Music Deals -- Week 20 2021

US telecom operator Verizon and Universal Music Group's units Capitol Music Group (CMG) and Motown Records have partnered to explore how 5G and multi-access edge computing (MEC) can help artists reach fans in new and engaging ways. The companies will launch a new Emerging Tech and Emerging Artist programme that will pair three rapidly rising CMG and Motown recording artists with advanced content production technologies. The projects will "bring the artists’ creative visions to life in unique and enhanced ways." Verizon’s 5G Lab in Los Angeles will serve as the production facility for the series, giving artists access to a 5G-powered virtual production stage, a volumetric capture studio, game engine technology, and a suite of Extended Reality (XR) production tools. “By giving artists access to next-generation Verizon tools to bring to life their creativity and vision, we can push the envelope at the intersection of culture and technology,” said Verizon’s 5G Labs Director Christian Guirnalda. 

Music finance firm Sound Royalties and content protection platform Cosynd have joined forces in an agreement that will enable Cosynd users to have direct access to Sound Royalties’ funding services. Alex Heiche, CEO of Sound Royalties, said that Cosynd and Sound Royalties share the same mission: "Helping musicians keep their copyrights." Cosynd users earning more than $5,000 in annual royalties will have the opportunity to work with a dedicated Royalty Specialist, receive a complimentary consultation and free income analysis. In return, Sound Royalties customers will have discounted rates to access Cosynd’s suite of services to help register their copyrights, establish ownership, and create agreements to help protect their work. “We are delighted to provide an affordable, easy copyright protection service to the Sound Royalties community and look forward to working together to help Cosynd users thrive in their careers financially,” said Jessica Sobhraj, co-founder and CEO of Cosynd.

IMPEL, the collective licensing agency for independent music publishers, has signed an agreement with Israel's audiovisual content provider Artlist to represent the digital rights for music catalogue of Artlist Originals. “Joining the IMPEL collective, which leads the new age of publishing and rights management, is a significant strategic step for us at Artlist," said Artlist head of music Ori Winokur. Artlist Original is both a record label and publisher that serves as the in-house music production team at Artlist.io. It produces over 1,000 songs a year exclusively for the Artlist music catalogue. 

British band Duran Duran have signed to BMG in a deal that includes the marketing and distribution of their new album 'Future Past', due out on October 22 via Tape Modern/BMG, as well as their post-1997 back catalogue. 

Warner Music Group has made a 360 partnership deal with East Africa’s artist Diamond Platnumz and his independent record label WCB-Wasafi. The new deal will see WCB-Wasafi incorporated into Warner Music South Africa and entertainment provider Ziiki Media. Warner Music’s global network will market globally Diamond Platnumz's music and his label’s artists. WMG, Diamond Platnumz, Ziiki Media and WCB-Wasafi artists will collaborate on new releases, catalogue, brand partnerships, live and sync deals.  

Norwegian electronic music production duo Seeb (Simen Eriksrud and Espen Berg) have signed a worldwide publishing deal with Kobalt Music, covering a full range of creative, sync and administration services for their catalogue and future works. “The main reasons behind our decision to team-up is the great people in the Kobalt system, the flat structure, total transparency in data and the great online system for statements and reporting," said Seeb.

Australian producers Twice As Nice (Nick Audino and Lewis Hughes) have signed a global publishing deal with Mushroom Music Publishing through its partnership with Young & Vicious. They have worked with such acts as Nelly, Bebe Rexha, Robin Thicke and Pete Wentz.