State Champ Radio signings
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Alec Benjamin (“Let Me Down Slowly”) signed with Range Media Partners‘ music division. The singer-songwriter is ramping up for the release of his third studio album, which is slated for release on Elektra next year. “Coal” singer-songwriter Dylan Gossett signed with UTA for global representation in all areas. Gossett also recently signed to Big Loud […]
Jabari is taking his talents to Epic Records.
The multi-hyphenate, best known as the star of Peacock’s Bel-Air, is looking to showcase his skills on the mic as the label’s newest signee. On Friday (Dec. 1), he’ll embark on his musical journey with the release of his label debut, “Something Else.”
“With the creation of ‘Something Else,’ I wanted to give life to the grey areas of infatuation,” Jabari tells Billboard. “I wanted to share where I was in that time, and along with my team, we executed that well. Also very excited be to be taking this first step with Epic Records. Shout to Sylvia Rhone and Zeke Lewis for being headlights for the vision. I have a lot more to give. Thanks for being here on this journey.”
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“Jabari is a multi-hyphenate young superstar in the making. Artists like him represent the future of entertainment and we could not resist the opportunity to join and assist with his upward movement,” adds Ezekiel Lewis, president of Epic Records.
On Bel-Air, Jabari plays the lead role of Will Smith (named after the star of the original series, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air). The show has given momentum to his acting career, though he has previously noted that avid fans of the original ’90s sitcom were initially skeptical about the show’s modern-day twist.
“It just really came from a pure place. And honestly, it’s incredible, because we’re standing on the shoulders of giants,” Jabari told Variety last year. “The wingspan of this show is incredible, because it reaches for so many generations, and everybody knows it. And it’s such a beloved TV series, it’s a quintessential ’90s sitcom. And so it’s so it’s everyone’s baby, and they’re like, ‘We don’t touch that we don’t touch this.’ But I was definitely confident, I was like, ‘Just wait and watch because we got some great things cooking up.’”
Jabari will look to follow in the steps of his co-star, Coco Jones, who recently reeled in five Grammy nominations, most notably in the best new artist category. When asked how he will balance his music and TV responsibilities simultaneously, Jabari says: “Because God is good.”
BMG has extended its global publishing deal with Pitbull. He first signed to the company nearly a decade ago, and under this renewed partnership, his back catalog of hits and future songs will be administered by the BMG team. Warner Chappell Music has signed singer-songwriter Dido to a new publishing deal, including her back catalog […]
Brazilian DJ, producer and entrepreneur Vintage Culture has signed with WME for global representation.
Known for creating house and techno blends, Vintage Culture has played festivals including Coachella and Tomorrowland and recently completed the second year of his residency at Hï Ibiza. This year, he also launched Vintage Is a Festival, an event that has rolled out to five major cities in Brazil and will hit São Paulo next month. He founded his own record label and festival brand, Só Track Boa, and also has a partnership with electronic music and lifestyle brand Born of Music Addiction.
Earlier this year, Vintage Culture announced his forthcoming debut album and released “If I Live Forever” featuring Izzy Bizzu, the first single off the LP. Elsewhere, he’s collaborated with and remixed artists including the late Maxi Jazz, Rufus Du Sol, John Summit, Meduza, The Martinez Brothers & Louie Vega, Diplo, Roland Clark, Aurora, Sonny Fodera, Claptone, James Hype, Annabel Englund and Solardo.
Vintage Culture is managed by Guga Arthuri at Entourage Management and Jay Pidgeon at Purple Wall Management.
Country singer-songwriter Charlie Worsham signed with UTA for global representation in all areas. Worsham is signed to Warner Music Nashville, which released his latest project, the EP Compadres, in October. He continues to tour as part of Dierks Bentley’s band and was recently nominated for the CMA award for musician of the year.
