DEALS
🖇️
Music rights administration firm Music Reports has acquired licensing and data platform Blokur. Commenting on the deal, Music Reports’ Vice President Michael Shanley says, “Blokur will help Music Reports accelerate our matching, registrations and reporting to enhance our industry-leading platform and surpass our customers’ expectations”.
🇧🇷
Primary Wave Music has partnered with Brazilian music company Nas Nuvens Catalog. “The transaction shows not only the confidence Primary Wave has in Nas Nuvens Catalog and its team but also in Brazilian and Latin Music, its quality, and its potential to be appreciated worldwide regardless of language”, says Nas Nuvens CEO Liminha.
🚀
Joeboy has partnered with Warner Music to launch his own record label Young Legend. "I've been blessed in my work so far and I want to give back to the artistic community by scouting, nurturing and promoting the next generation of talent”, says the Nigerian musician. “Music today can quickly connect with fans around the world, so it makes sense to work with a global partner that can help me build my artists' international careers”.
🖊️
Armada Music has signed a new record deal with Will Clarke. “I’m at a pivotal moment as an artist where my writing and production is my priority and deepest passion, and I feel ready to take things to the next level”, he says. “With the Armada team behind me, who understand my sound and my vision, I know that my new music can reach its full potential”.
🎞️
Bucks Music Group has signed film composer John Murphy. “I’ve known and worked with John for over 20 years and so I’m pleased for him to join us here”, says Bucks Music’s Howard Price. “John’s career arc is incredible, with many stories along the way. We will match his energy and creativity, working with and bringing new opportunities to his catalogue”.
APPOINTMENTS
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Universal Music has announced an executive restructure, which will see Interscope Geffen A&M’s John Janick and Republic’s Monte Lipman take broader control of the company’s US record labels. “John and Monte bring to UMG unique and complementary skills in how they lead their organisations and how they envision positioning them for success in the future”, says CEO Lucian Grainge in a memo to staff. “To accelerate those strategies and maximise their effect, today I am appointing Monte and John to lead a broader part of our US recorded music business”.
👋
Utopia Music co-founder Mattias Hjelmstedt has resigned from the company’s board and stepped down from all other Utopia commitments.
LIVE BUSINESS
🇩🇪
Germany-based live music company DEAG - which, in the UK, owns Kilimanjaro, Belladrum, Gigantic and MyTicket.co.uk - has halted plans to return to the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in the first quarter of this year. Instead, the company says, it is “currently in advanced conversations with several acquisition targets in accordance with its growth strategy, particularly in the ticketing segment”.
AWARDS
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Public voting for the five genre categories at this year’s BRIT Awards is now open. This year the only way to vote is by commenting on or creating your own Instagram Reels. #engagement Find out more here.
RELEASES
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Don Toliver has released new single ‘Bandit’.
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Tones And I Is back with new single ‘Dreaming’.
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Ayra Starr has released new single ‘Commas’.
😄
The Blessed Madonna has released new track ‘Happier’ featuring Clementine Douglas.
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Wes Nelson has teamed up with Craig David for new single ‘Abracadabra’.
🌳
Bombay Bicycle Club have released new single ‘Willow’ featuring Lucy Rose. The band’s new EP ‘Fantasies’ is out on 23 Feb.
💋
Shaznay Lewis will release her first solo album for 20 years, ‘Pages’, on 17 May. Out now is new single ‘Kiss Of Life’.
🌸
Starsailor have released new single ‘Dead On The Money’. Their new album ‘Where The Wild Things Grow’ is out on 22 Mar.