State Champ Radio signings
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Houston-based rapper KenTheMan (born Kentavia Miller) signed a label deal with Roc Nation, which released her latest single, “I Love a Freak,” on Friday (July 14), with an EP on the way. The rapper, known for tracks including “Not My N*gga” and “He Be Like,” is slated to perform at Rolling Loud Miami on Sunday (July 23).
YG Entertainment K-pop group TREASURE signed a label deal with Columbia Records in the United States. Columbia will release the group’s forthcoming album in partnership with YG.
Paris-based indie distributor IDOL signed a direct artist partnership with U.S. rapper-producer (and Flatbush Zombies founding member) Erick the Architect (“Death by Dishonor,” “Let It Go”). IDOL will handle global digital distribution and marketing for his debut solo album, to be released on his own label, Architect Recording Company; the first single, “Parkour” (produced by James Blake), dropped on July 11. He is managed by Quincy Jones Productions.
Virgin Music signed an agreement with Paul Rosenberg‘s Goliath Records for Rise of the Silverback, the upcoming album from battle rapper and social media personality Nems. The album will be preceded by the single “Drip.” Nems is represented by managers Busy Rivera and Mex Guevara, the latter of whom also serves as his booking agent.
New York-based nonprofit Daniel’s Music Foundation launched Just Call Me By My Name, a new record label focused on musicians with disabilities. Distributed by The Orchard, the label will release compilation albums coinciding with “key disability awareness dates.” The first EP, Just Call Me By My Name: Volume 1, will drop on Friday (July 21). It features five artists: singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist James Ian (who has spinal muscular atrophy type 3); singer-songwriter, piano player and mixer-arranger Devin Gutierrez (on the autism spectrum and with optic nerve hypoplasia, which causes blindness); 12-year-old opera singer Iolanta Mamatkazina (who is blind); rock and blues guitarist Jake Nielsen (who has cerebral palsy); and singer-songwriter/Daniel’s Music Foundation co-founder Daniel Trush and his songwriting partner Gerard Powers. Musicians on the label are sourced through the Danny Awards, an annual awards show produced by Daniel’s Music Foundation that recognizes musicians with disabilities.
Madrid-based artist Ralphie Choo signed to Warner Records, which will release his debut album, SUPERNOVA, in partnership with RUSIA IDK on September 15. The album is preceded by the single “MÁQUINA CULONA” featuring Mura Masa.
Republic Records China signed Mandarin pop star Hannah Rebecca Jin, who has been a recording artist in her native country for over 20 years and broke through in the late ’90s with albums including Wake Up Your Ears and So Proud. The signing marks a reunion between Jin and Tony Wen, the producer Jin worked with at the beginning of her career who now serves as MD of Republic Records China. Jin’s first single for the label is a reimagined version of her hit single, “So Proud.” She will next team up with Wen to co-produce an all-new original album for the label.
Big Noise Music Group signed 16-year-old rapper and pop-punk singer and content creator Gavin Magnus to a multi-album deal. Magnus previously signed with Columbia Records at age 12. His first release on Big Noise will be the single “PSYCHO.”
New Jersey-based band Nicotine Dolls, whose lead singer, Sam Cieri, previously appeared on America’s Got Talent, signed to Nettwerk. The label will release the band’s new single, “How Do You Love Me,” off its forthcoming EP. Nicotine Dolls is represented by manager JR Schumann and booking agents Winston Simone and Sara Schlievert at Paladin Artists.
Golden State Entertainment signed tiny deaths, a project from Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Claire de Lune, who was a founding member of all-women group The Chalice alongside Lizzo and Sophia Eris. Formed in 2022, Golden State Entertainment is an affiliate company of the Golden State Warriors that creates original content. In addition to her artist career, de Lune works as a sportswriter for The Guardian, where she is a regular NBA columnist. She was previously signed to Handwritten Records.
WME signed Seedphrase (born Daniel Maegaard), an artist, DJ, entrepreneur and early-stage crypto investor whose digital art collection includes some of the rarest NFTs in the world. He is slated to drop original music this year, in addition to various Web3 releases. Seedphrase is managed by Three Six Zero.
