PARTING COMPANY WITH HIS “PEERS”: After spending seven years as Sr. Vice President Film & TV, peermusic Publishing respected executive Carter Armstrong has left the company after having his position eliminated by the global indie publisher. However, A&R Worldwide has learned that Armstrong has a big announcement in the works on a brand-new role which will be unveiled here soon. Armstrong was introduced to peermusic senior management team by A&R Worldwide Founder Sat Bisla (whose helped secure many jobs for executives worldwide over the past twenty years across music, media and technology firms) back in 2015. Prior to joining peermusic Publishing, Armstrong was Head of Music, Lionsgate, a role he held for two years. He also served as Sr. Vice President, Warner Bros. Pictures for 14 years, and during the mid-90’s spent almost six years working with A&R Worldwide staffers Bisla, Monte Malone and Joe Arnold at the radio, music and retail publication company, Network Magazine Group.

EMI RECORDS UK LAUNCHES NEW LABEL, EMI NORTH: EMI Records has announced the launch of a new label based in the northern British city of Leeds, in Yorkshire, called EMI North. This will be the first major label to open a physical space outside of London. Clive Cawley will transition from his current role of MD, EMI to lead the new label as President, EMI North. The new label will focus on working with talent in the North of England and will provide work opportunities for young people in the industry. EMI Records is Universal Music UK’s largest label by market share.

PROLIFIC SONGS UNVEILS ASIA EXPANSION: The fast-expanding music publishing company Prolific Songs is announcing their expansion into North America via a new venture Prolific x Gifted Music Publishing, the new JV launches at the height of success for the London-based publishing company as they go into 2023 with a GRAMMY nomination for their work on Chris Brown’s album BREEZY. Ryan Amber Atkins has been appointed a dual role as Founder & CEO of Gifted Music Publishing and Creative Director of Prolific Songs US. Ryan has already hit the ground running working with Atlanta-based and international songwriters on projects for Usher, Bryson Tiller, Summer Walker and 6lack, and on upcoming syncs with HBO Max, Issa Rae’s HOORAEMedia and Netflix.

BUZZIN’ UK BAND INKS GLOBAL PUBLISHING DEAL: peermusic UK has signed British-based band The Reytons to an exclusive, global music publishing deal via a joint venture with Max Music Publishing, as announced today by Nigel Elderton, President, Europe & Managing Director, peermusic UK; Mike Sault, Head of A&R, peermusic UK; Dylan Myerscough-Harris, A&R Manager, peermusic UK; and Max Odell, CEO, Max Music Publishing. The Reytons – comprising Jonny Yerrell, Lee Holland, Joe O’Brien and Sean O’Connor – landed a new career-best performance, their first No.1 in the UK chart this week with What’s Rock And Roll?, the British indie band’s third LP. Formed in South Yorkshire, the Reytons previously cracked the top 40 on the Official UK Albums Chart with May Seriously Harm You And Others Around (No.27) and Kids Off The Estate (No.11), both from 2021. The Reytons are set to head off on a mini tour of Australia before returning to the UK this summer to play Neighbourhood Weekender festival.

TRANSPORTED AUDIO LAUNCHES MUSIC DIVISION: Transported Audio, a full-service post-production audio facility with clients including Prime Video, Netflix, Hulu, FX, NFL Network, EA and PlayStation, has announced the formation of a new music division. The announcement was made recently by company Founder Eric Marks. The new division was launched in response to increasing demand among longtime and new clients alike for premium-quality, multi-genre original and customized music. Transported Audio’s new music division is headed by noted film, television, commercial and trailer composer Daniel Berk. Known for composing in a wide range of styles running the gamut from intimate acoustic to modern cinematic, Berk has a particular passion for writing trailer and advertisement music. He began his career writing music for short films as well as for top networks including FOX, ABC, NBC, CBS, A&E and Discovery and since then has amassed more than 75 credits working on a wide range of commercial projects, including recent feature films for Netflix, Amazon, Vudu, and Lionsgate.

