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TIMBALAND TEAMS UP WITH BORED APE YACHT CLUB
TO FORM APE-IN PRODUCTIONS FOCUSED ON THE METAVERSE



Grammy Award-winning producer Timbaland has announced his latest venture and partnership, Ape-In Productions (AIP) — an entertainment company and virtual community that will launch and promote Bored Apes as successful music artists in the metaverse. The Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) phenomena has generated over $1 billion (USD) in trading to date. Universal Music Group recently announced the creation and signing of a Bored Ape group by the name of Kingship (story below In Other News).
AIP was co-Founded by Timbaland and several prominent members of the Bored Ape Yacht Club community as a new platform for entertainment for the metaverse era, with the goal of discovering and amplifying music artists while unlocking nascent creative content through premium NFTs. Specifically, Timbaland is joined by partner Gary Marella, Clement Kwan, and Andrew Rosener and Jonathan Tenenbaum (JT) of MediaOptions, the number one domain broker in the world, who bring with them decades of experience in digital assets, including domain names, cryptocurrency, and NFTs. Timbaland, his company Beatclub, and other creators will be developing music for the AIP’s first set of releases and have already brought several incredibly talented artists into the fold.
The AIP roster will feature a select group of Bored Apes who will release original music and animation in the metaverse as NFTs, bringing a static medium to life. By acquiring these NFTs, collectors will also gain access to a host of exclusive items, such as merchandise, community building events, virtual studio sessions, and animated concerts performed by AIP’s roster in the Bored Ape Yacht Club world. All animation including the forthcoming AIP animated series and concerts will be created and produced in partnership with BRON Digital using Epic Games’ Unreal Engine technology. Token holders of the initial AIP NFT will also have access to custom art by LA-based transmedia production studio Myth Division, as well as other exclusive extras. They will also be given special access to the AIP community and talent pool, which will allow up-and-coming artists to collaborate with AIP and Bored Ape holders the opportunity to use their Apes in AIP projects.

The Bored Ape Yacht Club is a vibrant community with 5,700+ distinct “ape-holders” including Tom Brady, Steph Curry, Snoop Dogg, Lil Baby, Jermaine Dupri and another 11,000+ holders of related Bored Ape NFTs, mutants and dogs. AIP says it will inject the excitement of music fandom into the Bored Ape Yacht Club world and enhance the Bored Ape Yacht Club experience for NFT collectors.

AIP’s first artist signing is TheZoo, a hip-hop group of Bored Apes in the Bored Ape Yacht Club universe. TheZoo’s members are Lincoln Aperaham, Safari Ferrari, Oro Blanco, MoMoney, Wurdz Smith and Congo. They will release their debut single “ApeSh!t” — produced by Timbaland himself — in conjunction with the initial AIP label NFT on November 17th. Bored Ape Yacht Club members and others will be able to mint this “ApeSh!t” NFT on www.ApeIn.com.

WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC INKS CO-PUBLISHING DEAL
WITH CARDI B & EXTENDS CONTRACT WITH CARTER LANG



Warner Chappell Music has entered into a worldwide co-publishing agreement with Grammy Award-winning, multi-Platinum global superstar Cardi B. The deal covers future works as well as recent releases, including her current smash collaboration with Warner Chappell songwriter and fellow Atlantic recording artist Lizzo, “Rumors,” which became Cardi’s seventh No. 1 single on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Cardi was the first woman to have five simultaneous Top 10 hits on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart in a single week as well as the first female rapper with five No.1’s on the Billboard Hot 100.
Ryan Press, President of A&R, Warner Chappell Music, US said, “Cardi is a defining artist of our culture – a master lyricist and show-stopping performer who’s already racked up a deep collection of hits after just six years in the game. Her distinctive voice, fearless authenticity, and unmistakable style have elevated her into a world of her own. All of us at Warner Chappell couldn’t be more excited to join forces with her as she continues her incredible creative evolution.”

On signing with Warner Chappell, Cardi B stated, “I’ve always admired how Guy [Moot], Carianne [Marshall], Ryan Press, and the Warner Chappell team support their songwriters and artists and I look forward to a thriving and successful partnership with them.”

Read more on Cardi B’s signing HERE.
Warner Chappell Music has also announced the extension of its worldwide publishing agreement with breakout hitmaker Carter Lang through a joint venture with Electric Feel Entertainment, covering his existing and future works.

