We catch up on the latest music publishing news, from key deals and signings to new hires, legislation and more.
Deals & Signings
Warner Chappell strikes deal with Web3 firm Defient, with plans to launch digital museum for the ‘art and stories of songs’ (MBW)
The music publishing arm of Warner Music Group says its first project as part of the partnership will be the launch of ‘Archives,’ which a press release explains will serve as a multi-dimensional digital museum powered by blockchain.
Warner Chappell signs singer-songwriter Amy Allen to global admin deal (MBW)
Under the deal, WCM will administer Allen’s compositions worldwide. Allen is best known for writing top hits for Harry Styles, Halsey, Selena Gomez and Lizzo.
Concord Music Publishing ANZ signs global deal with hitmaker Luude (Music Week)
Concord Music Publishing ANZ (formerly Native Tongue) has signed a global exclusive publishing deal with Luude (Christian Benson).
Facts & Figures
Publishers Quarterly: It’s the Lizzo and Harry Show as UMPG, Sony Split Top Honors (Billboard)
For the second consecutive quarter, Sony Music Publishing and Universal Music Publishing Group split the top honors in the publisher’s rankings.
Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa and Music Publishing Drive Warner Music Revenue Growth (THR)
Music publishing unit revenue for the latest quarter increased 32.3 percent when assuming constant currencies. “The revenue increase was driven by growth in digital and performance revenue,” Warner Music said.
Royalties & CMOs
Record labels welcome UK competition authority report on streaming, as Merck Mercuriadis slams CMA for not using ‘powers they have to fix the problems they identify’ (MBW)
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Mercuriadis said: “Today’s CMA report has agreed with the DCMS Select Committee about the problems in the industry which result in Songwriters not being fairly paid for their work”.
Hakeem Jeffries, Music Advocate & Copyright Expert, Elected as House Democratic Leader (Billboard)
Jeffries, who will succeed Nancy Pelosi in the role, has co-sponsored key pieces of creator-friendly legislation including the Music Modernization Act.
22 best data sources to understand the music industry in 2022 (Music Ally)
It includes official market-growth stats; surveys of musicians; analyst forecasts; genre deep-dives; youth listening habits; and even Indian brass bands and the answer to the question ‘whatever happened to the key change in pop?’
Finance & Investment
Apollo to Lead Bond Sale Tied to Phil Collins, R.E.M. Royalties (Bloomberg)
Apollo Global Management Inc. is selling a $1.65 billion bond backed by Phil Collins and R.E.M. songs in Concord Music Royalties’ first securitization, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
Jamar Chess launches investment group to buy Latin Music rights (MBW)
In April, MBW predicted that the recorded music market for Latin artists in the United States will generate over a billion dollars in revenue across the 12 months of this year.
Rapper Iggy Azalea Sells Catalog for Millions: “I Don’t Have to Work Another Day” (American Songwriter)
According to Billboard, a “source close to the deal” said that the artist sold her master recordings and publishing catalog to Domain Capitol Group and it included all of Azalea’s shares in her current catalog.
Hipgnosis’ Stock Buybacks Haven’t Stopped Shares From Slipping (Billboard)
The company’s shares have lost 34% of their value so far this year and are trading well below company’s operative net asset value.
People
Michèle Hamelink promoted to Managing Director of Benelux at Sony Music Publishing (MBW)
As Managing Director, Hamelink will be responsible for overseeing and implementing creative strategy across Benelux.
Interesting Reads
Clear Thinking: Why Music Clearance Remains So Complex and How That Can Be Fixed (Synchblog)
Why is music clearance becoming increasingly complex and what are the solutions? Eamonn Forde investigates.
‘Stranger Things’ Happened: How Sony Music Publishing’s Amy Coles Resurrected a Kate Bush Classic; In the Studio With Producer Ricky Reed (Variety)
The road to clearing the song’s use on the Netflix hit was a long one, and started with convincing the elusive Kate Bush to agree to its placement.
Inside Track: Is This the ’Age of the Songwriter’? (Billboard)
The Artist’s Rights Symposium hosted conversations about championing creators, addressing metadata inaccuracies and rate setting around the world.
‘The Job Is Going to Die’: Songwriters Say More Change Is Needed to Survive in the Industry (Rolling Stone)
While a recent ruling from a little-known copyright judge panel has songwriters cautiously optimistic, many are still deeply worried about their future livelihood.
11 Rules for Writing an Original Christmas Song in 2022 (Vulture)
According to the people behind hits for Kelly Clarkson, Ariana Grande, *NSYNC, and more.
