Deals
Three Norwegian record labels - Propeller Recordings, Indie Recordings, and 777 Music - have merged to form a new label group called Sounds Like Gold, headquartered in Oslo. The new label group has partnered with Universal Music’s Virgin Music Group. The merger makes Sounds Like Gold the leading independent record company in Norway, aiming to provide a competitive domestic option and expertise in global exports. The company is managed by the founders of the three merged labels and will work with artists like boy pablo, Highasakite, Gåte and Jan Eggum. Sounds Like Gold has also taken over operations of the historic record label Grappa. Nick Roden, Co-President of Virgin Music Group Europe, says, "This group of labels represent a powerhouse creative team of executives and artists in a very important region of the world."
Liam Gallagher and Peggy Gou have been announced as the new faces of fashion brand Stone Island for its autumn and winter campaign. The Oasis frontman and the DJ will feature alongside actor Russell Tovey and musician and skateboarder Sage Elsesser. Gou's involvement marks the first time a woman has been featured in a campaign for the Italian fashion brand, which was acquired by Moncler in 2020 for €1.15 billion. The campaign includes a 100-question Q&A with each star, with Gallagher expressing his love for Manchester and gratitude for life. Gallagher says, "I love being alive. It's amazing”.
Alexander Palmer has signed a joint global publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music and Cornman Music. The hit songwriter and producer, who splits his time between Nashville and Los Angeles, has celebrated three multi-Platinum No. 1 country hits, including Dierks Bentley's 'Somewhere On A Beach' and Jason Aldean's 'Got What I Got'. Palmer, who began learning classical and jazz piano at five years old in Germany, has also worked with pop and hip-hop artists, co-writing Jason Derulo's five-times Platinum 'Whatcha Say'. BJ Hill, SVP, A&R, WCM Nashville says, "Alex is a seasoned veteran in so many aspects, yet he continues to step up with every new opportunity".
US indie label trade group A2IM has partnered with GoGoods to increase revenue for independent artists through a new digital music ownership platform. GoGoods' Cloud Collectible technology allows fans to buy, play, collect, resell, gift or will their digital music, with rightsholders receiving payment for every ownership transfer. Richard James Burgess, CEO of A2IM, says, "GoGoods is not just offering a new digital format; they are redefining the economics of music ownership". Bill Denk, CEO and Founder of GoGoods, adds, "We couldn’t be more THRILLED to partner with an organisation of the calibre of A2IM".
Bucks Music Group has signed Nadine Shah to an exclusive worldwide music publishing deal. The Mercury Prize-nominated songwriter and musician released her fifth album, 'Filthy Underneath', earlier this year, to widespread critical acclaim. Shah has previously collaborated with artists such as Depeche Mode, Portishead and Suede, and is currently working on a memoir due out in April 2025. Shah says, "I've known the Bucks team for a long time. They're good people, they're proactive and they're constant. I'm looking forward to getting to work with them, finally!"
Sony Music Publishing has signed an exclusive worldwide co-publishing agreement with songwriter and producer Jeremy Stover. The deal includes Sony's acquisition of several songs from Stover and RED Creative Group, such as '7500 OBO' and 'With A Woman You Love', as well as covering all of Stover's future works. Stover has written chart-topping songs for various country acts including Tim McGraw and Justin Moore. Rusty Gaston, Sony Music Publishing Nashville CEO, says, "Jeremy Stover is a master at crafting rural storytelling with sonic sophistication". Stover comments, "I couldn't be more excited to partner with my longtime friend Rusty and the incredible team at Sony".
Warner Chappell Music has signed a global publishing agreement with songwriter John Ryan. Ryan recently co-wrote and produced eight songs on Sabrina Carpenter's album 'Short n' Sweet'. The songwriter has collaborated with numerous high-profile artists over the past decade, including Harry Styles, Benson Boone and Maren Morris. Ryan says, "I'm THRILLED to be working with Ryan, Gabz, Katy, and the rest of the WCM team. They've been incredibly supportive of my songwriting since day one, and I am excited to begin this new chapter of my career as a Warner Chappell writer".