A highly sought-after producer, some of Lang’s most iconic hits include Post Malone and Swae Lee’s RIAA 11x Diamond-certified and Grammy-nominated global smash “Sunflower,” and Doja Cat and SZA’s hit “Kiss Me More,” which has spent a record-breaking 28 weeks in the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. Read more about Carter Lang’s extensive career and accomplishments HERE.

GMM GRAMMY LAUNCHES THAILAND’S FIRST
NEW LOCALIZED STREAMING APP



Tuned Global, a leading B2B music streaming and technology specialist, has partnered with Thailand’s largest media and entertainment conglomerate, GMM Grammy, to launch the first ever music streaming service dedicated to Thai artists and consumers, called Plern.
Powered by Tuned Global’s turnkey music streaming technology, Plern aims to meet Thailand’s growing market demand for music streaming as only 20% of the country’s 45–50 million smartphone users listen to music through streaming apps.
Plern utilizes a Thai-based music catalogue and is currently working with record labels RS, Serng Music, Top Line Music, Sure Entertainment, Siang Siam, and Solution One, with man more to come, including Believe distributed artists and labels, such as Hai Thong Kham Records, Sing Music and Guitar Records.
The app provides a free, ad-supported option as well as a subscription tier, with the premium version offering lossless audio which will come in early 2022, exclusive multimedia content from local artists and early-bird purchase or discounts for upcoming concert and music festival tickets. Built-in features also include listening recommendations and auto-generated playlists powered by Musiio’s artificial intelligence technology. Collaborative user playlists, live radio and podcasts will be added soon.
Plern expects to attract five million monthly active users within the first year. You can check out the app HERE.

WARNER MUSIC TAIWAN UNVEILS NEW MANAGING DIRECTOR
AND ANNOUNCES NEW APPOINTMENTS



Warner Music Group recently announced the promotion of Jasmine Hsiao to the position of Managing Director, Warner Music Taiwan. Her appointment is effective immediately, and she will report to Chris Gobalakrishna and Jonathan Serbin, Co-Presidents of Warner Music Asia. Based in Taipei, Hsiao will lead the company’s operations in the local market, as well as being a core member of Warner Music’s regional executive team.
Jasmine Hsiao
Warner Music Taiwan’s senior management team has also been boosted by the appointment of Carol Chu as International Marketing Director and Catherine Chien as Senior Domestic Marketing and Business Development Director. Chu has previously worked for Warner Music Malaysia and Yonder Music, a highly localized music streaming service in Asia; and Chien has been employed at KKBox, a leading regional digital music service, as well as TVBS, a Taiwanese commercial TV broadcasting company.

Warner Music Taiwan has been an important voice in the worldwide Mandopop industry for over a generation. It has played an important role in the careers of some of the biggest stars in the industry, including Jam Hsiao, JJ Lin, Jolin Tsai, Li Rong Hao, Stephanie Sun, Tiger Huang and Will Pan.

Warner Music says it is committed to growth and expansion in Taiwan, which has a vibrant local music market, as well as acting as a hub for the creation of Mandarin songs that are enjoyed by the Chinese diaspora worldwide.

A&R WORLDWIDE — “EXPOSED”



Each week, A&R Worldwide’s newsletter goes back in time with memorable and defining moments in our 20+ year history. However, we’d also like to share your key and prolific images that have yet to be “exposed.” Click HERE to submit your photo to our team for potential exposure!

OH LILY, STOP BEING SILLY: Award-winning British artist Lily Allen is known the world-over. During the early days of her career garnering support outside of the UK was quite difficult for Allen. However, A&R Worldwide helped Lily Allen get her first-ever radio, streaming and sync deal outside of the UK, which led to her eventual signing in the US. Pictured (L-R) at the Passport Approved radio program on the late and legendary “Indie 103.1FM” Los Angeles are former A&R Worldwide staffer Brandon Fuller, Sat Bisla (President & Founder, A&R Worldwide), Lily Allen, Alicen Catron Schneider (Sr. VP, Head of Creative Music Services, NBCUniversal Media), Steve Schnur (Worldwide Executive of Music & Marketing, EA Games) and DJ Wayne Jobson.



GLOBAL NEWS UPDATES…

SONY MUSIC PUBLISHING INKS THOMAS: Sony Music Publishing has announced the signing of pop and hip-hop songwriter Theron Thomas to a worldwide music publishing deal. Thomas is a part of the production and songwriting collective R City, and has also worked on global hits for artists like Beyoncé, Usher, The Pussycat Dolls, Rihanna, Adam Levine, Lizzo, Miley Cyrus, Doja Cat, Saweetie, Anitta, Ciara, and others. In addition, Thomas’ songwriting credits include “Reminds Me Of You” by Kid Laroi, “Big Energy” with Latto, Lizzo and Cardi B’s track “Rumors,” Chloe’s “Mercy,” amongst others. Katie Welle, Sr. Vice President Creative, Sony Music Publishing helped with securing the deal.

