We catch up on this week’s music publishing news, from key deals and signings to new hires, legislation and more.
Deals and Signings
Dan the Automator Signs Joint Venture With Atlas Music Publishing (Billboard)
Atlas Music Publishing has entered a joint venture with hip-hop artist and producer Dan “The Automator” Nakamura, the company announced Monday (Nov. 25). Under the terms of the deal, Nakamura will bring young songwriters to sign co-publishing deals at the company.
Dillon Francis Signs Global Publishing Deal With Diplo’s Mad Decent and Big Deal Music Group (Billboard)
DJ and producer Dillon Francis has signed a global publishing agreement with Big Deal Music Group and Diplo’s Mad Decent Publishing, it was announced Monday (Nov. 25). The deal is the first under the joint venture formed between Big Deal and Mad Decent this past February.
Hirings and Promotions
‘This promotion is a natural next step’: Kobalt ups Jeannette Perez to chief experience officer (Music Week)
Previously president of global sync and brand partnerships, Perez will be responsible for reshaping the client administration function by establishing a writer and publisher relations team, as well as continuing to oversee global sync and brand partnerships.
Celeste Zendejas Promoted to SESAC Latina Associate VP (Billboard)
“I could not be more pleased to congratulate Celeste on this well-deserved recognition,” said Sam Kling, SESAC’s senior vp creative operations, “I’m very happy for Celeste, and grateful to have her on the team.”
Facts and Figures
Merck Mercuriadis’ Hipgnosis Songs Fund is already worth over $850m (MBW)
Can big-spending Merck Mercuriadis build a music company worth more than $1 billion within two years of trading? Don’t bet against it.
Warner’s annual streaming revenue tops $2bn, as firm posts $258m net profit (MBW)
Total annual WMG revenues – across recorded music, publishing and other activities – stood at $4.48bn, up 12% on the $4.01bn posted in the prior year.
Legal
Mechanical Licensing Collective Announces Leadership Post, Data Portal Vendors (Music Row)
The Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) announced that former DDEX Chair Richard Thompson will serve as the nonprofit’s Chief Information Officer responsible for overseeing the development and launch of the MLC’s revolutionary data platform to distribute royalties payable to songwriters and copyright owners.
Spotify Faces Lawsuit From Indie Music Company Claiming Mistreatment (MBW)
The complex suit, filed by Florida-based Sosa Entertainment LLC and its sister company – royalty collection firm Pro Music Rights LLC (PMR) – alleges a series of wrongdoings by Spotify.
We need to talk more about the legal issues around training musical AIs (Music Ally)
Would it make sense for music rightsholders, be they publishers (with works) or labels and production-music firms (with recordings) to try to construct training sets to make available for AI startups, for an affordable price?
Interesting Reads
Music publishers mull challenges of India’s evolving market (Music Ally)
Music-publishing body ICMP has just held its latest board meeting, in Mumbai, as part of a week-long delegation to India to hold talks with the government, music-industry entities and media in the country.
Music Publishers Canada’s Create UK Mission (FYI Music News)
Music Publishers Canada is now hosting its inaugural Create UK export mission from November 26-29. In total, nine Canadian songwriters and representatives from 12 Canadian music publishers from across Canada have traveled to London for Create UK.
The 50 Most Important Music Moments of the Decade (Rolling Stone)
From 2010 to 2019, both the business and culture of music went through an unprecedented revolution. Here are the biggest, craziest moments to remember.
Pardison Fontaine and the Plight of the Ghostwriter (New Yorker)
When Cardi released her landmark début album, “Invasion of Privacy,” last year, she was frank about something that was usually verboten—the help that she’d received from songwriters, namely a slick-talking New York rapper named Pardison Fontaine.
The Equivocal Business Of Women In The Music Industry (Forbes)
Surely, today’s global music industry is largely welcoming women artists at the top? Not so fast…
How to steal an old song and make it your own (Medium)
So many old songs do not have “audio fingerprints” in music recognition databases, and that spells big trouble when new artists sample old works without credit.
How Music Publishing Works: Copyrights, Publishing Royalties, Common Deal Types & More (Soundcharts)
Even some of the most experienced music professionals can have a lot of trouble wrapping their head around all the intricacies and nuances of publishing.
MIDiA Peak Attention Economy Event – Karol Severin (MIDiA Research)
Last Wednesday MIDiA brought together media heavyweights from the Economist, Spotify, and the British Gaming Institute to talk about changing aspects of consumer behaviour and demand in a climate of attention saturation.
Latest Jobs
Publishing Royalties Onboarding and Data Specialist – Synchtank (London)
The ideal candidate should have significant publishing and label royalties experience on a global basis. Good financial/accounting knowledge is also essential.
Creative Synch Director, Ads and Brands – Position Music (Los Angeles)
Independent music publisher Position Music is looking to hire a LA-based Creative/Synch director with a focus on Ads and Brands to join their seven-person Creative/Synch team.
Web and Library Manager / IT for Music Library – DL Music (Los Angeles)
Creative Music Publishing and Licensing company DL Music seeks a highly-detailed and technologically savvy Music Library/Catalog & Website Manager for an entry level position.
Case Study Spotlight
Synchtank Client Case Study: Memory Lane Music Group
How we provided Memory Lane Music Group with a publishing-focused system to manage and monetize their assets more efficiently, and the tools to oversee their entire sales and pitching pipeline.
Webinar
Best Practices for Managing Your Catalog and Assets (December 12, 2-3pm ET)
At Synchtank, we understand that effective catalog and asset management is now more important than ever. As part of the Music Business Association’s Common Ground Webinar series, we’ll be hosting a webinar to run through the best practices for rightsholders to manage their assets and data in order to maximize revenue and avoid legal complications. Register here.
