Music Deals -- Week 13 2021

Short form video platform Triller has signed a licensing agreement with the US National Music Publishers Association (NMPA), which covers the repertoire of its members. NMPA President and CEO David Israelite welcomed the fact that Triller "has recognised the importance of music creators and made a positive step forward by coming to this partnership." He added that the agreement with Triller accounts "for the past use of songs as well as a forward-looking license for our eligible independent publisher members.”  Triller Executive Chair Bobby Sarnevesht said: “We are very excited to enter this partnership with the NMPA, which ensures that songwriters are fairly compensated and fully recognised for their work.”

Irving Azoff-backed rights society Global Music Rights (GMR) has signed a long-term deal with media group Entercom Communications which will allow Entercom to use GMR’s repertoire across all of its platforms. GMR said the multi-year partnership "paves the way for a strong partnership between the rapidly growing audio content and entertainment platform and the boutique performing rights organisation." Entercom is a leading creator of live, original audio content in the US disseminated through podcasts, digital and broadcast platforms. “We are excited to partner with Irving and the team at GMR,” said David Field, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Entercom. “They represent some of the top talent on radio today. The combination of Entercom’s reach and GMR’s music is a huge win for our audience.”

mySongbird, the streaming platform for live and concert performances and music documentaries, has signed a licensing contract with Universal Music Group's Mercury Studios. Under the partnership, mySongbird has acquired the rights to thousands of hours of live concert footage and documentaries of bands like the Rolling Stones and Fleetwood Mac, new concerts from the likes of Imagine Dragons and Mumford & Sons, as well documentaries featuring Bob Dylan and John Lennon. mySongbird was launched in late 2020 by Mike Mountford and the agreement with UMG will allow the platform "to broaden its online catalogue." The subscription-based platform currently offers around 500 live concerts across multiple genres, including classic rock, new wave, pop, punk, jazz, etc. "Concert videos from Mercury Studios dating back to the 1960s are an invaluable source of entertainment and we're delighted to add these to our platform," said Mountford.

China’s music services company Kanjian Music has sealed a partnership with lyrics licensing platform LyricFind to become LyricFind’s sole sales representative in China and help LyricFind "expand its licensing collaboration and related business opportunities with Chinese companies in China." Kanjian Music Founder and CEO Shen Jia said the deal with LyricFind "allows us to offer the world's lyrical content, and by extension a large piece of the world culture, to China. This is a win-win for the audience and industry alike, as the rapidly expanding digital product space in China will now tap into the extensive and diverse catalog of LyricFind, further enhancing Kanjian Music’s role as the global music industry's trusted partner in China."

Music credits database Jaxsta is now fully integrated with global B2B music rights and licensing marketplace platform Songtradr. The integration of the two services enables eligible Jaxsta Pro members who have claimed their profile to utilise Songtradr’s platform and tools to initiate collection and ongoing management of their neighbouring rights income. Songtradr will utilise Jaxsta’s music credits metadata to assist in the identification of uncollected revenue resulting from the public performance of sound recordings. “The partnership demonstrates the significant opportunity to solve data-centric challenges faced by the music industry and to create new efficiencies through automation, said Jaxsta CEO and Co-Founder Jacqui Louez Schoorl. "The neighbouring rights service is part of a growing set of tools and benefits that Jaxsta Pro members can access through our membership.”

Malaysian independent music company KRU Music and Warner Music Group have formed a strategic alliance to market and distribute the label's artists’ music in South East Asia and the rest of the world. KRU's distribution will go through ADA, WMG's service and distribution company for independent artist and labels. KRU Music was set up in 1996 by the members of the band KRU. Its roster includes acts such as Fitri Hakim, Forteen, Hazury, Iqwan Alif, Jaclyn Victor, Mojo, Wings, Dian Hashim, Fai Ramli, Fateh and Timur. “With this collaboration, KRU Music and our artists can leverage Warner’s size and strength to ensure our music will be more visible on hundreds of streaming platforms aiding its discovery by their users," said Norman Abdul Halim, President and CEO of KRU Music.

Warner Music Group has acquired Russian indie label Zhara Music, and the company will be rebranded as the Russian division of Atlantic Records. Zhara Music was launched less than three years ago, with success in Russia and markets such as China and the Middle East. Zhara Music was co-founded by artists and businessmen EMIN and Bahh Tee and its roster will be represented globally under the Atlantic Records banner. Artists signed to the company include HammAli & Navai; Зомб; Morgenshtern; Slava Marlow; Rauf & Faik; Jony, Elman, Andro, Gafur (RAAVA Music); ЛСП; Idris & Leos; and DAVA. Atlantic Records Russia will be headed by Bahh Tee as General Producer, and he will maintain a dedicated team of A&R and marketing specialists in a standalone office, separate to Warner Music Russia. Alexander Blinov, Director General of Warner Music Russia, will provide strategic leadership for Atlantic Records Russia, while back office functions, such as legal and financial support, catalogue registration and content distribution, will be performed by the Warner Music Russia team. 

Sony Music Publishing South Africa has signed a global representation deal with SA's independent music company Gallo Music Publishers. The agreement, which excludes Africa, will provide a range of services and create new opportunities for Gallo's songwriters and catalogue on an international scale. SMP will provide administration services, helping to collect, distribute, and expedite royalty payments across the world; as well as synchronisation services, licensing Gallo's music for film, television and commercials. Gallo Music Publishers is the publishing arm of Gallo Record Company, the leading independent music company in South Africa, which will celebrate its 95th Anniversary this year. "Having started my career at Gallo many years ago, I’m thrilled to be reunited with celebrated works from the likes of Lucky Dube, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Stimela, Sipho Mabuse, Caiphus Semenya and so many others," said Guy Henderson, President, International, Sony Music Publishing. "Together, with Sony Music Publishing’s great roster of writers, we look forward to taking the best of African music to the rest of the world.” 


B​ertelsmann's music division BMG has signed a multi-faceted partnership agreement with the ​Montreux Jazz Festival, which will kick off with the production and the release of 'The Montreux Years', a three-part documentary series celebrating the history of the music festival, alongside unreleased and remastered recordings from the festival’s 55-year history.

Sony Music Publishing Nashville has renewed a worldwide deal with award-winning country music songwriter Tom Douglas​, who has penned songs for Tim McGraw, Carrie Underwood, Chris Janson, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Brett Eldredge, and Keith Urban​​, among others​.