Vere Music and Brickhouse Entertainment signed pop singer-songwriter Mary-Clair, with Vere serving as her distributor and Brickhouse as her management. The first release under the deal is Mary-Clair’s debut single, “Heaven in the Way,” which was co-written by Tedd T.
Sara Evans signed with Nashville-based label Melody Place, which she joins in partnership with her own imprint, Born to Fly Records. The country singer is slated to return to the recording studio in October to work on new music, with an expected album release in 2024. It will be her first album of original material in seven years. “When the Melody Place team approached me about working together and expanding all the things I’d already been doing with my own label — Born To Fly Records, it became clear that they share the same passion and excitement about trying new and innovative things to connect fans with music,” said Evans in a statement. Evans is represented by manager Craig Dunn at One Spark Entertainment and agents Doug Neff and Becky Gardenhire at WME.
Independent artist Petey (“Don’t Tell the Boys,” “Lean Into Life”) signed with Capitol Records, which will release his new single, “I’ll Wait,” on July 7. He’s represented by managers Ethan Silverman and William Crane and agent Tor Breon at WME. He was previously signed to Terrible Records.
Bronx rapper Scar Lip (“Glizzy Gobbler,” “This Is New York”) signed with Epic Records, which will be releasing new music from the spitter “very soon.”
Singer-songwriter Vera Sola signed to City Slang Records, which released her new single, “Desire Path,” on June 28. It’s her first new release since 2019. Sola is represented by manager Jim Martin at XXVII Arts and agent Will Church at ATC.
Country singer/songwriter and rapper C’ing Jerome (“Barn Don’t Close”) signed a record deal with Average Joes Entertainment. The label released his latest single, “Average Joe,” on June 16.
Page 1 Management added London-based songwriter/producer Tommy Sanders and songwriter/producer David Kerckhoff to its roster. Sanders will work with Rob Turnham out of Page 1’s London office and Kerckhoff will work with Nina Musolino out of Page 1’s Nashville office.
Boston band Final Gasp signed with Relapse Records, which will release the group’s debut album, Mourning Moon, on September 22. The group’s 2021 EP, Haunting Whisper, was released by Triple B Records.
MNRK Music Group signed English “tech metal” band Turin to its heavy metal and hard rock imprint MNRK Heavy.
X Ambassadors signed with Virgin Music, which recently released the band’s latest single, “Happy People” with Teddy Swims and Jac Ross; the track is part of the group’s collaborative singles project (Eg). X Ambassadors is represented by manager Seth Kallen at This Fiction as well as agents David Galea and Adam Sylvester at UTA (North America, Latin America, Australia and Asia) and Geoff Meall at Wasserman (United Kingdom/Europe). The band was previously signed to Interscope.
Actor/singer/songwriter Coco Jones signed with WME in all areas. In addition to starring on the Peacock series Bel-Air, Jones’ lead single, “ICU,” recently hit No. 1 on Billboard‘s R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. Jones is managed by Lydia Astrat and M88, with legal representation by Fox Rothschild. She is signed to High Standardz/Def Jam.
Composer/pianist/producer Nicholas Britell signed a label services deal with Secretly Distribution, through which the company will work with Britell on several upcoming projects and campaigns. The first of these is the Succession: Season 4 soundtrack, which Secretly released to global streaming services (via Britell’s newly launched Lake George Music Group imprint) just hours after the HBO series’ finale aired.
Cr2 Records signed an exclusive long-term artist deal with artist/producer Matt Sassari (“Give It To Me”), in partnership with Sassari’s distributor, Believe UK. Cr2’s relationship with Sassari and his label, SASS, kicked off in 2017. Over the past two years, that relationship has been supported by Believe’s dance and electronic imprint, b:electronic; under that deal, Cr2 was given access to Believe’s global marketing services. Sassari is represented by manager Stephen Macias, who also serves as his booking agent outside the United States. His U.S. booking agent is David Lewis.