Nettwerk signed a trio of new artists: singer-songwriter-guitarist Lily Meola (America’s Got Talent), singer-songwriter-producer Bryce Fox and Scottish duo SAINT PHNX (brothers Alan and Stevie Jukes). Meola is managed by Blaike Ford and Jordy Dettmer at Range Media Partners and Jeffrey Evans and Jackson Lauer at Buskin Entertainment, with booking by Corrie Martin at Wasserman; her A&Rs at Nettwerk are Eric Robinson, Marshall Altman and Meg Tarquinio. Fox is managed by Scott Sheldon, Berko Pearce and Peyton Marek at RM 64; his Nettwerk A&Rs are Dan Fraser and Mark Jowett. Saint Phnx are managed by Marc Fineman and Hannah Coles at Fine Group Entertainment and Alistair Goldsmith at Chosen Music, with booking by Tom Windish at Wasserman. Their Nettwerk A&R is Eric Robinson.
Country artist LECADE (real name Cade Brinkley) signed with 10th Street Entertainment (which also represents Bailey Zimmerman) for management. An independent country artist with hip-hop roots, LECADE released his debut album, Chasing Ghosts, in 2022. He is signed to Big Machine Records, which recently released his debut on the label, “Next Town Over.” Elsewhere, he’s represented by Joey Lee, Alex Luebbert and Kevin Meads at WME for booking and FBMM for business management.
U.K.-based brother-sister duo Wasia Project (William and Olivia Hardy) renewed their label deal with AWAL, which will release their upcoming debut album. The alt-pop duo previously released their debut EP, how can i pretend?, which featured the single “ur so pretty.” They are managed by Rob Swerdlow and booked by Tom Windish and Zac Bluestone at Wasserman Music for the United States, where they’re planning to headline shows next year.
Boeckner, the new solo project from Daniel Boeckner (who has played in Wolf Parade, Operators, Divine Fits and Handsome Furs), signed with Sub Pop for the release of his debut album in early 2024. He is booked by in the United States by Trey Many at Wasserman and in Canada by Steven Himmelfarb at The Feldman Agency.
Rapper TyFontaine signed with MNRK Music Group, which will release his new mixtape, 264, on Dec. 1. He joins MNRK after a period of releasing music independently; he was previously signed to Internet Money. His new single, “DOS,” is a collaboration with Summrs, Joony and TTM Dawg. He is managed and booked by Taryn “P” Smith.
Genre-fluid artist GARZI signed with Sumerian Records, which dropped his new single, “GrowinUp” featuring Memphis May Fire’s Matty Mullins. He is managed by Sean Chapman and Sid Sodin at The Sakai Group; his booking agent is Daniel McCartney at UTA. GARZI was previously signed to Outlast Records, an imprint of Sumerian.
Loren Kramar signed to Secretly Canadian, which released his latest single, “Hollywood Blvd.” He is booked by Erik Selz at Arrival Artists.
Grupo Frontera has signed a management deal with Habibi, Noah Assad‘s management firm, Billboard can report. Raymond Acosta, director of talent management at the company — which also includes Karol G on its roster — will lead Frontera’s management team.
The deal comes seven months after Frontera and Bad Bunny‘s massive collaboration, “Un x100to” — an irresistible cumbia, norteña track — peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also up for song of the year at this year’s Latin Grammys.
Over the past two years, Grupo Frontera — previously managed by Victor Ruiz — went from local McAllen, Texas, band to a música mexicana global force. Composed of Adelaido “Payo” Solis III, Juan Javier Cantú, Julian Peña Jr., Alberto Acosta, Carlos Guerrero and Brian Ortega, the group broke out last year thanks to its tejano spin on Morat‘s 2019 single, “No Se Va.” The inventive cover scored the norteño group its first entry on any Billboard chart, ultimately peaking at No. 3 on the Hot Latin Songs tally (dated Nov. 12, 2022).
According to Raymond Acosta, Habibi was approached by Mexican hitmaker Edgar Barrera — who’s penned and produced for Grupo Frontera — and Alberto Acosta of Frontera after seeing the impact “Un x100to” had. “I asked Noah for an opportunity to get to know and study Mexican culture,” Acosta explains. “Because for me, identities are very important. One of my role models is Mr. Angelo Medina, he was the manager of José José and Emmanuel. He was the one who taught me [that] when you’re going to cross the pond, you have to know where you’re going.”