GLASSNOTE RECORDS SIGNS GROUPLOVE: Glassnote Records has announced the signing of alternative mainstays Grouplove to their roster. The band joins forces with the respected multi-national indie label ahead of releasing their sixth album due out this year. On the signing, Grouplove commented, “We are so excited to be signing to Glassnote Records. We just made the best album of our career and on our first call with Daniel [Glass], we could immediately tell that he agreed. Daniel Glass, President & Founder, Glassnote added, “I have been a longtime fan of Grouplove. Their live show is one of the greatest in the world. It’s a dream come true to be working together and an honor that they have chosen our team to release the incredible album they have coming next year.”

CYANITE LAUNCHES MUSIC TEXT TECHNOLOGY: Cyanite, a tech company with various software solutions in AI-powered music tagging and search, has launched the first search engine that can instantly translate complex text input into its closest musical equivalent. Similar to image creation services like Dall-E and Midjourney, users can now find matching music by telling the AI exactly what they need - in their own language and unbound to a prefixed set of keywords. Users can insert a full scene description, a sync briefing or a hunch about a sound, and Cyanite’s free text search will provide a list of suitable tracks. The technology allows any user – regardless of their music knowledge – to delve deeper into huge music libraries to discover the perfect music for a specific application such as a movie trailer or YouTube video, vastly reducing the complexity of music search.

OWL CITY EARNS FIRST RIAA DIAMOND CERTIFICATION: Synth-pop pioneer Owl City received his first RIAA Diamond certification for his groundbreaking 2009 debut single “Fireflies,” signifying sales in excess of 10 million units. The memorable mega-hit milestone track “Fireflies” is the second-ever Dance/Electronic song to be certified Diamond by the RIAA. The track is featured alongside the 1x Platinum single “Vanilla Twilight” on Ocean Eyes, Owl City's 2x Platinum July 2009 sophomore album on Republic Records. In addition to these key career achievements, Adam Young has also cultivated a wide-ranging recording career steeped in synth-pop, disco, indietronica, European electronica, and a score of other genres.

CTM PUBLISHING NAMES SENIOR A&R MANAGER: Effective immediately, Stephanie McGuire has been appointed Sr. A&R International within the Holland-based CTM Publishing A&R team. This promotion is the result of the experience McGuire has gained over the past few years and successes that CTM Publishing has achieved partly because of her. McGuire will continue to actively guide CTM’s composers, authors, and producers. Within her new role she will focus on establishing more international collaborations and create new overseas opportunities for the CTM Roster. The focus of CTM has always been international, largely because of CTM’s offices in Los Angeles, Nashville, Miami, Sweden, Germany, and Belgium.

EXCELERATION MUSIC SIGNS DEAL WITH +1 RECORDS: Independent label +1 Records has announced a strategic partnership with Exceleration Music, the global venture dedicated to enhancing the future of independent music. Exceleration has made an investment in +1’s catalog and the companies have forged a partnership whereby Exceleration will provide the resources and operational support to help power the label’s upcoming releases. Centered on artist development, New York and Los Angeles-based +1 Records has forged a reputation as a contemporary, modern label. Jonny Kaps, Co-founder & CEO will lead +1 Records into the future and artists will continue to have the personal support of the label’s dedicated team. +1 Records co-founder Nat Hays Boas has exited the firm to pursue other opportunities as the company embarks on this new chapter. As a strategic partner, Exceleration will provide +1 Records with support in distribution, marketing, operations, administrative services, and more for its past and future releases.

WARNER MUSIC GROUP UNVEILS 2022 ESG REPORT: Warner Music Group (WMG) has released its 2022 Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) report. Last year, WMG became the first major music company to release a standalone ESG report, beginning to translate long-standing grassroots commitments into a more formal approach. The latest report shares progress in areas including employee experience, social impact, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and climate change, while setting new targets for 2023 and beyond. The report coincides with WM’'s CEO transition and was introduced by WMG’s new CEO Robert Kyncl and outgoing CEO Steve Cooper. The report can be read HERE.