Teo Glacier (“Too Much”) signed to Capitol Records, which released his latest single, “close with desires,” in May. Glacier is represented by Page 1 Management.
Singer-songwriter Katelyn Tarver signed to Nettwerk, which will release her sophomore album early next year. Tarver’s first release under the label is the single “Starting to Scare Me,” which dropped on Friday (June 2). Tarver is represented by manager David Adcock at Red Light and booking agent Andy Mack at WME.
Lee Greenwood signed with booking agency Action Entertainment Collaborative, where Charles Ray and Nick Meinema will serve as his responsible agents. Greenwood is currently slated to tour the United States as part of the 40th-anniversary celebration for his song “God Bless the USA.” Greenwood is self-managed and signed to Time Life Music.
Big Thief guitarist and singer-songwriter Buck Meek signed to 4AD, which will release his third studio album, Haunted Mountain, on August 25.
Country singer-songwriter T. Graham Brown signed an exclusive booking deal with Third Coast Talent, where he’ll be represented by Carrie Moore-Reed. Brown has U.S. tour dates starting in June and running through November.
Country vocal group Ricochet (“Daddy’s Money”) signed with Encore Music Group, which will release the band’s first album in over a decade: Ricochet Then & Now…The Hits & More. Slated for release on Aug. 18, the album will include new renditions of the group’s past hits as well as eight new songs.
New Orleans-based hip-hop/R&B artist RJAE signed to the Roc Nation label, which released his new single, “Remember That” featuring A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, on Friday (June 2) and will put out his full album, You’re the Problem, later this year. The next single from the set, “Too Gone” featuring NBA YoungBoy, releases on June 16. He is managed by Fee Banks at Good Money Global.
Singer-songwriter Jay Allen signed to ONErpm Nashville‘s in-house label. The company will also handle distribution of Allen’s forthcoming music, including his next single, “Jello Shot,” releasing June 16. Previously signed to Verge Records, Allen is represented by manager Stacy Stavola and booking agent Jeff Hill at APA.
Seattle musician Sea Lemon (born Natalie Lew) signed to Luminelle Recordings, which released her new single, “Cellar,” on May 23. She is represented by manager Brent Stiefel and booking agent Lindsay Schiffman.
New York-based artist Computerwife (a.k.a. Addie Warncke) signed to Danger Collective Records, which will release her self-titled debut album on Aug. 4. It was preceded by lead single “Lexapro,” released on Monday (June 5). She is represented by booking agent Yiwei Meng at MB Touring.
Country singer-songwriter Aidan Canfield signed with The Neal Agency for booking. Canfield is slated to perform at CMA Fest on Sunday (June 11). He’s represented by Justine Avila with The Moonshot Group for management, James Dail at Wiatr & Associates for business management and Elliot Groffman at Carroll, Guido, Groffman for legal.
Belgian electronic duo Mosley Jr signed with newly launched boutique label CORE Records as its second-ever act. CORE will release the duo’s debut album on June 30, preceded by first single “Lonestar Retreat.” Mosley Jr is represented by Gert Beazar at the duo’s own management company/label Moodfamily and booking agency Muzo Creative.
Lizzy McAlpine, whose TikTok-driven hit “Ceilings” topped Billboard‘s Alternative Streaming Songs chart in March while also marking her first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100, has signed with artist development company Godmode for management, Billboard can reveal.
McAlpine, who recently completed her North American tour, signed with RCA Records in April and is represented by Ben Buchanan, Marlene Tsuchii and Brian Greenbaum at CAA for booking.
Led by co-founder/CEO Talya Elitzer, Godmode’s roster also includes Channel Tres, SG Lewis and JPEGMAFIA. The company additionally encompasses a record label and publishing arm.
Poolside, the artist project of producer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Jeffrey Paradise, signed with Ninja Tune imprint Counter Records after self-releasing his three previous albums via his Pacific Standard Records imprint. Poolside’s first release under the label, the single “Each Night” featuring Australian indie-pop band Mazy, dropped Wednesday (May 17). He’s represented by managers Bryan Duquette and Michael Bigham at Another Planet Management and booking agents Avery McTaggart at TBA and Latane Hughes at Wasserman.