Grupo Frontera released its debut album, El Comienzo, via Barrera’s BorderKid Records label. The set bowed and peaked at No. 3 on the Top Latin Albums chart. In the past year alone, the group has placed eight songs on the Billboard Hot 100 — including “Que Vuelvas” with Carin Leon, “Bebe Dame” with Fuerza Regida and “Frágil” with Yahritza y Su Esencia. They have a distribution deal with Believe and own their masters.
“If you want to be the number one manager, your artists have to be number one,” adds Acosta. “I’m fulfilling my dreams by fulfilling the dreams of others. I think that’s the beauty of the management part. [At Habibi,] we don’t copy-paste marketing plans. That’s why when you see all the projects, none of them look alike. And seeing everything that is behind Frontera, the personality of each one and what they are doing, motivates us a lot.”
Additional reporting by Leila Cobo.
Oscar- and Grammy-winning composer-producer-musician A.R. Rahman has signed with WME, the agency tells Billboard.
Rahman’s work spans more than 160 film soundtracks and albums in more than half a dozen languages. His music has been featured in movies including Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours, Roja, Bombay, Dil Se, Taal, Lagaan, Vandemataram, Jodhaa Akbar and Ponniyin Selvan (I & II). Over the course of his career, he has collaborated with artists including U2, Mick Jagger, Coldplay, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Michael Jackson, Michael Bolton, M.I.A., Vanessa Mae, the Pussycat Dolls, Sarah Brightman, Dido, Hossam Ramzy, Hans Zimmer and Akon. His band also recently enjoyed two sold-out tours: one in the United States in 2022, and the other in Europe this year.
For Slumdog Millionaire alone, Rahman won two Oscars, two Grammys, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA, among other awards.
Rahman’s orchestral compositions have been performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, the Babelsberg Film Orchestra and the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. In 2017, he was commissioned by the Seattle Symphony to create “The Flying Lotus,” his first composition solely for orchestra.
In addition to music, last year, Rahman directed India’s first-ever virtual reality movie, Le Music, and co-wrote and produced the 2019 film 99 Songs, which premiered at the Busan International Film Festival.
Rahman also works to inspire and nurture new talent via initiatives including the all-women Firdaus Orchestra — supported by United Arab Emirates Excellency Reem Al Hashimy — and the A. R. Rahman Foundation, which is dedicated to providing underprivileged children with music education. The foundation currently funds the KM Music Conservatory and its youth symphony, Sunshine Orchestra.
MGMT signed with Mom + Pop Music, the duo’s new label after a long run with Columbia Records. Mom + Pop will release the band’s fifth studio album, Loss of Life, on Feb. 23. The album is preceded by first single, “Mother Nature,” which is out now. Loss of Life will also include the track “Dancing in Babylon” featuring Christine and the Queens, marking the first-ever feature on an MGMT album. The new LP, the duo’s first since 2018’s Little Dark Age, was produced by Patrick Wimberly and mixed by Dave Fridmann.
New Zealand-Australian singer-songwriter-producer Jordan Rakei signed a long-term global record deal with Decca and Verve Forecast, which just released his latest single, “Flowers.” The Grammy-nominated artist has released a total of four studio albums; he was previously signed to Ninja Tune.
Texas rapper BigXthaPlug signed with Solid Foundation Management, making him the first artist outside of Quality Control Music to join the firm’s roster. Solid Foundation partner Brandon Farmer will co-manage the rapper alongside his current manager, Kyle Wilson. “Solid Foundation is open for business,” said Farmer in a statement on the signing. “There was a previous perception that Solid Foundation Management was exclusive to QC artists, but that’s no longer the case. We are here to work with anyone who is a good fit and is interested in our services.”
Chinese pop star Eason Chan renewed his contract with Universal Music Greater China. The announcement followed the release of Chan’s first studio album in five years, CHIN UP!, on Oct. 27. He has been with Universal Music Group for more than 19 years, first signing to Universal Music Hong Kong’s CinePoly label; he has since released a total of 22 albums and EPs. Chan is managed by Lisa Kan.
K-pop group KARD signed with UTA for representation in North America, South America, the United Kingdom and Europe. The group released its debut project in 2016. Its first mini-album, Hola Hola, hit the music charts in 32 countries only three hours after its release, according to a press release.
