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ARTIST PUBLISHING GROUP & WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC
SIGN & EXTEND DEAL WITH HITMAKER CHRISHAN ![]()
Warner Chappell Music has announced that it has extended its publishing deal with Grammy-nominated hitmaker Chrishan (real name Christopher Dotson) through a new agreement with Los Angeles-based Artist Publishing Group.
The multi-faceted and Platinum-plus recognized artist, songwriter, and producer has made a name for himself with his success spanning several genres, including Meek Mill’s “Dangerous,” A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s “Look Back It,” Drake’s “Jaded,” and French Montana’s “No Stylist.”
![]() (Pictured L-R) are Matt MacFarlane (VP A&R, Publishing, APG), Chrishan, Daniella Cabargas (Sr. Director, A&R, APG) and Mike Caren (CEO, APG)
Chrishan commented, “I couldn’t be more excited to join forces with APG and continue to work with my incredible publishing family at Warner Chappell. I’ve known Mike [Caren] since the early stages of my career and have a tremendous amount of respect for his musical ear and consistency. Getting to know Daniella, Matt, Roxy, and everyone at APG has also shown me that my work ethic won’t only be appreciated, it will be matched. Here’s to many great things to come!” Mike Caren, CEO, APG added, “Chrishan is an incredible talent, and we are honored to kick off this next chapter.” In 2012, Chrishan founded Right Now Sound, which led to him writing and producing hits such as Chris Brown’s “Grass Ain’t Greener,” “Party” and more. In2017, RCA’s J Grand introduced Chrishan and Hitmaka, which led to the duo founding Makasound, a combination of Hitmaka (Maka) and Chrishan’s Right Now Sound (Sound). Since then, the duo has written and produced hits for Drake, French Montana, Chris Brown, Ty Dolla $ign, Meek Mill, Gucci Mane and more, selling over 70 million singles. Chrishan has taken a new interest in pop, recently writing for, and with, Stargate, Jason Derulo, Ava Max, Tommy brown, Cirkut, and The Stereotypes.
PULSE MUSIC GROUP SIGNS CREATIVE JOINT VENTURE
WITH MULTI-PLATINUM PRODUCER TOMMY BROWN ![]()
PULSE Music Group has signed a creative joint venture with Tommy Brown (known by the moniker TBHits), as announced last week by Josh Abraham and Scott Cutler, co-CEO’s of PULSE Music Group and Ashley Calhoun, Sr. Vice President/Head of Creative, PULSE Music Group. The renowned songwriter/producer/rapper is a frequent collaborator of Ariana Grande starting from her first album through all six studio albums.
![]() Taylor Hill
The first signing to Tommy Brown’s creative JV with PULSE Music Group is Taylor Hill, a Queens born, Los Angeles-based producer, songwriter, artist, and multi-instrumentalist who cut his teeth in the industry alongside his frequent collaborator Tommy Brown. Hill is managed by Kristin Gregory and is set to release his debut EP later this year. “We couldn’t be happier that we have an opportunity to work with Tommy. In his early days, Tommy learned directly from production greats Royalty and Rodney Jerkins while working alongside them. Now Tommy has built a team and a flourishing empire of his own. It makes perfect sense to work with Tommy to continue this tradition of great talent helping to light the torches for the talented people they work with and to help give him the platform to do so by signing Taylor Hill. We look forward to even more big things ahead,” said Josh Abraham and Scott Cutler. “Tommy is an incredible hitmaker and having our PULSE creative crew working alongside him in a creative joint venture is exactly in line with our creative strategy to combine forces with the very best in creative talent,” commented Ashley Calhoun. “Taylor Hill already has many impressive credits under his belt. Kristin Gregory and Tommy Brown brought Taylor to us last summer. We started by setting up sessions with Taylor and several clients on our roster and the feedback from our roster was incredible after every session, so we knew we wanted to make it official.”
KOBALT INKS $NOT TO GLOBAL PUBLISHING ADMIN DEAL
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Kobalt has announced that it has signed $NOT to a global publishing administration deal. The worldwide agreement includes publishing administration, including global synch and creative services for all of $NOT’s catalog and future songs.