Australian electronic rock band Pendulum signed with Mushroom Group and Universal Music Group’s global independent music division Virgin Music Group, which will release the group’s new single, “Halo” featuring Matt Tuck of Bullet For My Valentine, on June 2.
Country singer/songwriter Matt Schuster (“Vienna”) signed with WME for booking and Extended Play for management; he previously signed a publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group.
Rock band Krooked Kings and its label home, Nobody Gets It, signed a deal with Matt Geffen‘s Coup D’Etat Music for distribution (in partnership with ADA Worldwide) and publishing (in partnership with AVEX USA). This is the first signing for Coup D’Etat’s newly-launched distribution division. The band, which just released the album All Out of Good Days, is represented by manager Wade Davis of Nobody Gets It and Alex Douma of CAA for booking.
Country singer/songwriter Tyler Halverson signed to The Erv Woolsey Company for management. Halverson recently released his major label debut single, “Her,” on Atlantic Records.
Lebanese singer Maya Diab (“Sawa,” “Habibi”) signed to Warner Music Middle East, which will release her EP, #MyMayaV, later this year. In addition to her music career, Diab is known across the Arab world as a music producer, TV personality and fashion influencer.
Los Angeles-based indie-electronic duo The Hellp (comprised of vocalist Noah Dillon and producer Chandler Ransom Lucy) signed with Atlantic Records, which released its new single, “California Dream Girl,” on March 16.
Ambient artist/mastering engineer Taylor Deupree signed to Nettwerk, which released his latest song, “Eev,” on May 12. Deupree previously released music via his own label, 12k.
Country, bluegrass and gospel duo Dailey & Vincent signed to Morris Higham Management. Made up of Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent, the duo is signed to BMG Nashville and represented by booking agents Tony Conway, Brandon Mauldin and Cody Payne at Conway Entertainment Group.
Grammy-nominated production and songwriting team Futuristiks: Mike & Keys signed a two-album partnership with Lowly/Create Music Group, kicked off by the release of their new EP, 10 Toes Down featuring Casey Veggies. The duo served as executive producers on Nipsey Hussle‘s Crenshaw mixtape and have also worked with Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Lupe Fiasco, 50 Cent and more.
Los Angeles-based, Toledo, Ohio-bred rapper CNN Mikey signed to Polo G‘s label ODA (Only Dreams Achieve), which will drop the video for his ODA debut single, “FOR MY PEOPLE,” on Wednesday (May 24). CNN Mikey is managed by Mike Maloian and Patrick MacDonald of 25/7 Management.
Sony Classical signed Frankfurt, Germany-based cellist Anastasia Kobekina and will release her debut major label album early next year. Kobekina is managed by Gregor Kotow and Shannen Liu at Liu Kotow International Management & Promotion.
Lauren Records signed Talking Kind, the solo project of Big Nothing member and former Spraynard frontman Pat Graham. The label released his first song, “Damn Shame,” on Thursday (May 18).
Colombian star J Balvin has officially joined Roc Nation as a management client, where he will be overseen directly by Jay Brown and Chris Knight.
Balvin was previously managed by Fabio Acosta and Scooter Braun’s SB projects. He parted ways with the latter on June 30, 2022, after nearly three years together. He continued working with Acosta and his company, Akela Family Music, through March. Acosta had managed or co-managed Balvin in some capacity for the past decade. Sources say the two parted on amicable terms.
Balvin, one of the biggest Latin stars in the world, has had a series of management shifts over the past five years. In 2019, he parted ways with manager Rebeca León, who had managed him since the onset of his career in the United States, and signed with Braun. Throughout both deals, Acosta remained part of his management team and worked in partnership with SB Project, helping bring in groundbreaking deals and partnerships. These included his celebrity menu collaboration with McDonald’s — a first for a Latin act. Balvin was also the first Latin artist to collaborate with Nike and Michael Jordan on an Air Jordan collaboration, and in November of 2020, he performed in Fortnite, marking the first performance ever by a Latin act for a gaming company.