Appointments
Position Music has expanded its artists and repertoire team with the addition of Josh Deane, Shannon Corsi and Josh Tangney. Deane joins with nearly a decade of A&R experience, including stints at Interscope and Atlantic Records. Corsi previously spent five years at Justin Tranter's publishing company Facet, while Tangney comes from a background in artist management. All three new hires will report to Position Music's Head Of A&R Mark Chipello, who says, "All three of them are talented and dynamic creative executives who will play significant roles in our next phase of growth at Position Music".
Legal
Martin Shkreli has submitted fifteen digital copies of the Wu-Tang Clan album 'Once Upon A Time In Shaolin' to his attorneys, following a federal judge's order in an ongoing lawsuit. The declaration, filed on 30 Aug, states Shkreli transferred the files to a USB drive and deleted them from his possession. PleasrDAO, the crypto project that purchased the album after it was seized as part of Shkreli's fraud conviction, secured a preliminary injunction requiring him to surrender any copies and provide an inventory of potential distributions. Steven Cooper of Reed Smith, representing PleasrDAO, says, "We are reviewing the declaration to determine whether it is comprehensive and complies with the court's order".
Young Thug's defence lawyer Brian Steel has gained support from the American Board Of Criminal Lawyers in his appeal against a contempt of court conviction. The board submitted a brief to the Georgia Supreme Court last week, arguing that Steel should not have been penalised for refusing to reveal how he discovered an improper meeting between the judge, prosecutors and a key witness in the rapper's ongoing racketeering trial. Don Samuel, representing the board, says, "Not only were the facts entirely insufficient to prove that Brian Steel engaged in any contemptuous conduct, but the procedure used by the judge to hold Mr Steel in contempt was woefully inadequate to come within hailing distance of due process".
Prakazrel "Pras" Michel of the Fugees has been denied a new trial by a DC federal judge following his April 2023 conviction on charges including money laundering and illegal lobbying. Michel was found guilty of funnelling money from Malaysian businessman Jhow Low into Barack Obama's 2012 reelection campaign and lobbying the Trump administration on behalf of China. US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly rejected Michel's arguments for a retrial, including claims that his former attorney's use of artificial intelligence in crafting the closing argument had prejudiced his case. The judge ruled that Michel failed to demonstrate how the AI's misattribution of a song lyric impacted the verdict, stating, "Michel has not shown that there is a reasonable probability that the result of his trial would have differed had Kenner correctly attributed a lyric to him".
Streaming, Digital, Broadcast & Retail
Spotify has announced the global expansion of its 'daylist' feature, now available to both Free and Premium users and supported in fourteen new languages including Arabic, French, German, Japanese and Korean. The company says 70% of daylist users tune in weekly, with millions streaming it daily. "We're THRILLED to share that daylist will be available globally", Spotify notes, adding that the expansion allows many users to see unique daylist titles in their native languages.
SongTools has announced a partnership with Sonicbids, giving SongTools customers preferential access to Sonicbids' revamped suite of artist services. The collaboration aims to provide indie artists with enhanced promotional and gig-finding opportunities. Sonicbids artists will gain exclusive access to SongTools' one-click playlisting and advertising services. Dan Melnick, CEO of Advance Music and Sonicbids, says, "SongTools is a great partner for us logistically and culturally. They see the value of providing quality services and lifting art with tools artists actually need". SongTools CEO Danny Garcia adds, "We see our collaboration with Sonicbids as proof of our dedication to supporting artists and helping them break through".
Live
Cher has reportedly entered into discussions to perform in the legends slot at Glastonbury Festival in 2025. The 'Believe' singer is said to be in "meaningful talks" with event organisers about taking on the prestigious Sunday afternoon Pyramid Stage performance, according to a report in The Sun. The paper suggests that Cher is considering fitting the festival appearance around plans for headline shows in the UK. When asked about the possibility of performing at Glastonbury in a previous BBC Radio 2 interview, Cher said, "I would like to".
Gigantic Tickets has announced a partnership with Music Venue Trust, offering donation options on all transactions made during September, and pledging a direct contribution to support UK grassroots music venues. Kimberley Goddard, Head Of Philanthropy And Donor Relations at MVT, says, "Our partnership with Gigantic Tickets is a vital lifeline for grassroots music venues across the UK".