SPANNING THE GLOBE: Former WME executive Scott Clayton has been appointed as co-Head, UTA and will help oversee its global music division, and become a partner with the firm. He will work alongside Sam Kirby Yoh and David Zedeck, co-Heads, Global Music, UTA and work closely with the company’s teams in Los Angeles, New York City and Nashville across all music genres. Clayton who is based in Nashville has helped with the touring careers of many successful artists including Train, John Mayer, Kings Of Leon, Zac Brown, My Morning Jacket, Michael Franti, Dead & Company, and many others. Prior to joining WME, Clayton spent 17 years as co-Head, CAA and its Nashville office.

LAUNCHING WITHOUT A BLAST: Heavy Metal record label Nuclear Blast, which was created by its Founder Markus Staiger back in 1987, sees the launch of a new label incarnation by some of its previous team with the birth of Atomic Fire. The new label will be based in Donzdorf, Germany and will also have a base in London, England, as well as other territories. Former Nuclear Blast staffers, Markus Wosgien and Florian Milz take on the shared roles of co-CEO’s and overall management responsibilities at the new company. Dan Tobin will run the UK office, whilst Liz Ciavarella-Brenner will be responsible for the US, Darren Edwards will run Swedish operations, Oliver Garnier will manage the label in France, the Italian-based firm will be overseen by Barbara Francone and Sergi Ramos will run the company’s office in Spain. The label’s new signings include Opeth, Helloween, Primal Fear, Meshuggah, Amorphis, Michael Schenker Group, and others. In addition, Atomic Fire will manage the artist roster for Reaper Entertainment, which includes acts such as Metal Church, Tankard, and Memoriam.

EXPANDING HER PRESENCE AT THE ORCHARD: Global digital music distributor and label services platform The Orchard has announced its first Pan-Asian management position with the promotion of Priya Dewan to Vice President of Int’l Marketing, Asia Pacific (APAC) & Managing Director, Southeast Asia & Korea. Most recently, Dewan was VP, Southeast Asia & S. Korea, The Orchard, where she oversaw the company’s regional team. Dewan has played a key role in helping The Orchard sign deals with regional SE Asia and Korean label players including JYP Entertainment, BIGHIT Music and others, and will report to Colleen Theis, Chief Operating Officer, The Orchard. The company continues to grow its presence in Asia, South East Asia and other territories and now has a presence in Greater China, Japan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, The Philippines and other markets.

A “MARV” NEW DEAL: Leading British production company MARV and Warner Music Group (WMG) have announced a new joint venture. Through a multi-year, worldwide agreement, the newly formed MARV Music label will work with new and established artists to create original music for films as well as standalone soundtrack and film-inspired album releases. Colin Barlow, former head of Polydor Records, RCA Records UK, and Geffen UK recently joined MARV Music as President, overseeing development, production, and distribution. MARV Music’s first release will be a joint release with Parlophone entitled “Measure of a Man,” performed by FKA twigs featuring Central Cee and written by Ivor Novello winner Jamie Hartman, John Hill, Amanda Ghost, Dominic Lewis, Jane Goldman, and Matthew Vaughn. The song will be released on 19th November 2021 and will be featured in the 20th Century Studios’ film, The King’s Man, by Matthew Vaughn. The prequel to the acclaimed Kingsman movies stars Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Matthew Goode, Tom Hollander, Harris Dickinson, Daniel Brühl, Djimon Hounsou, Charles Dance, and is slated for worldwide release on 22nd December 2021. Another upcoming MARV film, Silent Night, will feature Michael Bublé’s newly recorded original composition, “The Christmas Sweater.” The track will make its debut later this month on the 10th Anniversary Super Deluxe Box Set edition of Christmas, the Warner Records artist’s multi-Platinum, global chart-topper. Silent Night, set for release on 3rd December 2021, is directed by Camille Griffin and stars Keira Knightley and Lily-Rose Depp. MARV films currently in post-production include Tetris, directed by Jon S. Baird and starring Taron Egerton, which MARV is producing for Apple, and action-comedy School Fight, directed by acclaimed stunt director Damien Walters.