Last year, Balvin also briefly split with his longtime agency, WME, and went to UTA, after postponing his 25-date José tour. But after four months, he returned to WME.
Balvin is currently featured on the Fast X soundtrack with the track “Toretto.” He’s also announced a series of European tour dates, mostly festivals, beginning with a June 24 performance at the Solydays festival in Paris.
Balvin’s full touring schedule is below.
6/24 – Paris – Solydays 25th Anniversary Festival6/26 – Ibiza – Pacha Nightclub6/30 – Seville – Puro Latino Fest7/1 – Madrid – Puro Latino Fest7/3 – Ibiza – Pacha Nightclub7/8 – Liege, Belgium – Les Ardentes Festival7/9 – Constanta, Romania – Neversea Festival7/11 – Milan – Milano Latin Festival7/12 – Bern, Switzerland – Gurten Park7/14 – Tenerife – Ritmo del Mundo7/15 – Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal – Meo Mares Vivas Festival7/21 – Byron Bay, Australia – Splendour in the Grass7/23 – Melbourne – Margaret Court7/25 – Sydney – Hordern Pavillion
PJ Harvey signed with Partisan Records, which will release her tenth studio album, I Inside the Year Old Dying, on July 7. The album — Harvey’s first since 2016’s The Hope Six Demolition Project — was preceded by the song and video, “A Child’s Question, August.” Harvey is managed by Sumit Bothra at ATC; her agents are Marsha Vlasic at AGI in North America and Alex Bruford at ATC for the rest of the world.
Rising Toronto artist ThxSoMuch signed with Elektra Records, which will release his debut EP, Sleez, on May 19, preceded by the single “Crumbled.” ThxSoMuch is managed by Tommy Kiljoy at mad world and Mac Moon; his booking agents are Jay Belin, Jesse Robbins and Robby Fraser at WME.
Country singer/songwriter/rapper David Morris signed with Virgin Music Group via a partnership with Grey Area Music. The label will release Morris’ new single, “Jenny’s Song,” on May 23.
British rock band Skunk Anansie signed with Blue Raincoat Artists for management. They will be managed by the company’s co-founder/CEO Jeremy Lascelles, in partnership with Kat Kennedy of Big Life Management (Lascelles signed the band to their first music publishing agreement in 1994 while at Chrysalis Music). Skunk Anansie was previously managed by Leigh Johnson, who oversaw the band’s career for over three decades. The group is currently working on tracks for a new album to be released next year, with plans to tour in 2024 and 2025.
Singer-songwriter BJ the Chicago Kid signed with Yeti Beats‘ Reach the World Records, a joint venture with RCA Records. His latest single, “Forgot Your Name,” was released May 3, with a second single expected soon. He is managed by Myisha Brooks; his booking agent is DeMont Callender at Wasserman.
Jonas Group Entertainment announced two new management signings: Country-pop artist/songwriter Levi Hummon (“Good Riddance,” “Paying for It”) and country singer MaRynn Taylor. Hummon is signed to Reservoir Media for publishing, while Taylor, who will work directly with Blue Raincoat CEO Phil Guerini, is signed to Black River for both recording and publishing.
Mysterious artist-producer underscores signed with Mom+Pop Music. Her first release on the label is the new song and video, “Cops and robbers.”
Swedish synth-pop duo Kite signed with Dais Records, which released their single, “Don’t Take the Light Away,” last month. Kite is represented by manager Adam Borjesson and booking agent Robin Sumpton at Luger.
Married Americana artists Mark and Maggie O’Connor signed with ONErpm Nashville, which will release their latest album, Life After Life, this summer. It will be preceded by the lead single “Verbovaya Doschechka,” which is a new arrangement of the Ukrainian folk song of the same name. Maggie will play violin and sing leads on the new album, while Mark will add harmonies while playing acoustic guitar, violin and mandolin. They’re represented by Skyline Artists for booking and managed by MOC Enterprises. They were previously signed to Sony/The Orchard for distribution.
Jazz artist/pianist/producer/composer Kayla Waters signed with Shanachie Entertaiment, which will release her label debut album, Presence, on July 7.