Austin Williams, known for his breakthrough song “Wanna Be Saved,” partnered with CAA for booking representation. The Nashville native signed to Missi Gallimore and Jim Wilkes’ T.R.U.T.H. Management Projects/Promotion and indie label Truth or Dare Records earlier this year. He also issued his debut EP, Wanna Be Saved, in September. – Jessica Nicholson
UMG Nashville signed Fort Worth, Texas native and singer-songwriter Louie Thesinger. “Having witnessed Louie’s magnetic charisma translate on stages across this country and watch the rabid fan base he is building, I know that Louie is going to widen the country music audience,” UMG Nashville chair/CEO Cindy Mabe said in a statement. “I am so inspired by Louie’s energy, purpose, and intention to expand the sound of country music through his own personal story and his songs. I am so proud to bring Louie into the Universal Music Group Nashville family!”
L.A.-based indie-pop artist Kacy Hill signed with Nettwerk, which released her new single, “No One,” on Friday (Nov. 3). Hill is managed by Michael Kadziulis of YMU Group; her booking agent is Spencer Pinson at Arrival Artists.
The Record Company has signed with Jeff Castelaz of Cast Management, the band tells Billboard.
The signing announcement follows the release of the band’s fan-driven The 4th Album, which dropped in September via Round Hill Records, its new label home after being dropped by Concord Music late last year.
Formed in 2011, the Grammy-nominated, L.A.-based roots rock trio featuring Chris Vos (guitar, lead vocals), Alex Stiff (bass), and Marc Cazorla (drums). The band’s first album, Give It Back To You, which included the hit single “Off the Ground,” earned it two Grammy nominations, a No. 1 single on AAA radio and a slot opening for John Mayer on tour.
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With a new album out, The Record Company is returning to the road in 2023. It will play the Regent Theatre in L.A. later this month (Nov. 18) before heading out on tour in January for a rebooked cross-country run during which they will play White Oak Music Hall in Houston (Jan. 20), the 9:30 Club in Washington DC (Feb. 2) and the Fillmore in San Francisco (Mar. 14).
“The new record is us taking our own advice from ‘Off the Ground,’ which is a very honest reflection of where we had been in our careers and how we we’re going to get ourselves in gear to keep moving,” Vos tells Billboard. “As an artist, when you’re in a moment where a challenge comes at you, the only choice you really have is to do what you feel is the most honest and true to yourself, and that’s what we are trying to do with this album.”
Dropped by its previous label at the end of last year, the band canceled its tour and began working on writing new music, planning to “hold ourselves accountable to these songs,” Vos explains. “When we finished, we felt like we [made] a really honest record and we could stand behind that.”
The new album was recorded inside Stiff’s L.A. house and relied on older, weathered instruments and makeshift studio equipment to capture a more rootsy sound. Prior to recording, the group members told themselves, “Let’s just do that thing that got us excited years ago when we started the band,” Stiff says. “Just putting our heads together and setting up the mics and doing it ourselves.”
Cazorla remembered that when they pulled out his drumset, the “heads on the drums had not been changed in 12 years. There wasn’t a conscious decision not to include anything new — but there’s magic in those old instruments. They sound like they’ve got stories to tell.”
The 4th Record had been well received by fans for its back-to-its-roots sound, consistency and raw, rowdy moments like first single “Dance on Mondays,” a feisty toe-tapper that opens with a needling bassine and garage-rock-to-blues chorus.
“It’s a song about fighting your way out of a dead-end,” says Stiff, who came up with the song’s hook as a quick quip after being invited out on a school night. Over time, the idea became about saying, “I’m not doing a f—ing dance to anybody anymore,” he adds. “That’s how I’m gonna rebound out of this feeling I’m having. It’s how I am going to overcome it and beat it in the end.”
The next single for The Record Company is “Roll With It,” a more traditional roots rock track with plenty of handclaps, vocal harmonies and call and response choruses — challenging the band to follow up its past success with new victories while maintaining its timeless sound.
“That’s like very much a lot of what’s happened to us in our career,” says Stiff. “We get this like unexpected hit song and we became surrounded by people asking how we are going to duplicate our success; essentially duplicate something that just kind of happened. We don’t know, but we do like how this song, one of the last ones we wrote for this album, came together pretty quickly and very much sounds like our kind of thing, and we’re pretty psyched with it.”