GETTING INTO THE GROOVE IN INDIA: The Universal Music Group owned Ingrooves Music Group has tapped veteran executive Amit Sharma as Country Manager, Ingrooves Music Group India. Ingrooves which is a global independent music marketing service and distribution company providing custom services for artists and independent record labels has expanded into numerous international territories this year, with India being the latest. Sharma comes to Ingrooves on the heels of inking deals with two key music stars in India, which includes composer, actor and producer Himesh Reshammiya (inclusive of the artists signed to his label Himesh Reshammiya Melodies), and well-known Indian artist Yo Yo Honey Singh signing a global distribution deal with Ingrooves. Sharma was previously Assistant VP, Content Acquisitions with one India’s largest local streaming services Gaana, and prior to that held position at renowned Bollywood film and distribution company Eros, and with Indian telcos Idea Cellular and Airtel.

SHOWING HIS BRAVADO: Universal Music Group (UMG), today announced the appointment, effective immediately, of Matt Young as President of Bravado, one of the music industry’s leading merchandise companies. Young brings more than 20 years of music industry experience to Bravado, in building brands and artist services, with a focus on merchandising, e-commerce, retail, consumer product licensing, ticketing and customer relationship management (CRM). Based at Bravado’s New York offices, Young will report to Richelle Parham, President of Global E-Commerce and Business Development. Young joins Bravado from Warner Music Group, where he was instrumental during the last 13 years in developing consumer engagement, marketing execution and revenue generation for the company’s most prominent recording artists. Before Warner Music, he worked at Bandmerch, where he held the roles of General Manager of the New York office, and Head of Retail and A&R, and earlier as Vice President of Sales at Blue Grape Merchandise.

REVVING UP THEIR REVENUE: Warner Music Group Corp. today announced its fourth-quarter and full-year financial results for the periods ended September 30, 2021. Revenue was up 22.2% (or 20.8% in constant currency). The revenue increase in the quarter was driven by strong digital revenue growth of 19.0% (or 17.5% in constant currency) across recorded music and music publishing. Digital revenue represented 67.3% of total revenue in the quarter, compared to 69.1% in the prior-year quarter. The decrease in digital revenue as a percentage of total revenue is due to a partial recovery of certain COVID-impacted revenue streams in the quarter, including Recorded music artist services and expanded-rights revenue which increased 71.4% (or 69.7% in constant currency). Recorded music physical revenue and Music Publishing synchronization and mechanical revenue all had double-digit growth. Music publishing performance revenue increased 7.1% (or 3.4% in constant currency). Recorded Music licensing revenue decreased 7.9% (or 9.1% in constant currency). Read the full report HERE.

READY TO BELIEVE: Believe, the Paris, France-based digital music company has appointed Denis Gorshkov to the role of Managing Director, Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), along with making several other appointments. Gorshkov brings over a decade of experience in senior leadership roles within streaming and digital businesses across the region. As part of his new role, Gorshkov will spearhead Believe’s distribution, artist services and the Believe-owned digital music distributor TuneCore across the region. In addition, Gorshkov will manage a team of 50 people from the company’s Moscow-based office. Believe has also appointed Liubov Kevkhaian as its Eastern Europe Director, where she’ll lead Believe distribution services in the market, as well as being responsible for launching new business lines. Viktoria Siniavskaia, has been named Regional Managing Director, Russia, Eastern Europe, Turkey, the Middle East and Africa. Siniavskaia will tackle Believe’s business and development strategy across the markets, and will oversee the company’s three key business offerings including distribution, artist services and TuneCore in all territories. Meanwhile, Believe has also promoted Victoria Pe to Head of Distribution in Russia, where she will report to Denis Gorshkov.

A DEAL WITH NO HAT REQUIRED: Hang Your Hat Music, a creative joint venture with Concord Music Publishing founded by two-time ACM Songwriter of the Year, Hillary Lindsey has announced the signing of Cary Barlowe. The worldwide go-forward publishing deal, effective immediately, will include Barlowe’s future works. The North Carolina native has a diverse musical background that spans multitude of genres – starting as a member of the Rick Rubin produced rock band, Luna Halo. Cary has written nine No.1’s songs in the Contemporary Christian Music format — three of which earned him Grammy-award nominations for Contemporary/Gospel “Song Of The Year.” His first foray into the Country format was “Untouchable” released by Taylor Swift on her 2008 multiplatinum album Fearless. He has since scored five No.1 songs on Country radio including Lady A’s “American Honey,” Dustin Lynch’s “Where It’s At,” Florida Georgia Line’s “Sun Daze,” Billy Currington’s “It Don’t Hurt Like It Used To” and most recently, “Famous Friends” recorded by Chris Young and Kane Brown, which held the No.1 spot on Country radio for two consecutive weeks this summer. Read more HERE.