Australia garage rock band Girl and Girl signed to Sub Pop, which released their single, “All I See,” last month. The group is currently working on new music and touring throughout May. Girl and Girl are managed by Simone Ubaldi and Andrew Parisi; they’re signed to Virgin in Australia.
Tim Kinsella and Jenny Pulse signed to Kill Rock Stars, coinciding with the release of their new single, “Sun Inspector.” Kinsella has played with bands including Joan of Arc, Carp’n Jazz and Owls; Pulse is a vocalist, electronic musician and producer who has released dance-oriented pop songs under her own name as well as experimental soundscapes and field recordings as Spa Moans. The duo is represented by booking agent Robin Taylor at Inland Empire.
Montreal quartet Nora Kelly Band signed with Mint Records for the release of their debut album, Rodeo Clown, on August 25. The label released their new single, “Lay Down Girl,” earlier this month. The group is managed by Kathryn Huyhn at Danagement.
Americana artist and songwriter Al Staehely signed with Quarto Valley Records, which will release his new album in June. Staehely is also a music/entertainment attorney; as a musician, he has played with Spirit, the Staehely Brothers and more. He has also released music as a solo artist and written songs for acts including Bobbie Gentry, Marty Balin and Keith Moon.
CIL, the 20-year-old pop artist who recently opened for Stevie Nicks on a string of spot dates, has signed to Warner Records, Billboard can exclusively reveal. The singer-songwriter commemorated the label deal by releasing a new single, the blistering “Devil In Your Eyes,” on Friday (May 5).
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“’Devil In Your Eyes’ is about freedom,” CIL says in a statement. “It’s about realizing somebody wasn’t who you thought they were. You may break over them, but at least you’re breaking free.”
The Fort Collins, Colo. native moved to Los Angeles by herself as a teenager to pursue a music career after teaching herself piano as a child. Her debut single, the waltzing “One More Shot,” earned a following on TikTok upon its independent release last October, and has earned 12.6 million U.S. on-demand streams through Apr. 27, according to Luminate.
In March, CIL was tapped to open for Nicks for four dates on her U.S. arena tour, writing on social media that she was “beyond honored & grateful for the incredible opportunity.”
“CIL’s world-class vocals, combined with her genuine authenticity and moving personal story, are certain to make her one of the most important artist voices of this next generation,” says Aaron Bay-Schuck, Warner Records co-Chairman and CEO, in a statement. “She’s totally fearless, raw, vulnerable, real, and uncompromising in her mission to make emotional connections with people through her music. From the moment I met her, I knew she had to be a Warner Records artist. Tom [Corson] and I are grateful she felt the same way.”
“Devil In Your Eyes” marks CIL’s second release of 2023, following the track “Girl I Used To Be,” which was released in March. CIL is currently working on her first proper project for Warner Records.
“I’m so honored and excited to be joining Warner Records,” CIL says. “Aaron and the whole team have been amazing from the start – immediately understanding what I stand for and where I’m headed. I’m very grateful for their support in bringing my dreams to life.”
Grammy-winning singer and actress Toni Braxton inked a new, all-encompassing production deal with Lifetime and A+E. Under the agreement, Braxton’s Braxtoni Production will oversee and executive produce multiple projects for the network. The production company will be based at Lifetime’s Los Angeles offices. Braxton has starred in and executive produced multiple movies for Lifetime over the last decade; in 2016, the network premiered Toni Braxton: Unbreak My Heart, a biopic about Braxton starring Lex Scott Davis as the singer.
Primary Wave Music partnered with Indian record label and music publisher Times Music. Under the deal, Primary Wave will invest “significant capital” in the company while providing resources for additional Indian catalog investments and helping accelerate the growth of its existing regional, film and non-film music catalogs by assisting the Times Music team in uncovering opportunities in the United States, Europe and other markets in A&R, branding, synch, film/TV and digital marketing, according to a press release. Times Music is looking to make further investments in Bollywood and South Indian cinema music as well as “iconic Indian catalogs,” the release states. Times Music is a subsidiary of The Times of India Group.
