We catch up on this week’s music publishing news, from key deals and signings to new hires, legislation and more.
Deals and Acquisitions
Hipgnosis Songs Fund acquires 50% stake in RZA catalog (MBW)
RZA, founder member of the Wu-Tang Clan, has sold Hipgnosis a 50% stake in the copyright interest of 814 songs – including a 50% stake of both the writer’s share and publisher’s share of the catalog.
Spirit Music Group acquires Kara DioGuardi back catalogue (Music Week)
Global independent music publisher Spirit Music Group has acquired the back publishing catalogue of Grammy-nominated songwriter Kara DioGuardi. The deal will include hits such Pink’s Sober, Kelly Clarkson’s Heartbeat Song, and Carrie Underwood’s Undo It.
Harry Fox rival Music Reports acquired by private equity firm MidOcean Partners (MBW)
New York-based MidOcean has acquired the firm for an undisclosed fee from its previous owners, ABRY Partners plus Music Reports’ co-founders, Ronald Gertz and Douglas Brainin.
Signings
Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville Signs Bernie Herms (Music Row)
Originally from Canada and currently residing in Nashville, Herms is known for his songwriting and production work with artists such as Barbra Streisand, Josh Groban, David Foster, Idina Menzel, Kelly Clarkson, Andrea Bocelli, Selena Gomez, and many more.
Sea Girls sign to Sony/ATV as debut album makes chart impact (Music Week)
The Polydor-signed act, made up of Henry Camamile, Rory Young, Andrew Dawson and Oli Khan, have just released their debut album Open Up Your Head. It opened at No.3 with sales of 8,726, according to the Official Charts Company.
Brian White Extends Publishing Deal With Anthem Music Publishing (Music Row)
Brian White has extended his worldwide co-publishing deal with Anthem Music Publishing. Since joining the Anthem family in 2018, White has become a highly sought-after producer and songwriter in Nashville.
Facts & Figures
U.S. Music Revenue Reached $11 Billion in 2019, But It’s Still Not at Its Peak (Rolling Stone)
The Digital Music Association, which represents the likes of Spotify and Apple Music, predicts a new historic high point for U.S. music revenue in 2025
Hirings & Promotions
Songtrust names Darren Briggs as global head of technology (Music Week)
Songtrust has hired Darren Briggs in a newly created role as global head of technology. Reporting to Songtrust president Molly Neuman, Briggs will oversee the ongoing expansion of its technology infrastructure.
Finance & Investment
Business as Unusual: Catalog Acquisitions Weather the Pandemic (Synchblog)
The catalog acquisition boom is showing no signs of waning, even during a pandemic. Eamonn Forde examines the major driving forces behind the catalog gold rush and looks at what the future holds for this space.
Thinking of Selling Your Catalog? How to Plan the Smart Way: Video (Billboard)
Watch a panel moderated by Billboard editorial director Hannah Karp and hosted by A/B Bernstein offering guidance to creatives considering the move.
Will Round Hill be the next music company to IPO on the stock exchange? (MBW)
Senior and well-connected industry sources are telling MBW that New York-based Round Hill Music is in the early stages of exploring a public flotation.
The City View: Beyoncé’s former manager on why classic hits are a hot asset class (City A.M.)
In this episode Christian talks to music industry veteran Merck Mercuriadis, a former manager of acts including Elton John and Beyoncé whose FTSE-listed investment firm has just hit a £1bn market cap.
Songtradr raises $30m in Series C round to fund global expansion (MBW)
Los-Angeles based B2B music rights and licensing marketplace Songtradr has raised $30 million in a series C funding round, valuing the company at $165m.
Why companies are buying up the rights to thousands of songs (Global News)
A lucky few are making more money than they ever thought possible, thanks to a burgeoning gold rush where a couple of forward-looking companies are gobbling up massive amounts of intellectual property.
Royalties & CMOs
Radio’s Crushing Quarter Is About to Trickle Down to Publishers and Songwriters (Billboard)
Rights holders can expect lower performance royalties because radio revenues are down big in 2020 and possibly into 2021.
