PATRIOT SIGN MARTY MARO TO PUBLISHING DEAL: Brandon Silverstein Publishing and Ryan Tedder’s Patriot Publishing have announced a publishing deal with GRAMMY-nominated producer, songwriter, vocal producer, and mix engineer Marty Rod, professionally known as Marty MARO. The in-demand creator has produced and written for a wide array of artists, including Selena Gomez, DJ Snake, John Legend, Anitta, Bastille, and many others. Beyond hundreds of millions of streams, MARO’s work has also been featured as part of global ad campaigns for Meta and Madden 23 and synced in feature films, including John Legend’s “Crowd Go Crazy" from Space Jam and others.

WIXEN MUSIC PUBLISHING HIRES PIKUS AS VP A&R: Wixen Music Publishing has appointed music industry veteran Jon Pikus as VP A&R/Business Development. Pikus will be based in the independent music publisher’s Calabasas, CA office, and will handle signing new artists, songwriters, producers and catalogs to Wixen’s client roster, in addition to traditional A&R tasks such as setting up collaborations and co-write sessions for the existing roster. Pikus will report to Wixen President & CEO Randall Wixen, CFO & COO Andrew Wixen and CTO & Executive VP Jason Rys. Pikus has held previous A&R positions at Columbia Records, Interscope Records, MySpace Records, Lava Records and Imagem Music Publishing. He began his career as a drummer and producer of 90s Los Angeles-based rock bands, and has worked with artists such as Weezer, Crazy Town, The Ataris, Anna Nalick, Pennywise, Christina Milian and Hollywood Undead.

DAN SULTAN SIGNS WITH UNIFIED ARTIST MANAGEMENT: Dan Sultan has signed with UNIFIED Artist Management. Sultan will be under the management of UNIFIED’s Ash Hills and will have booking agency representation with Lonely Lands Agency’s Harry Moore. Both UNIFIED Artist Management and Lonely Lands Agency are a part of UNIFIED Music Group, which is one of Australasia’s most successful independent artist management firms founded by Jaddan Comerford. Following the announcement of new representation, Dan Sultan is set to release his new single “Story” via Mushroom Group’s Liberation Records on Thursday, February 23^rd.

DANIEL MORA NAMED MD OF WARNER MUSIC ANDES: Warner Music Andes has appointed Daniel Mora as Managing Director. In his new leadership role, Mora will be reporting to Alejandro Duque, President, Warner Music Latin America. Mora will be responsible for overseeing the company’s operations in both Colombia and Peru. Prior to his appointment at Warner Music Andes, Mora most recently held the role of Managing Director of Warner Chappell Music Colombia. Mora replaces Maria Montejo who left the company earlier this month.

INFLUENCE MEDIA STRIKES DEAL WITH TYLER JOHNSON: Influence Media Partners has entered into a collaboration with prolific music producer, songwriter and 2023 GRAMMY “Album of The Year” winner, Tyler Johnson. Best known for his longstanding creative partnership with Harry Styles, Johnson has co-written or co-produced the vast majority of the pop star's solo discography and biggest hits from his 2017 solo debut to his chart-topping 2022 release Harry's House, which earned him two GRAMMY awards and recognition alongside frequent collaborator Kid Harpoon as Variety Hitmakers “Songwriters of the Year.” Influence Media has invested in a diverse catalog of titles created by Johnson between 2012 and 2020 (Johnson's work on Styles’ latest release, 2022's Harry's House, is not included in this partnership). The music rights platform, which is partnered with BlackRock and Warner Music Group, has formed this collaboration as part of its investment strategy built on "modern evergreens," songs and artists with a strong potential for long-term impact on pop culture.

SEEKER MUSIC ACQUIRES CHRISTOPHER CROSS CATALOG: Seeker Music has acquired Christopher Cross’ full masters and publishing catalog and has announced a year-round celebration of his music and legacy to build on the smash-success of their 2022 “Summer of Christopher Cross” campaign. To kick things off, last week they released Cross’ sophomore album Another Page in Spatial Audio for its 40th anniversary, and they have announced a remix campaign and several national events being scheduled for the Spring/Summer.

ONERPM NAMES HEAD OF BRANDING: Erin Dunleavy has been appointed Head of Branding at ONErpm. Operating out of ONErpm’s New York City office, Dunleavy will report of Head of U.S. Marketing, Jenna LoMonaco. With ONErpm offering brand partnership opportunities to its artists, Dunleavy will be responsible for helping to drive the new initiative. Previously, Dunleavy oversaw branding and advertising at Island Records where she played a key role in campaigns for artists including Shawn Mendes, Demi Lovato, Bon Jovi, The Killers, Jessie Reyez, and others.

