Warner Music Italy
Sony Music Entertainment acquired Czech Republic-based record label Supraphon, furthering its expansion in Central Europe. The Supraphon roster includes recordings from artists such as Karel Gott, Lucie Bílá, Marek Ztracený, Škwor, Olympic, Hana Zagorová and Václav Neckář. A press release states that the Czech music market notched recorded music revenue of $84.1 million in 2023, with streaming boasting 60.1% of the total market with a volume of $50.5 million — an 18% increase from the prior year. The release adds that seven out of the top 10 songs and albums in the country in 2023 were put out by Czech artists. Libor Holeček will continue leading Supraphon as MD, Martin Kudla will remain as executive director and Iva Milerová, who was previously chairwoman of board of directors, will continue on in an advisory role.
Warner Music Italy and Warner Chappell Music Italy signed a deal to acquire the catalog of DWA Records, a leading Italo Disco label co-founded in 1989 by singer-songwriters and producers Roberto Zanetti and Francesco Bontempi. The agreement also encompasses the catalog of Extravaganza, DWA’s music publishing business. DWA’s catalog includes more than 250 masters including “The Rhythm of the Night” performed by Corona and written by Bontempi; “Happy” and “Uh La La” by Alexia; and “Baila” performed by Zucchero and written by Zanetti.
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MENA streaming service Anghami announced a new round of funding from OSN Group of up to $55 million, with a $12 million initial investment in a convertible note program. OSN and Anghami struck an initial partnership in April 2024, merging OSN+’s video streaming capabilities and 18,000 hours of content with Anghami’s portfolio of 100 million songs and podcasts. The companies claim video streaming subscribers grew 41% between April and October 2024. The new funds will allow the platforms to expand their content library, enhance the user experience using new technologies and strengthen their presence in the MENA region. It will additionally be used to implement innovations including AI-driven personalization.
Symphonic Distribution signed a global distribution deal with Taiwanese indie label Kafka By the Sea, whose roster includes Taiwanese rock band KST and indie-pop band Bubble Tea and Cigarettes. The first release under the pact was Sherry Z’s debut album Time.
Decentralized music community and discovery platform Audius struck a multi-territory licensing agreement with International Copyright Enterprise (ICE). The new deal establishes a pathway for more than 330,000 rights holders to receive royalties when their music is used on Audius in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia Pacific, among other territories.
U.K.-based live entertainment company ATG Entertainment acquired SOM Produce, a theater producer, operator and distributor based in Spain. Financial terms were not disclosed for the deal. SOM Produce, headquartered in Madrid, is a leading global producer and distributor of musicals and plays in the Spanish language. It manages five theaters in the center of Madrid — including Nuevo Teatro Alcalá, Teatro Rialto, Teatro Nuevo Apolo, Teatro Calderón and Teatro Amaya — and has produced more than 20 shows, including Mamma Mia!, The Book of Mormon, West Side Story, Grease, Chicago and Cabaret. ATG is majority owned by Providence Equity Partners.
Classical music label Pentatone signed a licensing partnership with Dutch promotion and distribution platform Collabhouse, which launched a pre-cleared artist music library in November. Through the deal, Pentatone will provide its entire public domain catalog to a broader community of creators, allowing composers, filmmakers, advertisers and more to work with musical works by composers including Beethoven, Bach, Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Vivaldi and more, “all interpreted by the most renowned artists,” according to a press release.
The Peoria Civic Center Authority and Prairie Home Alliance secured a naming-rights agreement for the 2,200-capacity theater within Peoria Civic Center for seven years. The venue will now be known as the Prairie Home Alliance Theater. Prairie Home Alliance is a locally owned and operated group of 10 home improvement companies across central Illinois. This is the first naming rights deal for the theater in its 42-year history.
Danish microphone producer DPA Microphones acquired the majority share of Vienna-based audio products company Austrian Audio. According to a press release, DPA is a leading manufacturer within several miniature microphone categories while Austrian Audio is strong in the large diaphragm microphone market. “Together, the brands provide a broader product range for discerning sound engineers in industries like broadcast, musical, theatre, live events and recording studios,” states a press release announcing the deal. “By joining forces, the brands will design and develop sophisticated, professional audio solutions that meet the evolving demands within the acoustical and digital fields, all while prioritizing the user experience.”
MILAN — Warner Music Group has hired Pico Cibelli, a Sony Music Italy executive involved in the global breakthrough of rock band Måneskin, to helm its Italian label.
Cibelli, who will be based in Milan, will take over as president of Warner Music Italy, which Marco Alboni led for nine years. Cibelli will start in the role “in the near future” and report to Simon Robson, president of international, recorded music for Warner Music Group, the label said in a press release.
Cibelli spent more than a decade at Sony Music Italy, where he worked in A&R and helped develop the company’s frontline domestic artists. According to Italian media reports, Cibelli’s early involvement with breaking Måneskin could have played a major role in Warner’s decision. While at Sony, he was instrumental in hiring A&R Fabrizio Ferraguzzo, who has acted as Måneskin’s manager since June 2021.
Before joining Sony in 2011, Cibelli spent 10 years at Universal Music Group, first as television marketing manager and dance music A&R, then as A&R manager. Cibelli previously worked in an independent, family-run record store; as a DJ/producer; and later as an executive at local independent distributors Dig It International and Self Distribuzione.
The announcement of Cibelli’s appointment comes in a week when Warner artists hold two spots on Italy’s Top 10 album charts: Trenches Baby by Milan-based trapper Rondodasosa, whom Alboni signed, and The Beatles Songbook from veteran singer Mina.
“The success of artists such as Måneskin,” Cibelli said in a Warner Music press release, “has shown that Italian artists can take the world by storm, something we’ll see more of in the years ahead.”
Robson, in a statement, said that Cibelli “has a proven track record of developing artists and maximizing their potential.”
As a source of domestic talent, Italy is one of the strongest markets in the world. In 2021, Italian acts accounted for 76 % of the annual Album Top 100 compiled by FIMI, the local federation for the recorded music industry with which major companies and some local independent labels are affiliated. The Italian music market regained the No. 10 spot in the world in 2021, according to FIMI, showing an 18.33% increase from 2020 and a turnover of 153 million euros ($170.8 million) in the first half of 2022, with digital sales accounting for 83% (revenues from subscription streaming rose by 13.7%).
Alboni has not indicated where he is heading next, saying only on his LinkedIn page that he will soon start a new job as a music industry executive. He has worked as an artist manager and had prior stints with EMI Music Italy, PolyGram and Virgin Music Italy before being appointed Warner Italy’s chairman and CEO in 2013 when WMG acquired EMI Music Italy.
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