Warner Music Singapore and Cross Ratio Entertainment, a leading Singaporean independent record label, signed an exclusive global distribution agreement. Under the deal, Warner Music Singapore will work closely with Cross Ratio on new releases, catalogs, brand partnerships, synchronization deals and marketing events as well as on identifying and upstreaming artists. The Cross Ratio roster includes Akeem Jahat, Alfred Sim, Belinda Lee, and Derrick Hoh; the label also distributes over 200 additional artists.
Academy Award-winning composer Justin Hurwitz (Whiplash, La La Land) partnered with music-for-advertising and sonic branding company Score a Score to expand Hurwitz’s “creative energy to the world of advertising — applying his unique ability to create ‘earworm’ melodies on the big screen to short-form campaigns,” according to a press release. Hurwitz has previously worked with brands including De’Loghi, Heineken and Louis Vuitton.
Will Ward — head of the talent, music, production and incubator company, Fourward — launched Fourward Ventures, a $50 million, early-stage growth fund actively investing in sectors including health and wellness, sustainability and consumer packaged goods. The company has successfully closed half the fund and is on track to close the rest by September 15. “The company seeks brands that disrupt traditional consumer categories through innovation and aims to drive change in society through products or services,” according to a press release, and will help “to quickly scale cutting edge early-stage brands into world-class businesses.” The fund has already invested in nine companies: Audio Up, Goodles, Lomi by Pela, Mad Rabbit, Patrake, Samsara, Starface, Julie and Bryn Pharma. Ten percent of carry profits will be set aside for three different charities not named in the release.
Advertising, communications, technology and commerce holding company WPP has acquired sonic branding agency amp sound branding. Under the deal, amp will join WPP’s brand and design consultancy, Landor & Fitch, adding to the agency’s expertise in delivering immersive brand identities for companies. Amp has created sonic identities for brands including Mastercard, Mercedes-Benz, Kraft Heinz, Deloitte, Shell and General Motors.
The U.K. office of French music company Believe formed a partnership with underground dance music company Rinse to handle distribution and label services for its Rinse Recordings and Bad Music imprints. Under its new b:electronic global imprint, Believe will handle the global distribution for all Rinse and Bad Music frontline and catalog releases. Rinse will continue to handle day-to-day marketing for both imprints while benefitting from Believe’s audience development team across 50 countries, with a focus on audio and video plus editorial and marketing partnerships with digital service providers.
Warner Music UK and independent record label Brownswood Recordings formed a joint venture that will see WMUK “share its expertise in distribution, marketing, and promotion and give Brownswood Recordings access to a global network and a wealth of resources,” according to a press release. The first release under the deal will be Black Classical Music, the debut solo album from drummer/producer/artist Yussef Dayes, which is slated for release on September 8. Brownswood will continue to operate as an independent label, with its leadership team retaining creative control.
Credit Union 1 is the new name-in-title sponsor of the outdoor, 28,000-capacity venue formerly known as Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre at Tinley Park located in southwest Chicago. Now known as Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre, the Live Nation venue is described as the latest addition to Credit Union 1’s entertainment naming rights portfolio in the greater Chicago area.
Insomniac Music Group partnered with free creator-safe music platform Slip.stream to make its music catalog — which includes songs from over 120 artists — to be made available and claim-free via Slip.stream’s online subscription license. Through its integration with FUGA and its Licensease API technology, Slip.stream will protect Insomniac’s copyrights on YouTube while allowing creators to use the music and monetize their videos on all platforms. The Insomniac catalog is now available to Slip.stream’s Pro and Commercial subscribers, though creators can sign up free with access to the rest of the Slip.stream catalog.
ASM Global formed a partnership with London Stadium in the United Kingdom to create additional event content for the venue’s upcoming calendar while also developing new commercial opportunities. Originally built to host the London 2012 Olympic Games, London Stadium is home to the Premier League football club in West Ham United as well as U.K. Athletics. It’s the second-largest concert capacity stadium in London.
