APPOINTMENTS
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Round Hill Music has announced that ‘American Idol’ judge Randy Jackson and artist manager John Greenberg have joined as advisors. “To have respected industry legends Randy and John join the Round Hill family is a testament to our creator first model, which has been at the centre of our music strategy since inception”, says CEO Josh Gruss. “Their association with Round Hill reinforces our relationship with the artist and songwriter community, as well as our fifteen year track record of successful investment into music rights”.
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Warner Chappell has promoted Jenni Pfaff to EVP Strategy, Integration & Operations. “For over five years, I've focused on understanding the intricacies of this company and meeting with our songwriters and their teams to create a strategy where our people and business are in sync”, she says. Our technology serves as our foundation, while our strategy ensures everything works cohesively on a global scale. I’m committed to continuing to evolve our products to better serve our songwriters in an ever-changing media landscape”.
STATS
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UK recording rights collecting society PPL brought in revenues of £283.5 million in 2023 - the highest in its 90 year history and up 4% year-on-year. The increase was in part thanks to an 11% boost to public performance income, which generated £111 million.
LABELS
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Believe has said that its board of directors is expecting to offer a decision on a potential acquisition by a consortium led by CEO and founder Denis Ladegaillerie on or before 19 Apr. This comes after Warner Music pulled out of the running to purchase the distribution and artist services firm.
AWARDS
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The Ivors Academy has announced that Apple’s Global Senior Director Of Music Publishing Elena Segal is to receive an Ivors Academy Honour. “Elena is one of the most accomplished and respected music executives in the UK”, says Ivors Academy Chair Tom Gray. “Throughout her career Elena has consistently championed the value of songwriters and music publishing. Notably, she has been at the forefront of global music licensing as technology transformed the industry. For her contributions to the music industry, Elena truly deserves this Honour”.
ARTIST NEWS
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James Blake has announced that he is now an independent artist, having ended his agreement with Universal Music. “After over a decade on a label it feels scary to go independent but here we are”, he says in a post on Instagram. “As someone who hates spam, I promise not to send you annoying emails. Just trying to break free of the algorithm gods gatekeeping art”. The musician has been critical of the record industry of late and was recently involved in the launch of artist subscription app Vault.
RELEASES
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PartyNextDoor has released new single ‘Lose My Mind’. His new album ‘PartyNextDoor 4’ is out on 26 Apr.
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Portishead’s Beth Gibbons has released new single ‘Reaching Out’. Her debut solo album ‘Lives Outgrown’ is out on 17 Jun and she has a handful of UK shows booked for June.
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Elkka has released new single ‘Your Skin’. Her new album ‘Prism Of Pleasure’ is out on 7 Jun.
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Ellur has released new single ‘Boys’.