AMAZON MUSIC STRIKES PARTNERSHIP WITH ENDEL: Endel, the generative AI music company, has partnered with Amazon Music. Endel will produce wellness playlists for Amazon Music using AI tech. Based in Berlin, Endel was formed by a collective of developers and artists to creative AI-powered apps that produce personalized sounds to aid in focus, sleep, and relaxation. The technology tracks the user’s movement, time of day, weather, heart rate, and more in order to produce a personalized product. Endel will produce a sleep playlist for Amazon music using its research into the neuroscience of sleep. The playlist will last eight hours long or until the listener wakes. The new partnership follows Amazon’s investment in Endel’s parent company, Techstars Music’18. 

ZYNC / ROUND HILL MUSIC UNVEIL PROMOTIONS: Zync / Round Hill Music has advanced four of its executives to new posts, as announced by Chief Creative Officer Marisa Baldi. These promotions include the appointment of Madison Norris to Executive VP, Creative Operations, Kelly Ross to Vice President, Head of Creative Licensing and Publishing, Becca Luce to Sr. Director, Film & TV/Creative Publishing, and Steve Nalbert to Vice President, Sync Licensing and Digital. Norris will facilitate day-to-day management for the ZYNC creative licensing team, spearheading marketing for the frontline and its expansive back catalog. In addition, she remains responsible for top advertising clients. Ross leads sync licensing for the catalog and handles pitching for advertising in addition to identifying and signing songwriters and artists to frontline publishing and master deals. Luce guides the co-write team with newly expanded A&R responsibilities as well as film and television pitching. Nalbert will now build, optimize, and sustain Round Hill Music’s digital strategy, collaborating with key partners such as Meta, Apple, TikTok, Peloton, The MLC, and many more.

STING TO BECOME A FELLOW OF THE IVORS ACADEMY: The Ivors Academy has revealed Sting as the latest songwriter to become an Academy Fellow, the highest honor the Academy bestows. He will receive the award at The Ivors on May 18th in London, England. The Academy also revealed Amazon Music as the new title sponsor of The Ivors in a collaboration that will amplify and scale the awards’ recognition and celebration of songwriters globally. To commemorate Sting’s fellowship, Amazon Music has shared an exclusive demo of Sting’s track “If It’s Love” from his latest album, The Bridge – offering a rare insight into the creative process of one of the world’s most eminent songwriters. You can stream the demo HERE.

WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC KOREA INK GLOBAL DEAL: Warner Chappell Music Korea recently announced that it had signed a worldwide publishing agreement with MZMC Inc. Korea Co., Ltd., a prominent production and publishing company that leads the expansion of K-Pop in the global market. Under the partnership, Warner Chappell Music is granted the global publishing administration rights to the entire catalog of MZMC Inc. Korea Co., Ltd., including iconic songs such as “Fine” by Taeyeon; “Ko Ko Bop,” “Love Shot,” and “Tempo” by EXO; “RBB (Really Bad Boy)” by Red Velvet, as well as “We Go Up” by NCT DREAM. MZMC Inc. Korea Co., Ltd. is a pioneer in the Korean music industry, playing a critical role in the expansion of K-Pop throughout the rest of the world. With a roster of over 20 talented songwriters and producers, and a catalog of nearly 250 songs, the company was founded by Paul Thompson (known professionally as MZMC), one of the most respected songwriters and producers in Korea.

KARTEL MUSIC GROUP UNVEILS NEW HIRE: Independent Music Services company Kartel Music Group has announced the appointment of Abi White as Head of Dance and Electronic Promotions within its expanding marketing and media promotions agency, Kartel Marketing Agency. The role will see Abi leading on promotions for all dance and electronic agency clients, plus Kartel’s own electronic label, EMK. For the past five years, Abi was co-Founder and Co-Director of electronic music PR agency, For The Record PR. She brings a deep understanding of current music culture and content creation.

MUSICBED LAUNCHES NEW TV/FILM DIVISION: Fort Worth TX-based music licensing company, Musicbed, has announced the official launch of its new TV/Film Division, by appointing industry veteran Chris Lavarias to lead the charge as Musicbed’s first Head of TV/Film. The launch of the new division executive appointment is the latest evolution for Musicbed as the company looks to fully serve its clients in today’s ever-evolving marketplace. In his new role, Lavarias will be working collaboratively with music supervisors and trailer houses to meet their needs and expand Musicbed’s relationships within the industry.