Other Industry News & Events
Argentina's recorded music industry grew by 8.2% in 2023, according to the latest stats from national trade body CAPIF. Digital revenue accounted for 74.6% of the industry's income, with physical products generating 8.2%, public performances 16.4%, and sync and other sources 0.8%. Spotify dominated the streaming market share across all age groups in the country, with YouTube Music as the second most popular platform. CAPIF reports that 53% of recorded revenue came from Argentina-based artists' releases, while Spanish-language projects from international acts accounted for 30%. Diego Zapico, president of CAPIF, says, "The music industry in Argentina has experienced a remarkable transformation in recent years. From the explosion of urban sounds to the resurgence of traditional genres, the production of our music is leaving an indelible mark both nationally and internationally”.
NewJeans fans have sent an official letter to Ador and parent company HYBE demanding the reappointment of Min Hee-jin as CEO of the label until November 2026. The letter, signed by 1445 self-identified NewJeans fans, was addressed to new Ador CEO Kim Ju-young, three board members and newly appointed HYBE CEO Lee Jae-sang. Fans expressed concerns about changes to Ador's structure, stating, "We believe that the success NewJeans has achieved in such a short period was made possible through the close synergy between management and production, and this has been proven by the results". The letter also called for HYBE and Ador to prioritise members' opinions in all matters related to NewJeans, and take legal action against defamation and leakage of personal information against the group's members.
Epiphone has introduced the Jimi Hendrix "Love Drops" Flying V, a recreation of the Gibson guitar played by Hendrix from 1967 to 1969. The instrument, developed in partnership with Gibson Custom and the Hendrix family, features psychedelic graphics hand-painted by Hendrix on an ebony-refinished body.
Invasion Group has opened a new office in Nashville, expanding its presence beyond its existing locations in New York City and Boston. The boutique management company, founded in 1984 by Peter Casperson and Steven Saporta, represents career artists, labels and special projects. Artist manager Courtney Oertel will lead the Nashville operations, bringing over 20 years of experience in artist management and arts administration. "With Courtney at the helm, we are excited to offer Nashville's independent artists Invasion's unique artist development model", says Peter Casperson. The company's roster includes names such as Righteous Babe Records, Ani DiFranco and John Driskell Hopkins.
Artist News
Britney Spears has said that a biopic about her life is not, in fact, currently in development after all. The singer clarified that her previously mentioned "secret project" with producer Marc Platt and director Jon M Chu is actually a "fictional musical" rather than a biographical film. Spears says, "It's flattering to be in such good company like Jon Chu!" While details about the plot remain limited, Spears revealed that she will be playing "an extremely intelligent character" in the production.
Black Midi have broken up, confirms frontman Geordie Greep. In a recent interview with NME, Greep states that the London experimental rock group is "definitely finished", contradicting earlier statements from the band's management suggesting a temporary hiatus. "It's over. I don't want to string anyone along", says Greep, adding, "We hadn't really been on speaking terms as a band a while before that, it had broken down in communication".
GloRilla has received a key to the city of Memphis as part of the city's 901 Day celebrations on 1 Sep. The rapper, born and raised in Memphis, was presented with a wooden plaque featuring a metallic key, Shelby County's seal, and the signature of Memphis Mayor Paul Young. GloRilla says, "Memphis made me, Frayser raised me", referencing the specific neighbourhood where she grew up. The musician joins previous recipients including Drake and Yo Gotti, with Mayor Young stating, "We honour our community and its achievements, including presenting the Key to the city to GloRilla - an emblem of Memphis's legendary talent and contributions back to this community".
Catfish And The Bottlemen have cancelled their Australian and North American tours. The band's Australian shows, scheduled to begin on 4 Sep, were cancelled due to illness, according to messaging from ticketing partner Moshtix. Fans in North America have also reported receiving cancellation notifications for the band's October and November dates. This news follows the last-minute cancellation of the band's Irish show on 31 Aug, minutes before doors were set to open. While the band have not yet released an official statement, Moshtix says, "The band were really looking forward to the shows".