Music Industry Moves: Sam Smith Signs Tim & Danny Music and Warner Chappell; Republic Hires Devon Libran as Senior VP

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorApple Music has released an expanded, exclusive holiday collection with its second annual “Carols Covered” playlist, available in Spatial Audio.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorWarner Music announced early Wednesday morning that its acquisition group has raised $535 million in a secured senior notes deal.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAs expected, veteran agent Scott Clayton, who left his role as co-head of music at WME late last month, has joined UTA as co-head of its global music division and as a partner, the company announced Monday.Clayton and current UTA Global Music Co-Heads Sam Kirby Yoh and David Zedeck will together “create a powerhouse leadership trio spanning UTA’s New York, Los Angeles, and Nashville music hubs and further solidify the agency’s reach across all music genres,”

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSnap has struck a licensing deal with Sony Music Entertainment — which means the music of all three major labels/ publishers and many indies is now available on the platform (which prefers to be called a camera company, not a social media network).

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorWas the deadly tragedy at Travis Scott’s ill-fated Astroworld Festival at Houston’s NRG Park on Nov.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorDru Bass has joined William Morris Endeavor as a music crossover agent in hip hop and R&B, it was announced today by Kirk Sommer and Lucy Dickins, co-heads, worldwide music, WME. Bass joins the agency from UTA, where he represented such artists as Young Thug, Tierra Whack, Issa Rae’s music company RAEDIO, Emmy-nominated composer Amanda Jones, Harvey Mason Jr., Princess Nokia, Burna Boy, Lil Wayne, Michelle Williams, and Lauryn Hill.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorA murderer’s row of top hip-hop producers including DJ Premier, Swizz Beatz, Mustard, The-Dream, Mike Will Made It, No I.D, Hit-Boy, Take A Daytrip and Tainy will release EPs via Mass Appeal’s “Hip Hop 50 the Soundtrack,” as part of the company’s #HipHop50 campaign in celebration of the genre’s 50th year.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorGrammy Award-winning singer and songwriter Lionel Richie has signed an exclusive, global publishing agreement with Universal Music Publishing Group, the company has announced. The deal includes songs written throughout Richie’s solo career, including smashes like “Hello,” “Lady,” “Dancing on the Ceiling,” “All Night Long,” “Say You, Say Me” and many others; he also co-wrote the charity single “We Are the World” with Michael Jackson in 1985.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThere’s little question that the past 20 months of the pandemic have been devastating. But for all that has been lost, musicians and the industry around them have found countless innovative and inspiring ways to survive, cope, adapt and even thrive.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorBruce Springsteen is in talks to sell the rights to his recorded music to Sony Music as well as his publishing catalog, three sources confirm to Variety. While the album catalog deal is nearly done, some sources say, the publishing catalog remains in play.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorCardi B will host the American Music Awards, which will air live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, Nov. 21, at 8 p.m.

The music publishing wing of Tim & Danny Music has announced a new partnership with Warner Chappell, and via that partnership has signed a new deal with existing publishing client Sam Smith. So that’s nice, isn’t it? Everyone’s happy.Says the Tim of Tim & Danny Music, that being a very happy Tim Blacksmith: “Sam is an exceptional artist and one of the most impactful songwriters in music today.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorOlivia Rodrigo and the Weeknd lead the nominees for the American Music Awards with seven and six nods respectively, show producers MRC Live & Alternative and ABC today this morning. Bad Bunny, Doja Cat and Giveon are close behind with five.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorIn its first post-IPO earnings report, Universal Music Group posted 17.4% year-over-year revenue growth in the third quarter of 2021, with recorded music subscription and streaming revenue up 15.2% and adjusted EBITDA up 20.7%.Lucian Grainge, UMG’s Chairman and CEO, said, “Our operational and financial performance this quarter – our first as an independent, publicly traded company – demonstrates both why UMG is the world’s most successful music company, as well as

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorIn an understated, very Swedish way, ABBA co-founder and CISAC president Bjorn Ulvaeus is apoplectic.We’re talking about the soaring value of song catalogs — a boom that has seen Bob Dylan sell his catalog for nearly $400 million, and Hipgnosis Songs spending more than $2 billion on acquisitions in just over three years, with another billion-plus on tap.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorGlobal royalties collections for music creators dropped 10.7% during 2020 due to the pandemic, declining by nearly €1 billion (approximately $1.16 billion) to a pre-2017 level of €8.12 billion (approximately $9.3 billion), according to the 2020 Global Collections Report published Wednesday by CISAC, the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers.The collections were a setback after years of consecutive growth — including an 8% boost in 2019 to

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe estate of legendary R&B singer Luther Vandross has struck a wide-ranging partnership with Primary Wave Music that sees the company acquiring a stake in the late artist’s publishing, master recording income stream, and name and likeness rights.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorVeteran artist manager Laura Haber has announced the launch of Little Lion Management, which sees her continuing to work with longtime clients First Aid Kit, Tove Lo, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The firm is “focused on a holistic, bespoke, and personally supportive approach to each client’s individual career and personal goals,” according to the announcement.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers has announced that a special “Homecoming” Edition” of its annual ASCAP Women Behind the Music event will take place virtually on Wednesday, October 27 at 3 p.m. ET/ 12 p.m.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorWarner Records has named Karen Kwak executive vice president and head of A&R, joining the company on Nov. 1 and reporting to co-chairman & CEO Aaron Bay-Schuck.