We catch up on this week’s music publishing news, from key deals and signings to new hires, legislation and more.
Deals and Signings
Outdustry expands in China with new publisher, deal with U.S. indie company Reservoir (Variety)
Music industry service provider Outdustry has this week launched Outdustry Songs, a new independent music publisher focused on China, with an exclusive sub-publishing deal with U.S. indie Reservoir.
Primary Wave acquires music publishing catalog from rock band Godsmack (MBW)
Primary Wave Music Publishing has acquired the music publishing catalog and master royalty stream of the multi-platinum rock band Godsmack.
Josh Kear joins Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville (MusicRow)
Kear has earned four Grammys for his works, and is the only songwriter to win the Country Song of the Year Grammy honor three times. He has also earned several RIAA multi-Platinum certifications, as well as ACM, ASCAP, and CMA honors.
Dance duo Cousn sign with The Other Songs (Music Week)
Independent label and publisher The Other Songs has signed an exclusive deal with Bristol-based dance duo Cousn through its publishing joint-venture with Kobalt.
Concord Music Publishing signs Boz Scaggs (Music Week)
Concord Music Publishing has signed a new publishing deal with artist and songwriter Boz Scaggs. The new deal, effective immediately, covers his full catalogue from 1968 to the present, as well as his future works.
Strictly Confidential renews long-term deals with Balthazar, Nada Surf and Soap&Skin (MBW)
Balthazar, Soap&Skin and Nada Surf have all extended their long-term music publishing deals, while Sohnarr, the new project from former Balthazar violin player Patricia Vanneste, has also joined the Strictly Confidential roster.
Concord Music Publishing inks multi-faceted creative partnership with songwriter Hillary Lindsey (MBW)
Nashville-based Concord Music Publishing has entered into an exclusive, worldwide co-publishing agreement with multi-Grammy Award-winning, CMA Award-winning and Academy Award and Golden Globe-nominated songwriter, Hillary Lindsey.
BMG, ITV Studios enter global partnership (Billboard)
BMG and production/distribution company ITV Studios have entered a global deal that will cover recordings, publishing, production music and synch, the companies announced today (July 1).
Launches & New Ventures
The Royalty Network debuts Black Empowerment Thru Music scheme (Music Ally)
Music publishing company The Royalty Network has launched an initiative to help emerging Black musicians, producers and songwriters build contacts and careers in the music industry.
One Media set to launch Harmony rights-purchasing program (Music Ally)
One Media says it is making “encouraging progress” towards launching its new program called Harmony IP, which like a growing number of other companies “looks to grant music rights holders with advanced access to the future earnings of their IP by purchasing a portion of their rights upfront”.
Songs & Daughters launches publishing division, signs Tiera (Music Row)
Songs & Daughters, which hit songwriter Nicolle Galyon launched in 2019 in partnership with Big Loud Records, has expanded into music publishing.
Facts & Figures
Hipgnosis revenues topped $80m in FY2020 – now it’s raising another $250m (MBW)
The stat, revealed in the company’s new annual report, is up by many multiples on the £7.2m it generated in the year to end of March 2019 (though it should be noted the firm floated on the London Stock Exchange in July 2018).
One Media iP revenues up 28% (Music Week)
One Media iP has announced a 28% year-on-year increase in revenues for the six-month period to April 30, 2020. Revenue hit £2m at the digital music rights acquirer, publisher and distributor. Operating profit increased by 98% year-on-year to £563,257. EBITDA was up 93% to £757,678
Hirings and Promotions
Frank Handy joins Position Music as Vice President, Head of Administration (MBW)
Handy will report to Bacon and oversee copyright, royalties, licensing, A&R Administration teams, find new revenue streams, and look after Position’s International interests. With a longstanding career in music publishing, Handy has held the position of Vice President of Licensing and Copyright at SONGS Music Publishing.
Legal
Spotify and Harry Fox Agency accused of ‘joint conspiracy’ to infringe copyrights in Eminem publisher lawsuit (MBW)
Eight Mile Style has just filed suit again, and this time the publisher is aiming a number of serious allegations at Spotify and US-based mechanical rights organization, Harry Fox Agency (HFA).
Rolling Stones working with BMI to stop Trump’s use of ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’ (Rolling Stone)
BMI says that campaign usage is covered by a Political Entities License, and songwriters can deny use. The Stones are threatening to sue if Trump persists.
Interesting Reads
The Music Industry Is Wrestling With Race. Here’s What It Has Promised. (New York Times)
The business owes much of its wealth to the work of Black artists but has just a handful of Black executives in its most senior jobs. Companies large and small say they’re devoted to change.
Coronavirus drove a boom in virtual content; to protect artists, copyright law must catch up (LA Times)
Now that multimedia streaming is going online, this is the time for the technology industry, the legal profession, Congress and Hollywood to work together to allow a free flow of creative content while guarding against a free-for-all.
Assessing the post-pandemic film and TV landscape and the potential impact on sync (Synchblog)
With sets reopening and shooting restarting, Ben Gilbert examines what happens next and how this reconfiguration will influence the music composition, supervision and rights community.
UMG expands partnership with USC Annenberg diversity initiative (Music Ally)
Having already pledged a $25m ‘change fund’ and set up a taskforce, now UMG has announced that it’s working with the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative on a report analysing “the extent to which men and women of colour are excluded from music’s leadership ranks”.
Tap Music bosses Ben Mawson & Ed Millett on their big move into publishing (Music Week)
“We’re putting a big focus on publishing at the moment,” said Tap Music’s Ben Mawson. “We really want to build ourselves up and to be known as a publisher; not just a management company that publishes the odd person.”
Hot Pandemic Market: Music Royalties (WSJ)
Unable to tour, artists tap their catalogs for income as music rights increasingly are seen as ‘a sound alternative asset’.
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