SWEDEN’S BOY DESTROY INKS INTERNATIONAL DEALS: Burgeoning and highly-touted A&R Worldwide supported Swedish songwriter and artist Boy Destroy recently signed a worldwide deal with Warner Music Sweden (ex-Australia and New Zealand). The deal was signed with Calle Rydberg, Head of A&R, Warner Music Sweden and Karin Eliasson, A&R, Warner Music Sweden. John Mullen, Head of A&R, Dew Process has signed Boy Destroy for Australia and New Zealand. The infectious and eclectic artist has released several singles to date, and will release his forthcoming track “Self-Immolation,” with his new label partners on August 26, 2022. Boy Destroy is managed by veteran Swedish manager Filip Wilén, Founder, Bud Fox Managment who has been guiding Boy Destroy’s career for the past several years. Wilén also manages writers, producers and artists including Johnossi, kent, Shout Out Louds and Tove Styrke.

EXTENDING HER DEAL WITH BMG: Canadian singer-songwriter Jessie Reyez has extended her global publishing deal with BMG. The breakout songwriter has been making waves with the R&B, Latin Music, and Pop music genres. Some of her hit songs include “Figures” and “Great One,” which was a featured hit in the 2019 Netflix film Someone Great. She has also recently collaborated with Dua Lipa, Calvin Harris, Sam Smith, and Lil Yachty. Reyez’s impact on music does not only stem from her vocal talent or soulful word articulation, but also from her authentic activism for women in music. Reyez released the short film Gatekeeper: A True Story in 2017 chronicling her dark experiences as a woman in the music industry. Raj Jadeja, Sr. VP A&R, Music Publishing, BMG said, “From the beginning, Jessie Reyez has been an inspiring creative visionary. Empowering young women everywhere through her voice, writing hits for today’s biggest stars, she continues to break through ceilings and barriers. Jessie embodies what it is to be a true artist. We are more than ecstatic to continue our relationship with Jessie and her team. It’s our honor to go forward and enhance all-things Jessie Reyez!” The extended publishing agreement is set to include Reyez’s forthcoming album. 

ELEVATING ARMITAGE AT ASTRALWERKS: Luke Armitage has been appointed to the role of Sr. Vice President of Astralwerks, the dance and electronic music label. The announcement was made by Toby Andrews, President, Astralwerks to whom Armitage reports. In his elevated position, Armitage is responsible for overseeing global marketing and daily operations for the label and its overseas brands, including Astralwerks Asia. Armitage previously served as Vice President of Marketing for Astralwerks for the past four years, during which he was involved in numerous successful projects including Marshmello and Bastille’s “Happier,” and Meduza’s “Piece Of Your Heart.” Armitage is based in Hollywood at the Capitol Music Group’s iconic Capitol Tower.

A SNAFU WITH FINE.ART: Snafu Records has officially launched Fine.Art, the tech label's new catalog acquisition and licensing business. Snafu has been quietly testing its AI algorithm since Q2 of this year. The AI algorithm works to discover and license streaming catalogs from various genres and artists globally. After successfully signing over 20 artists and deploying well over seven figures in artist funding, Snafu has officially announced the creation of Fine.Art, a fund dedicated to licensing and growing artists’ catalogs. Ankit Desai, Founder & CEO of Snafu Records stated, “So many artists don’t realize that they are sitting right on top of their largest growth lever - their catalogs. With our dedicated Fine.Art fund, we’ve unlocked a new way for artists to grow and get paid while doing it.”

VINYL PLATFORM ELASTICSTAGE RAISES £3.5M: On-demand vinyl platform, elasticStage, has announced the latest closing of its seed round which has now raised £3.5 million (GBP) in total for the British tech startup. elasticStage is the world’s first on-demand vinyl manufacturer which creates vinyl using revolutionary techniques new to this industry - via its patent-pending technology. The latest investment is backed by leading music industry professionals and represents industry confidence in the startup, which is set to present all types of artists an innovative way to create vinyl, offering a better commercial opportunity in physical sales. elasticStage has created a way to manufacture and distribute vinyl for the music industry in a way that is both sustainable and ethical. With an on-demand D2C solution, fully packaged vinyl products can be dispatched immediately from the point of creation and in large volumes.

AIM’S PAUL PACIFICO TO STEP DOWN AS CEO: Paul Pacifico has made the decision to leave the UK’s Association of Independent Music (AIM) at the end of 2022. This announcement follows the end of his second three-year term as CEO and the delivery of several long-term strategic goals. Pacifico has transformed AIM by reinvigorating and refocusing its role as the home and voice of a much wider spectrum of UK music business builders, reaching a new generation of creative entrepreneurs. He has represented the interests of AIM’s members and called for collaboration across the music business during periods of uncertainty caused by Covid-19 and Brexit, as well as in Parliament’s inquiry into the economics of music streaming. Under Pacifico’s leadership, AIM has cultivated a strong focus on community-building and levelling the playing field for creative entrepreneurs and artists from diverse backgrounds. His term will officially end on October 31^st. Until the end of the year, he will continue as CEO and will work with the board to ensure a smooth handover.

TAKING ON HER NEW A&R “POSITION”: As hinted in the A&R Worldwide newsletter several weeks ago, and now its official, Samantha Sklar has joined the A&R team at Position Music in Burbank, CA. Most recently Sklar was doing A&R at Warner Chappell Music where she spent the better part of the past three years at the Los Angeles-based publisher. She tells A&R Worldwide that she’s just secured her first new signing at Position Music with producer and songwriter Dru Decaro – the deal was signed last week. Prior to joining Warner Chappell Music, Sklar spent three years at Universal Music’s Verve Music Group where she was involved in publicity and international marketing. In her new role, Sklar will report to Mark Chipello, Vice President, Head of A&R, Position Music.

