We catch up on the latest music publishing news, from key deals and signings to new hires, legislation and more.
Deals & Acquisitions
BMG inks licensing deal with gaming platform Roblox (MBW)`
The deal follows the news from June 9 that Roblox has been hit with a $200 million-plus copyright infringement lawsuit from music publishers in the US.
Primary Wave acquires majority stake in music publishing catalog of AWOLNATION’s Aaron Bruno (MBW)
Primary Wave says that the deal also gives Aaron Bruno marketing team and publishing infrastructure, which includes digital strategy, licensing, synch opportunities as well as film, television, and theatrical production.
TikTok strikes agreement over royalty payments for music used in Canada (CBC)
The Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency (CMRRA) says the multi-year partnership gives self-published songwriters and music publishers the ability to collect royalties when their music is featured in TikTok videos.
Signings
Sony Music Publishing signs Janelle Monáe on worldwide deal (Music Week)
The deal was signed by Sony Music Publishing chairman and CEO Jon Platt, who explained he had targeted the artist for a long time.
Clairo signs to UMPG ahead of new album release (Music Week)
Real name Claire Cottrill, Clairo goes through Polydor in the UK and is signed to Fader Label/Republic. She is due to release her second album Sling, a co-production with Jack Antonoff, next month.
Carla Morrison Signs Global Publishing Deal With UMPG (Billboard)
The deal, covering her full catalog and future releases, marks the first time that the Mexican singer-songwriter has signed with a major music publisher.
Soft Cell and The Grid’s Dave Ball signs publishing deal with Mute Song (Billboard)
The argument for artist, who has worked on a variety of projects over the last 40 years, covers a “substantial” part of his back catalogue, plus Soft Cell’s forthcoming new album on BMG.
Facts & Figures
Music Publishing Revenue Topped $4B in 2020, Says NMPA (Billboard)
With a 9.6% growth in revenues last year, at the NMPA’s annual meeting president and CEO David Israelite pondered whether song values have been undervalued.
Black Music Action Coalition launches industry ‘report card’ (Music Ally)
A year on, the organisation has published a ‘report card’ grading various industry companies on how they have performed on this score.
USC-Annenberg Leader Talks Damning Music Industry Diversity Report: ‘These Companies Have a Workforce Crisis’ (Variety)
The new report on “Inclusion in the Music Business: Gender & Race/Ethnicity Across Executives, Artists & Talent Teams” from the USC-Annenberg Inclusion Initiative makes no bones about how far the music industry has to go in its stated goals of gender and racial equality.
Launches
Ditto Music launches publishing division headed up by Tom Weller (Music Week)
Ditto Music has announced the launch of a new publishing division, which means the company now offers a comprehensive range of services for artists, including distribution, label services, management, finance and publishing.
Finance & Investment
Are Hip-Hop Catalogs the Next ‘Evergreens?’ (Synchblog)
As the genre continues to dominate music streaming consumption, will hip-hop catalogs become the next evergreens making the headlines? Music consultant Alaister Moughan investigates…
Fed’s Plan to Raise Interest Rates in 2023 May Not Slow Music Rights Acquisitions (Billboard)
Now that music rights are considered a viable asset class, slightly higher interest rates probably won’t faze investors.
Vivendi agrees deal to sell 10% of UMG to Pershing Square (Music Ally)
As previously reported, Pershing Square is a special purpose acquisition company (Spac) owned by hedge-fund billionaire Bill Ackman.
Hipgnosis aims to raise £150m to buy more of ‘most influential songs of all time’ (The Guardian)
The London-listed music investor, which earns royalties every time one of the 65,000 songs to which it owns the rights is played, said it intended to use the money to buy more of “the most influential and successful songs of all time”.
Primary Wave raises $375m investment from Oaktree Capital, sells minority stake (MBW)
Oaktree Capital has committed to invest up to $375 million into Primary Wave Music in exchange for a minority interest in the music company.
Legal
Publishers Aren’t Playing With Lawsuits Over Unlicensed Music. Who Might Be Next? (Billboard)
“Tech companies keep making the same mistake in asking for forgiveness instead of permission,” says NMPA chief David Israelite.
YouTube Wins EU Copyright Case, But Is Still Liable For Hosting Unauthorized Works (Billboard)
“The ruling matters, but the big picture matters more,” says John Phelan, director general of global music publishing trade body ICMP.
Interesting Reads
Synchtank Summit Takeaways: The Future of Royalty Payments in the Digital Age (Synchblog)
How can the music industry’s global royalties ecosystem realise a full-scale revolution in payments? This was among the central questions to be addressed by a panel of experts at our Data, Rights & Royalties Summit.
AIMP debates what it means to be an independent music publisher in 2021 with the aim to modify its bylaws (Legrand Network)
The discussion was triggered by the recent announcement that New York-based Reservoir was going to float on NASDAQ via a SPAC, valuing the company at some $700 million.
Music is getting the first peer-to-peer Decentralised Finance platform backed by real world assets (MUSIC x)
Earlier this year, music distributor and label services company Ditto Music announced that they’d be setting up a financial support initiative powered by blockchain called Opulous.
What Could Be Music’s Next Spotify? (Rolling Stone)
The new era of business is all about democratizing hitmaking. Beloved by big-money investors and sharp-eyed entrepreneurs, here are the music industry’s rising powers.
Would You Buy Shares in Your Favorite Musician? (The Honest Broker)
Faced with declining income from recordings and touring, musicians have been forced to find alternative sources of income. The article below examines some of the stranger ways this might play out in the near future.
The opportunity behind the Roblox lawsuit (MIDiA Research)
Roblox’s users have the potential to be valuable to the music industry. They are clearly eager to embrace music and fandom in a variety of exciting ways.
Inside Hipgnosis’ $2.2B Valuation, NFT Plans and Synch Wins: ‘We Bought Well’ (Billboard)
To date, investors have piled £1.1 billion ($1.56 billion) into the London-based, Guernsey-domiciled royalty fund, enticed by steady returns from a unique asset class, and a lucrative, fast-growing streaming market.
Music Publishing Jobs
Copyright Assistant (Swedish speaker) – Kobalt Music Group (London)
Joining the Publishing Copyright department in our London office, the primary role of the Copyright Assistant will be to assist in correctly registering works and agreements in the Nordics.
Client Development & Licensing Rep – DL Music (Los Angeles)
Los Angeles based international Music Publishing and Creative Services company seeking a music loving, highly motivated, client development and licensing representative.
Digital Data Manager – Wise Music Group (London)
Wise Music Group, one of the World’s leading music publishers, is seeking a Digital Data Manager to join its London team.
Want to list your publishing position on our jobs board? Get in touch to place a free listing.
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