DEALS
đ€
Primary Wave has bought a stake in the songs catalogue of George Brown, founder member and drummer with Kool & The Gang. âKool & The Gangâs influence on generations of musicians and fans around the globe cannot be deniedâ, says Primary Wave SVP Business And Legal Affairs Samantha Rhulen, who also confirms that the company is âTHRILLEDâ to be partnering with Brown.
đ€
Reservoir Media has acquired music rights from four of the founding members of The Spinners. The deal includes recording royalty income streams from Henry Fambrough, and the late Billie Henderson, Pervis Jackson and Bobbie Smith. âThe Spinners and their catalogue of hits are truly timelessâ, says Reservoir EVP Of A&R And Catalogue Development, Faith Newman. âIt is a true honour to continue building the Reservoir catalogue with legends like The Spinners, and we look forward to supporting their enduring legacyâ.
đ€
Producer Benny Blanco has sold a nice little package of his music rights to Litmus Music, including his stake in songs released by the likes Rihanna, Maroon 5 and Justin Bieber. âIâve had the pleasure of knowing Benny since he was seventeen years oldâ, says Litmus co-Founder Dan McCarroll. âItâs been a joy working with him over the years and watching him become the incredible writer and producer he is today. We at Litmus are honoured to work with him now to support part of his incredible catalogueâ.
đ€
Downtown Musicâs neighbouring rights division has announced international deals with the estates of Meat Loaf and Miles Davis, managing the royalties due from the broadcast and public performance of both artistsâ recordings. âTo partner with renowned estates such as Miles Davis and Meat Loaf, both of whom have deeply impacted the modern music industry, is a real testament to the services and expertise we provide across our neighbouring rights offeringâ, says Dean Francis, General Manager of Downtown Neighbouring Rights.
APPOINTMENTS
đĄ
SoundCloud has promoted Tracy Chan to the role of Chief Content Officer and Ama Walton to SVP Of Music Licensing and Deputy General Counsel. Devi Mahadevia has also joined the firm from Meta as SVP Of Strategy.
đĄ
Label and artist services business Empire has promoted Tina Davis to the role of President. She was previously SVP Of A&R, and will continue to head up Empireâs A&R team as well as inputting on the firmâs operations and strategic planning.
RELEASES
đż
James Blake has announced that he will release his latest album âPlaying Robots Into Heavenâ on 8 Sep. Out now is new single âBig Hammerâ. He is also set to play a one-off show at Here in London on 6 Jul.
đż
The Chemical Brothers have released new single âLive Againâ, featuring Halo Maud. Theyâve also announced a new book chronicling their 30 year career, titled âPaused In Cosmic Reflectionâ, which is set for publication on 28 Oct.
đż
JP Saxe has released new single âEverything Endsâ, featuring Lizzy McAlpine and Tiny Habits. âItâs a song about nostalgia and cute dogs and trauma bondingâ, he says. âItâs about moments you wish you could put on loop. Thatâs not how moments work sadly, it is how songs do thoughâ.
GIGS & TOURS
đȘ
Liam Gallagher is set to launch a new live album featuring his 2022 Knebworth performance with a show at the much smaller Koko in Camden on 9 Aug. The album itself follows on 11 Aug. From it, this is âRoll It Overâ.
AWARDS
đ
This yearâs Music Industry Trusts Award will be presented to booking agent Lucy Dickins at an event this November which, as always, will raise money for The BRIT Trust and Nordoff & Robbins. Says co-Chair of the MITS Award committee, Toby Leighton-Pope: âLucyâs track record speaks for itself⊠Adele, Olivia Rodrigo, Mumford And Sons, Laura Marling and so many others, all with whom sheâs achieved extraordinary acclaim and success. That kind of impact on the industry is undeniable and her contributions continue to shape the industry landscapeâ.