HILLS ARTISTS NAMES GLOBAL MARKETING & MANAGER: Rupert Lincoln, Founder & CEO of Hills Artists has announced the appointment of industry vet Desiree McCann to the position of Manager and International Marketing for the full-service LA based management company. In her new position, McCann will be handling the day-to-day management for Hills Artists clients, as well as supporting and driving international marketing campaigns for the roster. In addition, Lincoln has promoted staff member Brenna Rindfuss to the position of Manager for the company.

SONY MUSIC PUBLISHING EXTENDS DEAL WITH DAVID GATES: Sony Music Publishing (SMP)has announced the expansion of its global publishing administration partnership with legendary singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist David Gates and his publishing vehicle, Kipahulu Music Co. The deal continues Gates’ long-established relationship with the company which began in the 1960s and covers iconic hits including “If,” “Everything I Own,” “It Don’t Matter To Me,” “Baby I’m-A Want You,” “Make It With You” and many more. David Gates is widely known as the founder and front man of the hit band Bread. Before his time in Bread, David also composed chart-topping songs for The Murmaids and The Monkees, and worked with Elvis Presley, Bobby Darin, Merle Haggard and more.

YMU NAMES NEW GROUP CHAIR: YMU has appointed media and advertising executive Linda Yaccarino to the role of Group Chair. Yaccarino has been inducted into the B&C’s Hall of Fame, received the New York Women in Communications Matrix Award, the UJA Foundation’s Mac Dane Award for Humanitarian Excellence, and the Distinguished Alumni Award from Penn State University. At YMU, she will work closely with CEO, Mary Bekhait. Most recently, Yaccarino held the role of Chairman of Global Advertising and Partnerships at NBCUniversal.

ICONOCLAST ACQUIRES MAD DECENT CATALOG: Iconoclast has acquired the catalog of Diplo’s Mad Decent Publishing. Iconoclast was founded by Olivier Chastan and entered the music rights acquisition space in February 2022. Mad Decent Publishing was launched in 2006 and is co-founded by DJ and producer Diplo and Kevin Kusastsu. The Mad Decent Publishing catalog includes songwriters such as Henry Agincourt Allen (pka King Henry), Philip Meckseper (pka JR. Blender), Karen Orsted (pka MØ), Valentino Kahn, Clement & Maxime Picard, and Dillon. Financial details of the acquisition fee have not been disclosed.

WISE MUSIC AUSTRALIA EXPANDS IN ASIA VIA SESAC DEAL: Wise Music Australia has signed a digital licensing deal with SESAC Digital. The new agreement will expand Wise Music Australia’s footprint in 20 Asian markets. Wise Music Australia handles all performance, mechanicals, grand rights, hire materials, and synchronization rights for Asia. SESAC Digital will negotiate agreements with online service providers in the following countries including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor Leste and Vietnam. The partnership will be administered by Mint Digital Services.

PHRASED DIFFERENTLY JOINS IMPEL: Phrased Differently, a Budde Music company, has joined IMPEL. Phrased Differently includes Budde Music UK after the London-based boutique publisher and the German-based independent powerhouse formed a joint venture in 2020. Since its founding in 2006 by Hiten Bharadia, Phrased Differently has managed over 3,000 song placements, including more than 100 No.1s, 300 Top 10 records, over 100 Platinum records and 70 Gold records around the world. The company has had successful singles with a wide range of globally renowned artists including Ariana Grande, Ava Max, Marshmello, Britney Spears, Calvin Harris, Chainsmokers, David Guetta, Demi Lovato, Doja Cat, Jax Jones, JP Cooper, Kygo, Kylie Minogue, Little Mix, Lady Antebellum, Lost Frequencies, Miley Cyrus, MK, Olly Murs, Sigala, Stormzy, Tiesto, Tom Walker, Will Smith, Wiz Khalifa, Mimi Webb, and more.

YMU MUSIC NAMES SR. MARKETING MANAGER: The US Music division of international artist management company YMU, has announced the promotion of Dani Chavez to the position of Sr. Marketing Manager effective immediately. Based in Los Angeles, Dani will continue to report to SuzAnn Brantner, Head of Marketing, YMU Music US, and work closely with the individual artist managers at the company. Since joining YMU last year, Chavez has spearheaded campaigns for over a dozen acts including international DJ, Valentino Khan, South African prodigy Lloyiso, and multi-platinum rapper, Yung Gravy, whose hit, “Betty (Get Money)”, took 2022 by storm. Additional artists she works with include Chet Faker, Sullivan King, Passion Pit, 3LAU, and 4B.