doubt. In smaller type, underneath, it says that “The artists above are examples, but not an all inclusive list, of performers of AllTrack music” — and in most, but not all, cases it doesn’t control rights to all these artists’ songs, let alone their rights as songwriters. Billboard readers understand this, but it might drive the average bar owner to drink.
PRO Music Rights is even more controversial. It seems to focus on serving smaller songwriters in the so-called long tail, and it says it controls rights to more than 2 million works, including songs performed by A$AP Rocky, Wiz Khalifa and others. It is unclear how popular many of those songs are, though, and both the ASCAP and BMI responses to the NOI challenge its business practices more directly than those of AllTrack. In its filing, ASCAP says that in 2018 it discovered millions of songs registered by PRO Music Rights “that were apparently either computer-generated sounds or merely random titles” and BMI’s response points out that Spotify in a court filing accused PRO Music Rights founder Jake Noch of flooding its platform with AI music, although the case in question subsequently settled. (PRO Music Rights filed its own response to the NOI that accuses the established PROs of engaging in “anti-competitive practices.”)
The other side of transparency is that it’s not always clear how some PROs distribute some of the money they collect. But it seems hard to believe that licensees really worry about this — most just want to pay less — and that issue is really between PROs and creators and publishers. (Alas, Billboard advertisers seldom ask about the compensation of the publication’s witty and dashing “Follow the Money” columnist.) The best way to address this — maybe the only way to address it in a lasting way — could be a competitive market. Big songwriters who think that the big PROs don’t serve them well can sign with SESAC or GMR, although not all of them do. Why shouldn’t smaller ones have more options as well?
Like every other issue in the music business, this is ultimately about money — rightsholders want to charge more and licensees want to pay less. That’s business. And it seems best to keep it as business, without getting the government involved.