AVEX USA & BRANDON SILVERSTEIN SIGN JASPER HARRIS: Avex USA and Brandon Silverstein Publishing (formerly S10 Publishing) have announced a worldwide future publishing deal with GRAMMY Award winning producer Jasper Harris which will come into effect later this year. Jasper has produced hit songs including Jack Harlow’s “First Class,” Post Malone & Doja Cat’s “I Like You,” Baby Keem & Kendrick Lamar’s “Family Ties,” and other works with the likes of The Kid LAROI, Lil Nas X, Future, and many more. The powerhouse producer will join Avex USA and Brandon Silverstein Publishing’s rapidly growing joint publishing venture, which includes hitmakers like Justin Bieber’s close collaborator and GRAMMY nominated producer HARV, Jamaica’s global star Shenseea, The Kid LAROI’s collaborator Cxdy from Internet Money, Bella Poarch’s “Build A Bitch” co-writer David Arkwright, Curtis Waters’ “Stunnin” producer Declan Hoy, and KOSA (the songwriter & producer behind massive hits with RVSSIAN, Lil Baby, Future, Bad Bunny, Travis Scott and more). The joint publishing company with Avex and Silverstein has over 12 billion streams across its catalog to date and three No.1’s at Top 40 US radio.

SAS METCALFE TO STEP DOWN AS CCO AT KOBALT: Kobalt has announced that its Chief Creative Officer, Sas Metcalfe, will be stepping down effective February 28, 2023. Metcalfe was Kobalt’s first employee when joining the company in 2001. As a true pioneer in the music industry, Metcalfe has not only spearheaded Kobalt to become the home to some of the most iconic and talented writers in the world, but she has also fostered a global creative team that is almost 70% female. Through her leadership, Kobalt’s team and writers are often recognized by the most prominent awards in the business, including the GRAMMY’s, ASCAP, BMI, Billboard, IVOR’s, and more. Metcalfe was named Music Week’s “International Woman of the Year” in 2017 and has received multiple recognitions from Billboard’s Power lists, including “Women in Music” and “International Power Players.”

CONCORD SIGNS COREY CROWDER CATALOG: Concord Music Publishing has announced the signing and catalog acquisition of top country music songwriter and producer Corey Crowder. The worldwide co-publishing deal, effective immediately, includes a majority of Crowder’s catalog and all future works. Corey Crowder is one of Nashville’s most in-demand songwriters and producers. Originally from Loganville, GA, he relocated to Nashville in 2010 to pursue songwriting and saw early success with Chris Young, including his 3x multi-Platinum, three-week No.1 “I’m Comin’ Over,” and 2x multi-Platinum No.1 “Think of You” (featuring Cassadee Pope), and “Hangin’ On.” Crowder continues to push the envelope with chart-climbing singles, including Florida Georgia Line’s “I Love My Country” and “Long Live” as well as “Famous Friends” (Chris Young ft. Kane Brown) and “Drinkin’ Beer. Talkin’ God. Amen.” (Chase Rice ft. Florida Georgia Line), earning him CMA’s prestigious Triple Play Award for 3 No.1 songs in a 12-month span.

ERIKA MONTES NAMED PRESIDENT ROSTRUM RECORDS: Erika Montes, the former Global VP for Artist & Label Relations at SoundCloud, has been appointed President of Rostrum Records. Montes will be exiting SoundCloud after six years with the company. At Rostrum, Montes will report directly to Benjy Grinberg, Founder who will transition to the role of CEO. This will be the first time in the company’s history that anyone other than Grinberg has held the position of President. In her new role, Montes will be responsible for leading the company’s growth strategy and will oversee frontline label operations. She will work closely with artists, managers and distribution, and brand partners in developing partnerships and opportunities.

UMG NAMES NEW VP OF SOUND & PICTURE: Universal Music Group (UMG) has appointed Roey Hershkovitz, a widely respected television producer and recording industry executive, to Vice President of Sound & Picture, a newly created role that will lead visual content capture across the company’s iconic studios, develop new programming and build on the company’s leadership in immersive audio. In his new role, Hershkovitz will work across UMG’s studios globally, as well as with Joe McCrossan, Head of Video Services, to develop new strategies that build upon the company’s multimedia services and capabilities available to record labels, recording artists and songwriters. Additionally, Hershkovitz has been named Head of West Coast Studios, where he will continue to oversee Capitol Studios and the legendary facility’s ongoing renovation. He was also appointed to UMG’s Audio Leadership team to drive creative innovation and audio quality, including Dolby Atmos Music adoption across a wide range of consumer products. Hershkovitz will now be based out of Santa Monica and continue to report to Christopher Jenkins, Executive VP of Digital Studios, and Pat Kraus, Sr. VP of Recording Studios & Archive Management.