SIGNING UK NATIVE TONG: Iconic UK DJ and music entrepreneur Pete Tong has signed a deal with Sony Music (Ministry of Sound) for his new recording project titled, Ibiza Classics with well-known conductor Jules Buckley. Tong’s enjoyed No.1 UK chart success with his Heritage Orchestra for the 2016 album release, Classic House. He’s also enjoyed two additional Top 20 UK releases for the 2017 album, Ibiza Classics, and for the 2019 full-length titled, Chilled Classics. The new deal will see a December 3, release of Pete Tong + Friends: Ibiza Classic, which will be a digital release only, followed by a vinyl release in February of next year. Tong is also President of Three Six Zero, which is a label joint venture with Sony Music.

HOW SWEDE IT IS: Gothenburg, Sweden is poised to see one of its very first (post-pandemic) music business conferences and showcase events return with VIVA SOUNDS, which takes place December 3 – 4, 2021. The event will bring together the DIY music communities from throughout Sweden and other international territories and will feature over 30 shows in multiple venues across Gothenburg. The event is produced by Westside Music Sweden, a relatively new entrepreneurial company working with (indie) music businesses and artists from Gothenburg and beyond.


IT’S MORE THAN 10K: 10K Projects, the Los Angeles-based independent record label founded by Elliot Grainge, recently launched 10K Ventures powered by PlayWRK, an initiative to back early-stage founders that integrate within the music ecosystem. The new initiative will be powered by PlayWRK which operates as a Venture Capital-as-a-service (VCaaS), one of the fastest growing VC models. Maggie Sellers, co-Founding partner of PlayWRK, was previously Head of Artist Development & Brand Strategy at Electric Feel Entertainment. With co-Founders, Justin Germaine and Alex Sarkissian, who previously held investment banking, real estate investment and corporate finance/strategy roles, the trio offers a unique skillset to their portfolio companies, providing strategic value beyond just traditional capital. 10K Ventures powered by PlayWRK plans to invest $100,000 to $1,000,000 (USD) of initial capital into each of the growing portfolio of companies it supports and has already made a handful of investments including in the leading men’s grooming brand Faculty World, the fast-growing RTD cocktail, Ohza, and the sunglass innovation pioneer, FutureMood. 10K Projects powered by PlayWRK also recently made a significant investment in Wonder Works Studios, the premier gaming studio creating immersive experiences within the $39 billion (USD) Roblox metaverse. The investment is expected to create opportunities for 10K artists to build unique fan experiences within the Roblox environment.

MOVING UP WITH DOWNTOWN: Downtown Music Services has announced a number of senior executive promotions within its US marketing, A&R and operations divisions. Kasey Fries has been promoted to the role of VP of Operations, where she’ll continue to oversee distribution operations for Downtown Music Services through the company’s rapid growth. Geoff Halliday has been elevated to the role of VP of Marketing, where he’ll oversee the marketing of Downtown Music Services clients across the sound recording distribution roster. Bryan Mooney has been upped to the role of VP of A&R (Pop/Alternative) where he’ll oversee the global signing and development of pop/alternative artists and labels to the Downtown Music Services sound recording distribution roster that currently includes Cheat Codes, Hunter Hayes, Matoma, Mick Management’s Mick Music, RAC and others. Ray Tapia has been promoted to the role of VP of A&R (Latin) to spearhead Downtown’s continued expertise in Latin and Regional Mexican, building out a roster that currently includes Aldo Trujillo and Polo Gonzalez (GodKing Records), Deluxe Music Group, Grupo Recluta (Boba Records), Los Tucanes de Tijuana, Rap Trap/Alzada, and Santa Fe Klan.

A GOOD PRESCRIPTION: Prescription Songs has inked a deal with breakout Los Angeles-based producer Derelle Rideout. The signing, a joint venture with Bizness Boi/BBMG, was announced recently by Rhea Pasricha, Head of A&R, West Coast, Prescription Songs. The rising beatmaker who has had his hand in a number of rap hits over the last few years came to the company via A&R executive Eddie Fourcell who signed him. Derelle Rideout, born and raised in Milwaukee, WI, has worked with Kevin Gates, Lil Uzi Vert, Saweetie, Quavo, Gucci Mane, Flo Milli, Baby Tate, and Peewee Longway. He also co-produced on Kodak Black’s Platinum-selling Painting Pictures album.