Nashville-based booking outfit The Neal Agency, known for a roster that includes artists Morgan Wallen and Bailey Zimmerman, has launched a music publishing division, Billboard can reveal.
The Neal Agency’s head of business development, Ryan Beuschel, will spearhead the new division. Beuschel joined The Neal Agency earlier this year following stints at Warner Chappell Nashville (as vp of A&R/strategy and ASCAP.
The new division’s first signing is singer-songwriter Palmer Anthony via a co-publishing venture with Warner Chappell Music (WCM). Anthony previously signed with The Neal Agency for booking.
“The ultimate goal for the company is to be truly a place to develop artists,” Neal tells Billboard. “Obviously, a big part of that is on the road, but [also] being able to have a hand in the creative process. … As the music industry continues to evolve, we have the opportunity to help create and build artists from the ground up.”
Beuschel says, “I think Palmer is a great example of being the first person that we did this with because he was signing to the agency, and then shopping around and looking into publishing deals. At one point, he mentioned, ‘It would be amazing if we could work together,’ and we knew each other before he signed with The Neal Agency. He had been touring in Texas and was writing some really compelling stuff alone and with co-writers. I felt like it was a great opportunity for The Neal Agency to have creative direction and touring strategy inside the same building, communicating with each other back and forth to push his career as far and as fast as we can.”
“Working with Ryan, with his background at ASCAP and Warner Chappell, this partnership makes a lot of sense,” adds Warner Chappell Music Nashville president/CEO Ben Vaughn. “I met Palmer because of [Beuschel and Neal] and it’s been really cool to watch Palmer starting to network through the town and co-writing. It’s great to build this new thing out with them.”
Anthony grew up primarily in northern California and went on to play baseball at the University of California, Santa Barbara, before pursuing songwriting. After graduation, he moved to Fort Worth, Texas, and immersed himself in the Texas music scene, opening for artists including Riley Green, Chase Rice and Randall King.
The Neal Agency agent Haley Teske was responsible for bringing Anthony’s talent to the attention of the company in the first place, leading to his initial signing for booking.
“I saw him at [Nashville music event] Whiskey Jam and I could tell he was a hard worker, and [I] just kept in touch until the time was right,” says Teske.
“I’ll say it was a best-case scenario for me, too,” Anthony says, “because Haley was a supporter very early in the whole scene and the fact that all these pieces kind of fell into place, with Ryan at The Neal Agency and Ben at Warner Chappell. It was a perfect scenario for me to keep it kind of in-house for publishing and booking.”
Neal launched The Neal Agency in 2022, following his departure from WME. The company’s initial roster included Wallen, ERNEST, Riley Green, HARDY, Seaforth, John Morgan, Chase Rice. and Ashland Craft. It has since grown to include Zimmerman, CCM/country artist Anne Wilson, Ella Langley and lifestyle brands Stevenson Ranch and Whiskey Jam.
Neal says passion — not an allegiance to a certain genre — will continue to drive new signings.
“Me, personally, I listen to a lot of alt-rock. I grew up on Southern hip-hop, Project Pat,” he says, noting that the agency also works with rapper mike for booking. “So we’ve grown to understand that, having to forge relationships with promoters and festivals that we didn’t before, is that there are no barriers for us as a company. It’s about passion, not genre, for myself and all of our agents and staff.”
WME announced on Tuesday (Oct. 24) that the agency has signed the estate of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti for management worldwide under its WME Legends division.
WME Legends is focused on estate and legacy brand management, with the objective of growing the legacies of artists and brands for a new generation.
Kuti (born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti) is a Nigerian-born musician, bandleader, composer, political activist and Pan-africanist who created the Afrobeat genre, a percussion-heavy fusion of funk, jazz, fuji and highlife music. That eventually led to the genre’s 21st-century polyrhythmic offshoot, Afrobeats, which has been steadily crossing into the mainstream over the last few years. Kuti died in 1997 after suffering from complications with AIDS.