MARK RANKIN JOINS GPS MANAGEMENT: GPS Management tells A&R Worldwide that it’s added three-time GRAMMY Award winner Mark Rankin to the roster. Mark is a music producer, engineer and mixer known for his work with Adele, Harry Styles, Taylor Swift, Maggie Rogers, Spoon, Weezer, CeeLo Green and more. Mark has received multiple GRAMMY nominations for work with artists such as Queens Of The Stone Age, Florence And The Machine, Iggy Pop, and Foster The People. Mark contributed production and mixing to Spoon’s latest album, Lucifer on the Sofa, which is currently nominated for a 2023 GRAMMY Award for “Best Rock Album.” Originally from the UK, Rankin is based in Los Angeles, CA with a private studio mixing stereo and Atmos spatial audio projects.

Colton McGee

Adam Gardiner

CONCORD ANNOUNCES NEW EXECUTIVE HIRES: Concord has made two new executive hires. Colton McGee has been tapped for the position of Sr. VP of Business & Legal Affairs for Concord Label Group and Adam Gardiner has been appointed Sr. VP, International Sync. Colton McGee will report to Gregg Goldman, Executive VP of Business & Legal Affairs and will be based in Concord’s Nashville headquarters. McGee will work with Goldman as a key member of the business and legal affairs team for Concord’s recorded music division, supporting the continued growth of the Concord Label Group and Craft Recordings through new artist signings, acquisitions, and management of historical rights. Adam Gardiner comes from Universal Music’s creative division, Globe, where he was Head of Film & TV. Adam spent ten years at UMG working his way up from team assistant to head of department. In his role at Concord, Gardiner will be responsible for all music publishing sync activity outside the US, with the UK, Germany and Australia sync teams reporting directly to him, as well as coordinating all of Concord Music Publishing’s third-party sync activity. Based in London, he reports to John Minch, President International Publishing at Concord.

TUNECORE NAMES PAPOOSE AS HEAD OF HIP-HOP: TuneCore, the digital music company, has appointed rapper Papoose as head of Hip-Hop. Throughout his career, Papoose has collaborated with artists including Ed Sheeran, Method Man, Lil Wayne, Busta Rhymes, and others. In his new role at TuneCore, Papoose will report to Andreea Gleeson, CEO and will be responsible for leading the company’s Artist Ambassador program for Hip-Hop and Rap. He will also search for rising talent and oversee the artist education and career advice workshops as well as act as a brand advisor for TuneCore’s new programs and technology launches. Papoose has also announced that his latest single “Makin’ Plays” (featuring Jim Jones and Jaquae) will be released on February 10^th.

JASON MURRAY NAMED PRESIDENT VECTOR MANAGEMENT: Vector Management, the artist management company, and Canadian independent record label and artist management company, Black Box Music have merged. Jason Murray, co-Founder & CEO Black Box Music will take on the role of President at Vector. In his new role, Murray will oversee operations and new business. Black Box Music was founded by Murray and Ian Stringer in 2004 and has expanded from being an independent label to a multi-genre music company that offers both artist management and publishing services. Vector was founded in Nashville and has since expanded, now with offices in New York, Los Angeles, and Toronto. Vector offers branding, re-branding, technology, fashion, film, TV, and product development. Vector has not disclosed the financial terms of the merger with Black Box Music.

MUBUTV RELAUNCHES FEBRUARY 28, 2023: MUBUTV (Music Business Television) is set to return and relaunch the brand on February 28, 2023. Returning after a long hiatus due to setbacks from the global pandemic, the channel is back with a whole new programming line-up including all new episodes of its flagship show the “MUBUTV: Insider Video Series,” as well the introduction of several new programs including a “How-To” instructional series for artists, weekly music business news segments, YouTube live streaming events, as well as the debut of the MUBUTV: Insider Podcast. MUBUTV’s new Insider Podcast, takes an in depth look and deep dive into the many challenges and nuances of what it takes to build a viable and sustainable career in today’s new music business. Featuring conversations with some of the biggest names in the business including veteran record producer Mike Clink (Guns N’ Roses), leading independent artist and author Ari Herstand, legendary A&R Executive John Kalodner (AC/DC, Aerosmith, Cher), Marketing expert Amber Horsburgh, and veteran radio personality Nic Harcourt (KCSN-FM Los Angeles) among others. Many of the interviews were conducted at MUSEXPO, which attracts many big names from the global music business with the help of A&R Worldwide who have close working relationships with many of the US and international executives. One of the most popular interviews was with Pete Ganbarg, President, Atlantic Records & President ATCO Records, which has racked-up close to 100,000+ views, which can be viewed HERE. The podcast is hosted by Ritch Esra and Eric Knight, co-Founders of the platform.