LAUNCHING A KINGSHIP AT 10:22PM: 10:22PM, a next-gen Web3 label that discovers and develops artists, intellectual property, brands and digital creators, recently announced the formation of KINGSHIP, a group consisting of four characters from the Bored Ape Yacht Club, one of the most successful non-fungible token (NFT) projects of all time. KINGSHIP was formed by 10:22PM founder Celine Joshua, who engineered the landmark, first-ever exclusive agreement to create a metaverse group. With KINGSHIP, 10:22PM will guide the group in developing and releasing new music, NFTs, community-based products, activations and experiences in the metaverse, and kick off a new generation of artist, fan and community engagement. Bored Ape and Mutant owners will additionally have early access to all KINGSHIP NFTs, experiences and narrative selection. Jimmy McNeils, a leading NFT collector and enthusiast who is also known as j1mmy.eth, is furnishing the Apes in KINGSHIP, which consists of a Mutant Ape and three Bored Ape characters, including rare Golden Fur and Bluebeam Apes. Read more HERE.

“TAYLORED” FOR A NEW A&R ROLE: Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) recently announced the promotion of Taylor Testa to the role of Vice President, A&R, UMPG. She will continue to be based in Santa Monica, CA and report to both David Gray and Walter Jones, Co-Heads of A&R, UMPG. Testa was most recently Director of A&R, UMPG and has worked closely with many of the company’s key writers and artists including Chelsea Cutler, Jimmy Napes, Skylar Grey, Kid Harpoon, Zedd, Matt Maeson, Kenny Beats and many others. Prior to joining UMPG, Testa held A&R positions at Epic Records, Sony Music Publishing (then Sony/ATV) and Virgin Records.

FEELIN’ ULTRA WHEEZY: Ultra Publishing has extended its successful deal with Wheezy. With over 40 Platinum singles, 30 Gold singles and 10 Platinum albums globally to his credit, Wheezy, who first joined Ultra Publishing’s roster in 2018, is one of the most successful American producers and songwriters. His career milestones include over 40 total production credits on the Billboard Hot 100 which include Top 20 placements for Lil Baby & Drake (“Yes Indeed”), Meek Mill & Drake (“Going Bad”) and Young Thug & Gunna (“Hot,” “Solid” with Drake, “Ski”), the No.1 placement on the Billboard Hot 100 Producers chart and No.21 on Billboard Hot 100 Songwriter chart. Wheezy’s latest endeavor includes several co-writes on Young Thug’s new No.1 album Punk, including “Bubbly” with Drake and Travis Scott. Other Billboard Top 200 No.1 albums Wheezy has contributed to include Meek Mill (Championships, Slime Language 2 with Gunna), Kanye West (Donda), 21 Savage (I Am Greater Than I Was), Migos (Culture 2), Future (High Off Life, The Wizard, Hnxdrxx), and others.

BMG SIGNS MAXWELL: Gerald Maxwell Rivera, the 3x Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter and producer known as Maxwell has signed a multi-album international recording agreement with BMG. With over 20 years in the industry and five studio albums, Maxwell has captivated his fans with classic soulful tracks including the 1996 debut album Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite which went certified double-Platinum and was nominated for a Grammy. The R&B soul singer released a music trilogy in 2009, with the first album called BLACKsummers’night which launched to No.1 on the Billboard 200, won two Grammy awards, one of which being Best R&B Album. 2016 was a great year for Maxwell as he released blackSUMMERS’night, earning him an NAACP Image Award for “Outstanding Male Artist.” He also won a Soul Train Award for “Best R&B/Soul Male Artist,” and his third Grammy award for the single “Lake By The Ocean” winning “Best R&B Song.”

A CIRKUT BREAKING DEAL: Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) has announced that it has signed an exclusive, worldwide music publishing agreement with Canadian songwriter and producer and Henry Walter (pka Cirkut). Cirkut is a Grammy-nominated and Juno Award winning “Producer Of The Year,” who has written and produced numerous Billboard Hot 100 No.1 singles, including Katy Perry’s “Part Of Me,” Dark Horse” and “Roar,” as well as “Sugar,” and “Girls Like U” by Maroon 5, and the mega-hit from Miley Cyrus – “Wrecking Ball.” In addition, he helped develop and produce Ava Max’s singles, “Kings & Queens” and “Sweet But Psycho,” as well as producing multiple songs on The Weeknd’s full-length album, Starboy. Cirkut also worked with Kanye West on the song “Hurricane,” on his recent album Donda.

