We catch up on this week’s music publishing news, from key deals and signings to new hires, legislation and more.
Deals and Signings
‘Supalonely’ Singer BENEE Signs With Sony/ATV Music Publishing (Variety)
Twenty-year-old New Zealander Stella Rose Bennett — professionally known as BENEE — has signed with Sony/ATV Music Publishing to a worldwide deal.
Warner Chappell Music signs Sean Douglas (Music Week)
The Grammy-nominated Douglas has worked on hits for Thomas Rhett, Demi Lovato, Jason Derulo and David Guetta. The LA-based writer’s first Top 10 was Lovato’s Heart Attack in 2013.
Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville Signs Gabby Barrett To Global Publishing Deal (Music Row)
Singer/songwriter Gabby Barrett’s career trajectory has skyrocketed since she released her debut single “I Hope.” The song, which Barrett also co-wrote, recently became her very first No. 1 single on country radio and has been certified Platinum.
Royalties & PROs
ASCAP reports record results for 2019 (Music Week)
ASCAP has reported record-breaking results for the fifth year in a row. The US collection society’s revenues hit $1.274 billion (£1.024bn) in 2019, a $47 million (£38m) increase over 2018.
CMRRA Quarterly Pay Out Hits Record $14M (FYI Music News)
The Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency (CMRRA), Canada’s leading mechanical reproduction rights licensing collective, reports Q1 payouts to music publishers, musicians and composers totalled $14-million.
New SGAE President Antonio Onetti Talks Next Steps, COVID-19 & Regaining Members’ Trust (Billboard)
Billboard spoke to Onetti about his immediate priorities, which include ensuring SGAE gets reinstated into CISAC, holding new presidential and board of director elections in October, and restoring faith in the organization he calls home.
MusicBiz LIVE Presentation – Tuesday, May 12: Kris Ahrend, CEO of The Mechanical Licensing Collective
In his first public address since taking his new position, The MLC Chief Executive Officer Kris Ahrend will update viewers on the progress and priorities of The MLC, and lay out his vision for the future of this brand-new, globally recognized data & technology startup.
Facts & Figures
Warner streaming revenues hit $586m in calendar Q1, but COVID-19 hurt overall performance (MBW)
Music Publishing revenue at Warner Music Group (i.e. at Warner/Chappell) grew in calendar Q1, up 5.1% (or 7.8% in constant currency) year-on-year. Warner/Chappell’s performance income fell by $5m YoY, but this was offset by gains in digital, mechanical and sync revenues.
Legal
Music Industry Leaders Press Congress For New Stimulus: ‘Our Situation Is Dire’ (Billboard)
A group of leading music and film industry organizations sent a new letter to Congress today (May 8), explaining how the CARES Act economic stimulus bill falls short of the entertainment business’ needs.
Peloton Reports $49M in Legal Costs After Settlement With Music Publishers (Billboard)
Peloton Interactive spent $49.3 million in settlement and litigation costs this past financial quarter, likely reflecting what it took to get the tech-enabled fitness startup out of a massive copyright suit filed by song publishers.
Copyright in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (U.S. Copyright Office)
On February 5, 2020, the Copyright Office and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) held a symposium that took an in-depth look at how the creative community currently is using artificial intelligence (AI) to create original works. The video and transcripts are now available to view.
Hirings and Promotions
Kenny McGoff promoted to Head of A&R, UK at Kobalt Music Publishing (MBW)
Based in Kobalt’s London office, McGoff was previously Senior Vice President, Creative. McGoff joined Kobalt from Songs over two years ago and has had a long and illustrious publishing career.
Sony/ATV Music Publishing Announces Two New Executive Hires (Music Row)
Sony/ATV has added two new executives to its Nashville office. Cam Caldwell joins as VP, Business Affairs, while Courtney Pender joins as VP, Human Resources.
Adam Epstein Appointed Head Of A&R At Demolition Music Publishing (Music Row)
Adam Epstein has joined Demolition Music Publishing as head of its A&R department. Epstein will focus on artist development, catalog exploitation and new strategic opportunities for the Demolition Music team.
Interesting Reads
How We Work Now: Reservoir President/COO Rell Lafargue (Billboard)
In a new series amid the coronavirus pandemic, Billboard is asking individuals from all sectors of the music business to share stories of how they work now, with much of the world quarantined at home and unable to take in-person meetings, attend conferences or even go into the office.
Songs for Screens: The New Realities of Music Licensing (Variety)
Songs for Screens caught up with Mannis-Gardner to learn more about the best (and worst) practices for licensing songwriting and master recordings on social media, the outlook for syncs and the dangers of free licenses.
Looking to Monetized Music Platforms in a Pandemic – Part 1 (Synchblog)
Monica Corton runs through the best services for monetizing live streamed and on-demand performances, starting with Twitch and Cameo.
Bucks Music’s Jonathan Tester on the sync business during lockdown (Music Week)
Indie publisher Bucks Music has always been busy with TV, film and advertising placements – so what’s going on during the Covid-19 pandemic as productions shut down and commercials are put on hold?
How De Niro Gave Us Sinatra’s ‘New York, New York,’ Our 7 P.M. Anthem (New York Times)
Frank Sinatra can thank Robert De Niro and two annoyed songwriters for the song that revived his career and now is the theme music of the city’s nightly tribute.
Music Publishing Jobs
Raleigh Music Publishing, a growing global music publishing company headquartered in Times Square, NYC is seeking an A&R/Creative Consultant based in LA.
You will be responsible for the detection and recovery of missing AV income streams, ensuring that income due to BMG’s AV clients for use of their songs in film or TV gets paid timely and accurately.
Music Publishing Administrator – Anonymous (London)
A start-up independent urban music publisher is looking for an exceptionally organised music publishing music administrator with responsibility to both protect and exploit our writers talents and copyrights.