RESERVOIR STRIKES CATALOG DEAL WITH DION: Reservoir Media has struck a catalog deal with Rock and Roll and GRAMMY Hall of Fame inductee Dion. The deal includes the entirety of Dion’s publishing catalog and future works. It also includes synchronization rights to his recording masters. Dion’s catalog includes over 40 albums. He has earned 39 Top 40 hits and has had 11 Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hits throughout his career. Dion rose to game as the lead singer of Dion and the Belmonts and later pursued a solo career. Dion was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 and the GRAMMY Hall of Fame in 2002.

WMG & SPINNIN’ RECORDS GET IN THE SANDBOX: The Sandbox, a leading decentralized gaming virtual world and subsidiary of Animoca Brands, has announced a collaboration with Warner Music Group to hold the official release party in The Sandbox for Spinnin’ Records’ World’s Biggest Demo Drop (WBDD). The premier DJ talent contest organized by Spinnin’ Records, a leading global dance-label, has been launching new artists for over two decades. The party started on 26th January and runs through February 8th 2023. Spinnin’ Records’ WBDD has been the biggest DJ annual talent contest for over 20 years. For the first time, tracks from this year’s winners will not only be released on Spinnin’ Records but will also become NFT products with LGND Music, enabling a new dimension of digital distribution for winners. The event’s official release party, held for the first time online in The Sandbox, will feature music from each of the winning DJs and a virtual appearance by each DJ as a non-player character (NPC) that players can interact with.

ICONIC DJ NIC HARCOURT LAUNCHES NEW PILOT: Renowned and iconic Los Angeles-based radio DJ and media personality Nic Harcourt recently announced the launch of his new pilot titled, “Tripping With Nic Harcout.” The new program which is currently streaming on the Spark Network website on Youtube. Each episode finds Harcourt in a different city, introducing the audience to three creators in the worlds of music, food, tech and more. Cities on the list include San Francisco, Seattle, Austin, Nashville, Memphis, Miami, Boston, New York/Brooklyn and Atlanta. Harcourt is currently the morning show host on KCSN-FM Los Angeles and spent many years as a high-profile and influential DJ on KCRW Los Angeles’ “Morning Becomes Eclectic,” where he helped break many acts from across the globe and also served as an independent music supervisor for films, TV and brand campaigns.

TOM PERGOLA IN TALKS TO SELL CATALOG: Tom Pergola, a highly accomplished songwriter and music producer, is currently in talks to sell his lifetime of work–a catalog nearly 400 songs and tracks strong--to a music sync company for licensing to multimedia outlets. Presently, a number of leading production music companies (under NDA’s) are considering acquiring Pergola’s unique catalog for future sync licensing deals. Pergola who celebrates 60 years in music was a professional guitarist in a series of successful bands starting in the 1960s on the East Coast and later in Los Angeles. Along the way, he has collaborated with fellow musicians Charo, The Shirelles, The Tokens, The Chiffons, Allen Toussaint, Snoop Dog, Busta Rhymes, Jack Del Rio, Chet McCracken (The Doobie Brothers,) Merry Clayton, Ricky Bell from New Edition, Philip McKeon, Freda Payne, and Tanya Ware (Star Search,) along with producers Charlie Green (Sonny and Cher, Buffalo Springfield, Iron Butterfly,) and Marcellino and Larson (The Jackson 5).

CONNECTING TO THE MUSIC BIZ: Music Business Registry, which provides a comprehensive guide to key executives and company contacts within the US and international markets across record labels, music publishers, music supervisors, studios, ad agencies and beyond has announced that it has published its latest directories.  The all new updated versions of the 2023 editions of the A&R Registry, Music Publisher Registry and The Film/Television Music Guide are currently available at www.musicregistry.com.