BUILDING FRIENDS WITH NME: BandLab Technologies has announced the creation of a new media group called NME Networks, which includes well-known brands NME, Uncut, Guitar.com and MusicTech. The new company says that its collective brands with help with content creation and curation which inspires, informs and entertains the global sphere of music. In addition, NME Networks aims to combine the value of its media assets to build value and context and deliver international scalability across its portfolio of operated brands. As part of the collective network, the firm has announced the elevation of Holly Bishop to Chief Operating & Commercial Officer, NME Networks. Bishop has been with NME since 2013, overseeing UK operations and spearheading its worldwide commercial efforts during the past couple of years. In addition, Iliyas Ong has been promoted to take on the position as Editorial Director across NME Networks. Currently, NME Networks has a presence in the UK, US, Australia and Singapore, and is said to be hiring executives for key editorial roles to continue developing its new structure and expansion plans.

RAPPING UP A NEW DEAL: Singer, songwriter and rapper Young Thug has signed a new global music publishing deal with Kobalt; however, his catalog will remain with Reservoir. The Kobalt agreement is inclusive of publishing administration, worldwide sync and creative services for Young Thug’s future songs. The rapper who is the Founder & CEO of Young Stoner Life Records has had 14 hit singles on the US charts this year alone and secured two No.1 albums in the US for his releases, Slime Language 2 and Punk. In addition, his recent collaboration with Drake and Future for the single, “Way 2 Sexy” has seen chart success internationally.

STACCS OF JOY: Swedish tech startup, Staccs, has signed a long-term content deal with INA, which is a unique media organisation that has 80 years of France’s TV, radio and online material - for its streaming service. The agreement with INA means that extremely rare content has been singled out from the French national archives for fans to rediscover. Over three years, Staccs will work with INA to identify treasured live shows which will be uploaded to the streaming platform every quarter - seeing over 100 hours of programming throughout the agreement. Both Staccs and INA will dig deep into the French archives uncovering extraordinary content that was originally broadcast across French TV from the late 1970s into the early 1980s from artists such as The Police, The Clash, Elvis Costello, Ramones, The Cure, Madness, Tom Petty, Devo, The Pretenders, ZZ Top and much more. The deal will explore content from legendary French music shows such as Chorus and other programming which saw performances recorded live in Paris.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Andrew Kronfeld, Katy Gavillet, Adam Taylor, Tej Brar, Avery Lipman, Neil Warnock, Cybele Pettus, Gary Calamar, Amy Dunning, Shane Tobin, Mandar Thakur, Barry Dickins, Pete Ganbarg, Mikhael Porter, Kevin Weatherly and Ellen Healy.

JACKASS OF THE WEEK
Have you ever sent a text message you regretted, clicked on the wrong link, posted an inappropriate message or image on social media, accidentally replied “send all” on an E-mail, or made a total ass of yourself? Yes, we’ve all had a jackass moment at one time or another in our lives. We all have a bad day once in a while; however, sometimes one can have the best day ever! Click HERE for a smorgasbord of ups and downs with good days and really bad.

A&R WORLDWIDE’S "ARTIST OF THE WEEK"– KEHLI



Hailing from Dublin, 20-year-old Kehli is a vocalist and performer with a soulful, passionate and unique interpretation of contemporary pop music. Since the age of five, she has studied music and professional dance, including contemporary, hip-hop, ballet and competed at the world championship level. At the age of 14, she tried out for The Voice UK and The X Factor, and rehearsal footage of her made its way to Instagram, where she earned over 22k views in the first 48 hours. It was this experience that led to an introduction to producer/songwriter MSRD, who’s worked closely with Kehli to help her hone her sound. Kehli also worked closely with Cameron Gower-Poole (Anne-Marie) on her forthcoming debut. The first offering from her forthcoming EP is “Not OK.” The track is already earning early support on radio worldwide and has been added to numerous playlists on Spotify. Listen to “Not OK” HERE and contact Henrik Hansen at hhansen@roughbones.com for all inquiries relating to signing, publishing, sync and more.

A&R WORLDWIDE’S "VIDEO OF THE WEEK" – RED RUM CLUB
Liverpool’s Red Rum Club have built quite the following through their extensive touring and regular releases. Since the return of live music, the sextet have supported Circa Waves on a UK tour and just finished their own headlining tour last month. In 2019, the band performed on the BBC Introducing stage at Glastonbury, headlined a number of festivals including Truckfest, Tramlines, YNOT, Isle of Wight and supported the likes of The 1975, Blossoms and Miles Kane. During lockdown, Red Rum Club were hard at work writing and recording their third studio album, How To Steal The World (Modern Sky), which was released on Friday. Watch the video for “Drown” HERE and contact George Wilson at georgeredrumclub@gmail.com for all available opportunities with Red Rum Club.

