Sony Music Publishing to Waive Unrecouped Debts for Heritage Artists

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorMost fans have a favorite Beatle, but there’s not much debate about which Beatles solo album is the best: George Harrison’s epic “All Things Must Pass.”Released in November 1970, just seven months after the group’s breakup was belatedly confirmed, it has become synonymous with the concept of suppressed brilliance.

Clint Eastwood is just as talented as always.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorMike Chester has been upped to the newly created position of Executive Vice President, Promotion & Commerce for Warner Records. According ot eh announcement, in his expanded role, Chester will continue to lead the label’s promotion department while also overseeing its strategy across streaming, digital, and commercial platforms and accounts.

Sony Music Publishing has signed that Olivia Rodrigo to a worldwide publishing deal, which is good news for Sony Music Publishing.“There’s nothing I love more than songwriting”, says Rodrigo. “It’s my favourite thing in the world, and I’m excited to be working with the team at Sony Music Publishing”.Because this big deal is a big deal, Sony has wheeled out three people to comment on it.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorOlivia Rodrigo, whose ‘Drivers License’ single and ‘Sour’ album have made her the breakout music star of 2021, has signed with Sony Music Publishing, the company announced on Wednesday (August 4).

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorThe gold rush surrounding non-fungible token (NFT) digital collectibles continues: MakersPlace, a marketplace for buying and selling digital artwork and other creations, has raised $30 million in funding from investors including rapper Eminem and Sony Music Entertainment.San Francisco-based MakersPlace, which launched in 2018, announced that it raised $30 million.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorCraig D’Souza (pictured) has joined WME as a partner, music co-heads Lucy Dickins, Kirk Sommer and Scott Clayton announced today.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe Weeknd teased new music early Monday morning in a snippet posted on social media called “The Dawn Is Coming” and talked generally about it in a new GQ article, calling it “the album I’ve always wanted to make.”The song has a heavy electronic dance groove reminiscent of “Alive 2007”-era Daft Punk, but with the Weeknd’s haunting, echo-laden melody soaring over it.The Weeknd teased the song with three days of hints (a wiped Instagram account followed by a new post

Prince Estate has sold a controlling stake in the rights to the late musician’s intellectual property.According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the three youngest of Prince’s six siblings have each agreed to sell their inheritance in the estate to New York independent music publisher and talent management company Primary Wave.The new report has revealed that Primary Wave, which also owns a music catalogue that includes Nirvana and Ray Charles, last month bought 100 per cent of Prince’s youngest

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorRange Media Partners, the fast-growing management company launched last year, has entered into a worldwide distribution agreement with Capitol Music Group and Virgin Music & Artist Label Services.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorLive Nation has announced that Cindy Agi has joined its Concerts team as a Global Tour Promoter. In her new role, Agi will be responsible for building relationships with global touring artists and booking major international tours around the globe.Agi was previously the co-head of the hip-hop department at WME and was their first black female partner.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorCanadian singer-songwriter Bryan Adams, one of the most successful recording artists of the ‘80s and ‘90s, has signed a global recordings agreement with BMG to release his upcoming studio album, the company announced on Wednesday. It is his first new label deal after more than 40 years with Universal-affiliated labels, beginning with A&M, which released his eponymous debut album in 1980.In his commercial prime, Adams was one of the biggest artists in the world,

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe Weeknd will be honored with the Quincy Jones Humanitarian Award at the first annual Music in Action Awards, hosted by the Black Music Action Coalition and taking place September 23 at the 1 Hotel in West Hollywood.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSinead Harnett, Snail Mail, Ambar Lucid, Paris Texas and 23 other acts are members of YouTube Music’s Foundry Class of 2021, which focuses on independent artists.

Shirley Halperin Executive Editor, MusicAs Israeli talent has taken U.S. screens by storm — quite literally in the case of a successful series like Netflix’s “Fauda” or Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman — the time feels ripe for a similar embrace of music from the tiny country of 10 million.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorBritish guitarist John “Hutch” Hutchinson, a key collaborator in David Bowie’s early career who performed on the original version of “Space Oddity,” died over the weekend after a long illness, according to a report on Bowie’s official website.Ours thoughts are with the family and friends of John Hutchinson who passed in hospital yesterday after a long illness.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorTravis Barker has signed an exclusive worldwide administration deal with Warner Chappell Music, the publishing arm of Warner Music Group, the company announced Thursday (July 22).

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorColdplay have announced the release of their ninth studio album, “Music of the Spheres,” arriving on October 15.The band announced the Max Martin-produced album on Instagram via a handwritten note alongside an album trailer, which combines an animated cosmic journey through the album’s planetary artwork with short clips of the album’s 12 tracks.The band’s note also seemed to hint at further sci-fi themes with the phrase ‘Everyone is an alien somewhere’.In May, the

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorBillionaire investor Bill Ackman announced early Monday that he has decided not to use his SPAC to acquire a 10% stake in Universal Music Group after the Securities and Exchange Commission voiced concerns about the the complicated agreement, which would have been the biggest SPAC transaction to date.

EXCLUSIVE: Non-fungible tokens are about to get their Broadway opening night: Seaview, the production and media company behind such shows as Slave Play, Sea Wall/A Life and Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical, and Broadway social media agency Marathon Digital are teaming with NFT platform Nifty’s for Broadway-themed collectibles drawing from current hits and deep historical archives.