The WME Legends team will manage Kuti’s name, image, likeness, life, IP, music and publishing rights across WME and parent company Endeavor’s departments and companies worldwide in partnership with the administrators of Kuti’s estate. All existing deals controlling his recordings and music publishing remain. Partisan Records will continue to distribute Kuti’s catalog in North America, while Universal Music still distributes it in the rest of the world. His music publishing is split between BMG and Sony worldwide.
WME Legends is focused on growing Kuti’s legacy for a new generation with various projects, including a definitive scripted biopic; an expansion of the Fela! stage musical franchise; previously unreleased masters and unpublished songs; licensing and merchandising; commercials and endorsements; and more. It has not yet been determined who will distribute and admin the previously unreleased material.
The Kuti biopic is currently in development. Notably, 12 Years a Slave director Steve McQueen was previously developing a Kuti biopic for Focus Features to star Chiwetel Ejiofor. In 2013, McQueen dropped out and was replaced on the project by Nigerian director Andrew Dosunmu, though McQueen told The Hollywood Reporter the following year that the project was “dead.” However, in the same story, producer Lydia Dean Pilcher told the outlet the biopic was still in development outside of Focus. It’s unclear whether any of the above-named players are involved in the current version of the biopic.
WME Legends also represents the estates of The Notorious B.I.G., Andy Kaufman, Eartha Kitt, Waylon Jennings, Peter Tosh and Charlie Sifford, as well as Ram Dass’ Love Serve Remember Foundation and the iconic New York punk/new wave club, CBGB.
During the course of the negotiation, the Kuti estate was represented by Olajide Oyewole, a member of DLA Piper Africa.
Music-licensing company Epidemic Sound has signed Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Jordin Sparks, the company tells Billboard. Under the deal, Sparks will collaborate with Epidemic’s in-house team — including musicians, producers and A&Rs — to create a collection of “classic Christmas songs” to be released later this year, with Epidemic distributing. The tracks will be made available to Epidemic’s global community of content creators along with being released to all streaming platforms.
“We are thrilled to announce this partnership with Jordin Sparks. Jordin is an extraordinary superstar who has significantly impacted the music industry,” said John Cleary, Epidemic’s director of music recruitment & music U.S., in a statement. “Creators, filmmakers, marketers, and storytellers know the power of music in telling a compelling story, and they seek amazing music to elevate their content. By collaborating with Jordin, Epidemic Sound can continue catering to content creators’ needs while simultaneously amplifying her artistry globally and unveiling her tracks to our global ecosystem of creators and international fanbase.”
Sparks rose to fame after winning season 6 of American Idol and has since released three Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles including “No Air” with Chris Brown, “Tattoo” and “Battlefield.” According to a press release, she’ has’s sold more than 10 million tracks in the United States alone. In 2014, Sparks won a BMI Pop Award in 2014 for co-writing Ariana Grande and Mac Miller‘s hit single, “The Way.”
“I’m excited for this new partnership with Epidemic Sound,” said Sparks in her own statement. “They have empowered artists to thrive commercially, creatively and to reach new audiences. The freedom they give artists to choose their own path and work on different projects at the same time is unique and inspiring. I’m excited to join a roster of incredible artists and I’m looking forward to working with Epidemic Sound’s team!”
Epidemic Sounds’ remuneration model offers upfront payments, a 50-50 royalty split from streaming revenue and a quarterly soundtrack bonus. The company allows artists to work under non-exclusive agreements.
Bryce Leatherwood, winner of season 22 of NBC’s The Voice, signed with Universal Music Group Nashville in alliance with Republic Records. His label debut, “The Finger,” releases Oct. 27. Leatherwood is also signed with Morris Higham Management, CAA, Sony Music Publishing and O’Neil Hagaman. – Jessica Nicholson
Canadian singer-songwriter ThxSoMch signed with UTA for global representation in all areas. His track “Spit in My Face!” has been certified platinum by the RIAA, broke into the Billboard Hot 100 and hit No. 9 on Billboard‘s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. His most recent singles include “Caroline,” “Hate” and “Crumbled,” while his debut EP, Sleez, was released May 19. ThxSoMch is signed to Elektra Records.
Berlin-based composer-producer Ben Böhmer signed to Ninja Tune, which just released his new single, “One Last Call” featuring Felix Raphael.