FIVE Hotels and Resorts has struck a joint venture with Warner Music Group for the Dubai-based luxury brand’s record label, FIVE Music. To kick off the partnership, FIVE Music — alongside Warner Music Central Europe, Dabruck Creative and FIVE Music’s exclusive music publishing partner, Warner Chappell Music — is in the midst of hosting a music writing camp from April 28 to May 14 at FIVE Palm Jumeirah in Dubai with artists including Robin Schulz, Space Motion, Franky Wah and Alle Farben and songwriters including KIDDO, Bully Songs and Gez O’Connell. Through the deal, FIVE Music has also committed to establishing a state-of-the-art music studio — dubbed FIVE Music Studio — at the FIVE Palm Jumeirah.
Dequency — described as “a web3-powered, decentralised marketplace for on-chain sync licensing” — partnered with artificial intelligence music tagging and recommendation engine Cyanite, which develops AI algorithms for music analysis, tagging, search and discovery to help clients including BMG, Nettwerk, UMPG Music Solutions and more unlock the full value of their repertoire. The new agreement with Cyanite “will make discovering new, original works on the Dequency platform for use in content easier than ever,” according to a press release.
Urbano star and reggaeton veteran Chencho Corleone has launched a “new musical phase” by signing a global record deal with Sony Music Latin, the company tells Billboard. The agreement comes on the heels of Chencho’s upcoming debut album as a solo artist; he was previously one-half of the duo Plan B, who rose to fame in the early 2000s.
“I’m very happy with what we’ve been creating and what’s coming up,” said the Puerto Rican hitmaker in a statement. “I’m sure my fans will enjoy this new musical phase, adding another milestone in my career.”
Corleone is set to drop the first single from the set, “Un Cigarrillo,” on Thursday (May 4) along with a music video directed by Jessy Terrero. “I had the opportunity to sit down with production and the team to create a visual concept that projects and marks the new solo path at the beginning,” Chencho added in his statement.
The deal comes amid a career spike for Corleone. Last year, he scored his first No. 1 on Billboard‘s Hot Latin Songs chart thanks to “Me Porto Bonito” with Bad Bunny, which ruled the tally for 20 weeks. He also notched his first No. 1 on Billboard‘s Latin Airplay chart with his feature on Rauw Alejandro‘s “Desesperados.”
About the signing, Sony Music U.S. Latin president Alex Gallardo, added, “We’re extremely happy to welcome Chencho Corleone to the Sony Music family. Chencho has proved to be one of the leaders in his genre with his distinctive style and powerhouse collaborations, reaffirming his position worldwide. We are committed alongside his team to take his career to new levels and establish him as one of the biggest names in the music.”
Los Angeles punk/hardcore band Militarie Gun have signed with Roc Nation for management, Billboard can reveal.
The signing follows the announcement of the group’s debut album, Life Under the Gun, which is due out June 23 on Loma Vista Records. The 12-track project, engineered by Taylor Young at the Pit Recording Studio, will include the band’s previously-released single, “Do It Faster,” as well as its latest single, “Very High.” The album is available for pre-order on vinyl, CD and cassette here.
“When I first heard the demos for Militarie Gun’s forthcoming album, I literally couldn’t stop listening,” says the band’s manager Blaze James. “[Frontman] Ian [Shelton] has a knack for writing pop melodies layered into punk songs with an emotional pull. It was right in my wheelhouse.”
Life Under the Gun follows the release of several EPs by the band, including My Life Is Over and All Roads Lead to the Gun/All Roads Lead to the Gun II. Militarie Gun formed in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic; influences include Guided By Voices, Fugazi and The Jesus Lizard. In addition to frontman Shelton, the current lineup includes guitarists Nick Cogan and William Acuña and drummer Vince Nguyen. The band, which played South by Southwest in March, is slated to kick off a run of North American and European tour dates on Saturday (May 6) in San Pedro, Calif.
Militarie Gun also recently scored a high-profile synch, with the band and Dazy’s single “Pressure Cooker” being featured in Taco Bell’s new “Build Your Own Cravings” commercial; the ad is part of the brand’s “Feed the Beat” program.