![]() $NOT
Since releasing his breakout single “GOSHA” — which boasts over 236 million Spotify streams to date — he has secured a pair of Gold-charting records (including “Moon & Stars” ft. Maggie Lindemann), as well as an appearance on Cochise’s Platinum-selling Billboard Hot 100-charting “Tell ‘Em”, as well as placements in TV series like HBO’s Euphoria (“Billy Boy”) and FX’s Atlanta (“Doja”). Most recently, $NOT released his album Ethereal, home to the single “Doja” ft. A$AP Rocky, which reached No.87 on the Billboard Hot 100. Ethereal debuted at No.66 on the Billboard 200 and generated more than 80 million streams across platforms since its release. Commenting on the deal, $NOT said, “I’m happy about my decision to join the Kobalt team. Their technology is second to none, and the team fully understands my needs.” “It was important for us to find a home where $NOT’s vision and goals would be prioritized,” said Jake Markow, $NOT’s manager, “We’re excited to take this next step in $NOT’s career and grow his publishing business with Kobalt.” Jill Tschogl, VP Creative, Kobalt said “It’s impressive what $Not has been able to accomplish in a short time. He’s an artist you can’t put in a box and a star in the making. We are excited to support him as he continues to rise and support his goals of writing across genres.”
BMG RE-UPS ITS LEADERSHIP TEAM
AS REVENUES GROW ![]()
BMG recently announced that it had re-upped its two US repertoire leads, Los Angeles-based Thomas Scherer, President, Repertoire & Marketing, Los Angeles and New York; and Nashville-based Jon Loba, President, BMG Nashville, as the company’s US operations continue to surge.
![]() Thomas Scherer & Jon Loba
Loba will also now add publishing to his established Nashville label responsibilities, becoming the only major music executive in Nashville to hold dual leadership responsibilities of both areas of the business, while Scherer will take the lead on US rights acquisition in addition to his responsibilities for BMG’s Los Angeles and New York-based repertoire operations. Hartwig Masuch, CEO, BMG said, “BMG is on a roll in the US and its thanks in no small part to the work of Thomas and Jon. Jon has created a label powerhouse in Nashville with Jason Aldean, Dustin Lynch, Jimmie Allen, Lainey Wilson, and Jelly Roll, so it makes sense to extend his scope to our Nashville music publishing operation. Meanwhile Thomas is delivering significant double-digit growth at BMG’s core US publishing business with writers like George Harrison, Juice WRLD, D’Mile, Diane Warren, and Lewis Capaldi while also building our recordings interests with key signings like 5 Seconds of Summer, AJR, Maxwell, Slash, Bryan Adams, and the recent acquisitions of Mötley Crüe and John Legend catalogues.” The news comes as BMG held its open house last week at its new Los Angeles office at 5670 Wilshire Boulevard this Wednesday, May 3, after an 18-month delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
A&R WORLDWIDE — “EXPOSED”
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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!
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ACTING LOCAL, THINKING GLOBAL: Enjoying a musical conversation at the headquarters of Polydor Records in Kings Cross in London are longtime music aficionados who have known each other for over two decades. Pictured (L-R) are Ben Mortimer, President, Polydor Records and Sat Bisla, President & Founder A&R Worldwide. The duo met back in the late 90s when Mortimer was an aspiring young A&R executive at Virgin Records in London. Bisla was the worldwide head of A&R for Clear Channel Entertainment (now Live Nation) and for Clear Channel Radio (now iHeart Media), and oversaw the A&R Network, whereas Bisla landed many US and international unsigned artists significant label and publishing deals.
GLOBAL NEWS UPDATES…
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IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Elliott Grainge, Clotaire Buche, Björn Deparade, Kristin Graziani, Jay Cooper, Ian Montone, Ed Howard, Kris Stewart, Rob Wells, Justin Kalifowitz, Ben Mawson, Alan McGee, Beckie Sugden, Jonathan Daniel and Jay Mehta.
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. Life can be unpredictable, scary, fun, and sometimes just full of jackass moments. Click HERE to view a collection of flips, flops, skids, slides and beyond with people whose actions didn’t quite go as they’d planned!