Swedish singer-songwriter Winona Oak signed to Nettwerk, which released her new single, “With Or Without You,” on Oct. 20. Oak is signed to The Very Good and PostOak LA for management, with booking by CAA in the United States and Wasserman in Europe.
Nettwerk also signed Toronto-based bedroom pop artist Peach Luffe (born Jong Lee). The classically-trained violinist released his latest single on the label, “Say It Back,” on Oct. 20. He’s managed by Michael MadConald at Lonely Beach and was previously signed to Lonely Beach Club; he’s slated to play next year’s South by Southwest.
Lastly at Nettwerk, the label signed Chicago-based singer-songwriter Wic Whitney. His first release under the label, “Ooolong,” marks the first single from his forthcoming EP, Afternoon Tea, which is slated to drop on Jan. 12. Whitney is managed by Colby Carlson.
Night Tales signed with Empire Dance and will drop a crossover single, “Work It Out” featuring Champion DI, on Friday (Oct. 27). The group is managed by the team at Prime Artists, including leaders Harrison Bamel, Adam Lynn and Zach Ruben, with booking by Hunter Williams and Jenna Adler at CAA. Night Tales was previously signed to Sony Music’s Ultra Records.
Easier Said, a recently-formed dance and rhythmic label founded by A&R exec Dominique Keegan, signed Party Pupils and will release the group’s new song, “Girlfriend” featuring MAX, bbno$ and MILLI. The label is an imprint of Firebird Music and has also released music by artists including Ian Asher, NALA, Roland Clark, Riva Starr and Maya Jane Coles.
Chicago-based indie band Brigitte Calls Me Baby signed to ATO Records, which will release its debut EP, This House Is Made of Corners, on Nov. 3. The group is managed by Phil Costello at Red Light; booking is handled by Jackie Nalpant and Kiely Mosiman at Wasserman in the United States and David Exley at Wasserman in the United Kingdom and European Union.
Global distribution and artist and label services company The Orchard recently expanded its operations in Africa and, as part of that move, signed a global distribution deal with Ghanian duo R2Bees.
Massachusetts-based rapper Millyz partnered with Create Music Group, which put out his new singles, “Passion” and “Soul Bleed” featuring DeeBaby. Millyz is managed by Ceize Gemini, Bryce Raines and Jeremy Karelis, with booking handled by Ashley Ventura at MAC Agency. His previous distributor was Perfect Time Music Group.
Singer-songwriter Fancy Hagood (“Blue Dream Baby” featuring Kacey Musgraves) signed with UTA for global representation in all areas.
New York-based singer-songwriter Odetta Hartman signed to Transgressive Records, which will release her second studio album, Swansongs, on March 22. The first single from the set, “Dr. No,” was released Oct. 17.
Australia-based singer-songwriter Kirin J Callinan signed with [PIAS] via his record label, Worse Records, for the release of his fourth album, If I Could Sing.
Indie rock band Brother Elsey signed to Nashville-based independent label River House Artists. The group’s inaugural releases on the label are the tracks “Passing Through” and “Babylon.” The group, which is currently on a U.S. tour through November, is managed by Jay Emmons and Jerrod Wilkins, with Grace Stern and Jay Williams at WME handling booking.
Singer-songwriter Dan Smalley signed with ONErpm Nashville, which will release a series of singles leading up to his next full-length album, The State of Country Music, next year.
South Korean pianist Yunchan Lim signed with Decca Classics. Last year, the 18-year-old became the youngest-ever winner of the Vin Cliburn International Piano Competition in Texas. He will soon make his debut at Carnegie Hall and is also slated to perform with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris alongside and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. He’ll release his debut album with Decca in spring 2024. Lim is represented by Nicholas Mathias and Federico M. Benigni at IMG Artists and in Korea by Sam Lee at MOC Production.
Wishy, a new band formed by Indiana songwriters Kevin Krauter and Nina Pitchkites, signed to Winspear, which will release the duo’s debut EP, Paradise, on Dec. 15. The single “Donut” is out now.
Belarusian violinist Yevgeny Kutick signed with Epstein Fox Performances for North American and general management.
Black River Records signed Scotty Hasting to its roster. Hasting’s label debut single, “How Do You Choose,” will release Nov. 3. – Jessica Nicholson