GOING DIGITAL AT WARNER RECORDS: Warner Records has appointed Dalia Ganz to the role of Sr. Vice President, Digital Marketing. Previously, Ganz spent 17 years at The Walt Disney Company, working her way up from marketing assistant to her most recent role serving as Vice President, Social-Media, Digital Marketing & Synergy for Freeform. At Disney’s Freeform, Ganz spearheaded campaigns for Pretty Little Liars, 25 Days of Christmas, Shadowhunters, The Bold Type, Grown-ish, and Cruel Summer to name a few. In her new position at Warner Records as Sr. Vice President, Digital Marketing, Ganz will work alongside the company’s various departments and its streaming partners on campaigns for the label’s artist roster. She will report to Tom Corson, co-Chairman & COO, Warner Records and will be based in Los Angeles.

THE LINDA LINDAS SIGN GLOBAL PUBLISHING DEAL: Warner Chappell Music (WCM) has signed a worldwide administration agreement with breakout all-female punk rock band The Linda Lindas. The band rose to fame in May 2021 with their prevailing viral hit “Racist, Sexist Boy,” accumulating millions of views on YouTube. The single earned the band “Best Punk Record” at this year’s Libera Awards. Coming off their debut album release, Growing Up, the band has made appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live, NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series and in May of this year, were named in Billboard’s 21 Under 21 list. The Linda Lindas also recently landed several significant synch placements across film and television productions, including “Oh” in Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin (HBOMax) and Ms. Marvel (Disney+), as well as “Big Mouth” and “Rebel Girl” in Moxie (Netflix).

GOING UP THE ELEVATOR WITH REVELATOR: Revelator, a platform focused on music rights management, has appointed Gilad Woltsovitch to lead its Web3 experience for users. Revelator powers the tracking and promotion of music in Web2 and Web3 with services including catalogue management, revenue reporting, ad rights management. The platform is currently building a tool designed specifically for managing Web3 music IP at the supply chain level called the Creator Studio as an expansion into Web3 development. Current Revelator clients include Sofar Sounds, BandLab, Frtyfve, and Mtheory. Woltsovitch will lead the Web3 development team. His expertise includes bridging complex management processes with simplified user interfaces and leveraging blockchain technology to benefit the consumer. Previously, Woltsovitch co-founded two platforms designed to make the global credit industry more accessible and decentralized – Credium and Backed Inc.

OATMELLO SIGNS WITH NETTWERK: Nettwerk Records recently announced the signing of Portland, OR-based producer and multi-faceted creative Oatmello. Oatmello was one of the first Lofi artists to gain traction on Soundcloud and helped to develop the sound of the genre today. The Oatmello project blends elements of jazz, ambient, hip hop, and electronic into a dream-like, introspective experience. His work has amassed 250 million streams worldwide. Oatmello’s new single “Community” has just been release by the label. This is his second single from his forthcoming album. Oatmello join Nettwerk’s expanding roster of instrumental artists including Nathan Kawanishi, goosetaf, The Alaskan Tapes, Slumberville, and others.

“EXCELERATING” ITS LEGAL & BUSINESS AFFAIRS: Exceleration Music has appointed Jennifer Newman Sharpe as Head of Legal & Business Affairs and General Counsel. Based in New York, Newman Sharpe will be utilizing her broad legal and commercial experience to oversee the company’s activities in developing agreements and negotiating contracts across all areas of Exceleration’s fast-growing business. Most recently, she worked as General Counsel and Head of Business Affairs at ONErpm, a global label services and digital distribution company and one of the largest music multi-channel networks on YouTube. During her eight years working with ONErpm, she oversaw all global legal and business affairs for the company, supporting the company’s expansion across 25 offices in 15 countries.

A €10 MILLION+ ACQUISITION IN GERMANY: ROBA Music Publishing, based in Hamburg, Germany, and the AP Music Royalties Fund have announced the acquisition of GERIG, the German publishing group. GERIG consists of more than 20 owned and administered music publishers, 30,000 compositions, and thousands of masters. The deal has not been officially disclosed, but sources say the transaction is in the €10 million (Euros) to €20 million range. GERIG possesses many big German carnival and party songs including “Drink doch eine met,” “Mer Losse der Dom In Kölle,” “Johnny Däpp,” and “Heute fährt die 18 bis nach Istanbul.” ROBA Music Publishing is led by its Managing Director, Dr. Christian Baierle.

HIPGNOSIS JOINS $222 MILLION BOND OFFERING: Hipgnosis Song Management (HSM) is moving back into asset-backed securitization with a $222 million (USD) bond offering. In 2022, Hipgnosis Song Management closed numerous high-profile catalog deals including Leonard Cohen, Kenny Chesney, Justin Timberlake amongst others. Hipgnosis Songs Fund’s gross debt has been maxed out at $600 million and the Fund’s loan interest hiked from $7.3 million to $20.4 million during the 12 months ending on March 31^st. HSM’s music-bond space consists of KKR and Northleaf Capital Partners. Now, KBRA has issued an A- rating to the offering which consists of recorded and publishing royalties from around 950 songs including artists and songwriters Justin Timberlake, Nelly, and Leonard Cohen. The catalog’s total value is $341 million.