SESAC inks licensing deal with Radio Music License Committee (MBW)
The new agreement sets the rates payable by the majority of America’s commercial terrestrial radio stations to publicly perform works in the SESAC repertory, effective January 1 2019 through December 31, 2022.
Good Splits is a streaming royalty calculator for musicians (Music Ally)
A new site called Good Splits is promising to help musicians “quickly and easily calculate royalties from aggregator services”.
Legal
Kendrick Lamar sued for copyright infringement over Loyalty (MBW)
Kendrick Lamar has been sued for copyright infringement by a musician called Terrance Hayes, over Lamar’s hit single Loyalty, released in 2017 and taken from his fourth album, Damn.
What’s At Stake For Sampling In Tracy Chapman & Nicki Minaj’s Lawsuit? (okayplayer)
Tracy Chapman’s lawsuit against Nicki Minaj could have real implications toward hip-hop if a ruling is made in her favor.
Leonard Cohen’s Reps Say They Specifically Declined GOP Requests to Use ‘Hallelujah’ (Variety)
Representatives of the late Leonard Cohen’s estate and publishing company have both issued statements saying they declined requests for his song “Hallelujah” to be used at the Republican National Convention — even though it was played twice following the conclusion of Donald Trump’s speech Thursday night.
Interesting Reads
This Must Be the Place: Is Africa Set to Become a Major Player in the Global Music Industry? (Synchblog)
Unquestionably one of the most vibrant and dynamic musical landscapes on Earth, the domestic business often lacks the infrastructure and acumen to match. In the first of a two-part investigation, Ben Gilbert examines the continent’s readiness to go overground.
Meditation’s New Gurus: Why Acts Like Harry Styles, John Legend Are Signing With Wellness Apps (Billboard)
Interest in apps like Calm and Headspace has been growing during the pandemic, and the music biz is getting involved with exclusive content deals.
Inside TikTok’s Hidden Hit Machine (Rolling Stone)
The viral-video app’s music team has given crucial assists to artists like Roddy Ricch, Doja Cat, and Saweetie. But can it keep powering the music industry — especially amid uncertainty about TikTok’s fate in the U.S.?
How Merchandise Bundles Undid the Album Chart (New York Times)
Approximately half the albums that have topped the Billboard album chart since the beginning of 2019 have been made available as part of a bundle, in which it is offered as an add-on sale to a more expensive item, typically an article of clothing or a concert ticket.
Disney’s $30 Mulan Experiment Shames Music’s Timid Pricing Models (Rolling Stone)
Disney is charging subscribers an additional $30 to watch a single movie. Why don’t we see similar experimentation out of the music business?
Livestreaming is an obvious next move for Spotify. Here’s why it makes sense (MBW)
While investing in spoken-word audio content is Spotify’s current No.1 goal, the company must be careful not to miss new opportunities, especially in its ‘homeland’ of music.
What The Billboard Top Money Makers Chart Tells Us About Today’s Music Business (Forbes)
When it comes to publishing Billie Eilish tops the list at $6.9 million. However it’s another chart where mostly newer artists prevail, again with Queen being the only legacy outlier at #5 with $3.06 million.
Napster’s New Bosses Want To Make A New Kind of Music-Streaming Giant (Rolling Stone)
We want to give consumers what we think is a really differentiated offering with music content, we want to put all that in one place,” says MelodyVR CEO Anthony Matchett
A Lifetime in the Music Biz with Jason Jordan, Music Executive (Music Biz Uncut)
As a career music industry executive, Jason has seen all sides of the industry from A&R at major labels and running his own publishing company to artist management, distribution, and tech resulting in the discovering and working with talent with sales in excess of 20 million albums.
Music Publishing Job Spotlight
Manager, Publisher Services – The MLC (Los Angeles)
The Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) is seeking a Manager, Publisher Services to manage relationships with music publishers to ensure client satisfaction.
Manager, Income Tracking – Songtrust (New York)
Songtrust is looking for an Income Tracking Manager. This position will report directly to the Senior Director, Income Tracking based in New York.
Manager Licensing Administration – ICE (Berlin)
To expand their team in Berlin, licensing and processing hub ICE are looking for a Manager Licensing Administration.
Check out more available positions here or get in touch to post a free job listing.
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