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A&R WORLDWIDE’S "ARTIST OF THE WEEK"– COYLE GIRELLI
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As a songwriter, Coyle Girelli has collaborated with a diverse group of era and genre-spanning tunesmiths, ranging from Mac Davis (Elvis Presley, Kenny Rogers) to Linda Perry (Gwen Stefani, P!nk). He’s written hits for international chart-toppers, including Macklemore and BTS, and found success in theatre, co-writing songs for award-winning French musicals Robin des Bois and Les Trois Mousquetaires. In fact, Coyle currently has three new musicals in workshop in New York City. The English songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist recently released his sophomore album Funland (Honey Lemon Records). According to Girelli, the album is about fun - an escape into a night of debauchery, lust or whatever you want to find in the night. Following his single “Here Comes My Baby” is the 80s-influenced “Do You Wanna Dance?” which has been compared to New Order and The Cure. Listen to the song HERE, and contact Mike Locke at mike@atlasmusicgroup.com for available synch, and licensing opportunities.
A&R WORLDWIDE’S "VIDEO OF THE WEEK"– LUKE NOA
Newcomer Luke Noa has a voice that seems oddly familiar, that feels like home, like warmth, but simultaneously draws you into the distance—an immanent contrast that couldn’t be more exciting. Noa grew up in a small town in Southern Germany and began writing songs and playing his first gigs at the young age of 15. The talented musician recently released his single “Your Smile Should Have Been Mine” (Humming Records) which is an uncompromisingly move forward, and a further step into the maturity and depth for his cool indie-retro pop sound. According to Noa, the song is about inner monologue, when disagreement and discord rage in one’s own head. It’s about the helpless feeling of having played a fair game, only to be left empty handed in the end anyway. Experience the visual for “Your Smile Should Have Been Mine” HERE, and contact mgtm@luke-noa.com for available opportunities including booking, licensing, publishing and more.
PASSPORT APPROVED™ PLAYLIST – 5/8/2022 ![]()
“PASSPORT APPROVED” PLAYLIST FOR Sunday, May 8th, 2022: 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: SEA GIRLS – “Lonely” (Polydor, UK) OSCAR ANTON W/DANI – “Homesick” (Filature, France) THE SHERLOCKS – “Plastic Heart” (Unsigned, UK) FLYCKT – “Jonny Boy” (Dumont Dumont, Sweden) CHARLIE COLLINS – “Backseat Valentine” (Island Records/UMA, Australia) REST FOR THE WICKED – “Devils Delight” (EMI/UMG, Australia) CRAWLERS – “I Can’t Drive” (Modern Sky, UK) DANNY BALDURSSON – “Nothing Matters” (Unsigned, Faroe Islands) MODERNLOVE – “Follow You” (Akira Records, Ireland) BAKER GRACE – “Shake The Earth” (Unsigned, N. America) BEAUX – “Guard Down” (Dirty Hit, UK) SINGLE BY SUNDAY – “Help” (Unsigned, Scotland) BROCKHOFF – “2nd Floor” (Humming Records, Germany) THE LIVING STRANGE – “Radio” (Unsigned, N. America) REBECCA EPICSON – “Gone By” (Unsigned, Germany) MADYX – “Sail” (Unsigned, N. America) DOLORES FOREVER – “Baby Teeth” (Sweat Music, Sweden) THE ROYSTON CLUB – “The Backburner” (Modern Sky, UK) MICHAEL ALDAG – “Teenage Drama” (3 Beat, UK) TRIBE FRIDAY – “Forward Is The Way Out” (Unsigned, Sweden) COACH PARTY – “Weird Me Out” (Chess Club, UK) SUNDARA KARMA – “Oblivion!” (Chess Club, UK) SAIPHE – “Kiss Me” (Unsigned, Austria) CLUB BEIRUT – “Physical” (Unsigned, Scotland) BLOSSOMS – “Sulking Poet” (Virgin EMI, UK) INHALER – “My Honest Face” (Polydor/UMG, Ireland) CASSIA – “Motions” (BMG, Australia) DENIS COLEMAN – “Healing The Process” (Unsigned, UK) TWO YEAR VACATION – “Chasing The Morning” (Clouds Hill, Sweden) THE VICES – “Strange Again” (Mattan Records, Holland) LAUREN WALLER – “Nothing But Life” (Unsigned, N. America) GOOD LEKKER – “Belligerence” (Good Intent, Australia) ALFIE TEMPLEMAN – “Broken” (Chess Club, UK) |