PASSPORT APPROVED™ PLAYLIST – 11/14/2021

“PASSPORT APPROVED” PLAYLIST FOR Sunday, November 14th, 2021: The weekly import show. Heard on more than 50 radio stations on six continents weekly including: Flux FM Berlin, Germany; NINETYSIX Radio (Indonesia); JioSaavn (India); Radio Doble Nueve, Lima, Peru; WZRH–FM New Orleans, LA; KWSS “93.9FM” Phoenix, AZ; KRML “102.1FM” Carmel, CA; KFRR “New Rock 104.1FM” Fresno, CA; Radio 1, Mumbai, India; WCNR Charlottesville, VA; KIWR “The River” Council Bluffs, IA; 2XM Ireland (national radio); 96.2 ZFM The Netherlands; WAPS–FM “The Summit.FM” Akron–Canton, OH; WKTL–FM Youngstown, OH; 105.5FM XFM Nairobi, Kenya; PUK–FM Johannesburg, South Africa; Rock 96.5FM Zambia; 897 FM Bratislava, Slovakia; WITH “90.1FM” Ithaca, NY; UCFM 87.8FM Australian Capital Territory, Australia; WRUR 88.5FM Rochester, NY; WCRU–FM Hamilton, NY; KZND Anchorage, AK; KQCJ Quad Cities, IL; Allgauhit–FM Bavaria Germany; Indie Xfm Los Angeles and on The Independent FM (iHeartRadio) in the United States, as well as many others internationally.

Listen to this two hour show by clicking HERE:

THE KECKS – “Tonight Might Be Different” (Blaggers Records, Germany)
ALBA AUGUST – “Honey” (Universal Music, Sweden)
BELLWETHER – “Shortsighted” (Unsigned, Australia)
THE SHERLOCKS – “City Lights” (Infectious, UK)
EIZA MURPHY – “Movies” (Unsigned, Ireland)
THE LATHUMS – “I’ll Get By” (Modern Sky, UK)
ILLUMEN – “Drifting Apart” (Unsigned, Sweden)
LEONIDEN – “Paranoid” (Euphorie/UMG, Germany)
ADÉLAIDE – “Silent Hope” (Unsigned, Germany)
DEMOB HAPPY – “Sympathy Boy” (SO Recordings, UK)
DANNY BALDURSSON – “Nervous” (Unsigned, Faroe Islands)
SUNHILL – “Golden Days” (BlackValley Records, Sweden)
MUKS – “Girlfriend” (Unsigned, India)
CLUB BEIRUT – “Bury Your Friends” (Unsigned, Scotland)
SINGLE BY SUNDAY – “Cold” (Unsigned, UK)
INHALER – “It Won’t Always Be Like This” (Polydor, UK)
TEN TONNES – “Go” (Unsigned, UK)
SAHARA BECK – “Crave Me” (Unsigned, Australia)
THE ROYSTON CLUB – “The Backburner” (Modern Sky, UK)
BAKER GRACE – “Midnight Thoughts” (Unsigned, N. America)
SHAMBOLICS – “Sharp As A Razor” (Unsigned, UK)
DONKEYBOY – “Kentucky” (Soundbay Music/WMG, Norway)
VISTAS – “Brand New” (Unsigned, UK)
WAITING FOR SMITH – “Life She Don’t Lie” (417 Records, UK)
THE VIOLENT HEARTS – “Everything & Nothing” (Unsigned, UK)
IAMJJ – “Hurt” (Unsigned, Denmark)
GEORGE DIAZ – “High Rise” (DeAngelis, UK)
THE ROLY MO – “I Miss The Dancing” (7 West Music, Scotland)
TYLER PAGE – “Kill All The Heroes” (Bad Future, South Africa)
PARIS YOUTH FOUNDATION – “Twenty Two” (Unsigned, UK)
SAIPHE – “Emotionally Unavailable” (Unsigned, Austria)
DED RABBIT – “All Fired Up” (Unsigned, Scotland)
KEHLI – “Not OK” (Unsigned, UK)

(Check out the Passport Approved Radio “Featured Artists” on the daily profile exclusively on AllAccess.com including Illumen, Single By Sunday, The Sherlocks, Sahara Beck and Evening Is Youth)