BMI Today it was announced that two Grammy Award-winning R&B stars, singer-songwriter sza Legendary singer, songwriter and producer Kenneth “Baby Face” EdmondsHe will receive major honors at the Performing Rights Organization's R&B/Hip-Hop Awards on September 5.
SZA will receive the BMI Champion Award “in honor of her dedication and efforts in nurturing the next generation of musical creators,” according to the announcement, and Babyface will be honored with the Icon Award.
“We are excited to honor the legendary Babyface with the BMI Icon Award in celebration of his incredible talent and prolific songwriting that has influenced decades of success across all genres,” said Kathryn Broughton Broughton, BMI’s Vice President of Creative, Atlanta. “We will also recognize the extraordinary, industry-changing career of SZA, who defies convention and has a unique vibe that continues to transform and inspire a new sense of R&B that we have come to love. This will be a fantastic night of music celebrating BMI’s award-winning songwriters, producers and music publishers that we are so fortunate to represent.”
The invitation-only event returns to Los Angeles for the first time in nearly a decade at the Fairmont Century Plaza. BMI will also honor songwriters, producers and music publishers for the 35 most performed R&B/Hip-Hop songs of the past year from BMI’s repertoire of more than 22.4 million musical works.
+ Sony Music Group Announced the return of “Your voice, your power, your voteA campaign in the United States to help educate artists, songwriters, music industry professionals, and communities across America about voter registration and turnout ahead of the 2024 elections on November 5. The nonpartisan voter campaign was originally launched in 2020, and encouraged civic participation and engagement in the 2020 U.S. elections.
In partnership with APIAVote, Black Futures Lab, National Black Justice Collective, Rock the Vote, Vote.Org, Voto Latino, and When We All Vote, the Your Voice, Your Power, Your Vote campaign aims to mobilize and inform communities about registration and the voting process and provide educational resources to ensure voters are prepared to participate in the 2024 elections.
“2024 is another important election year in the United States, and we know that people can make their voices heard by voting,” said Tualami Austin, EVP of Global Philanthropy and Social Impact at Sony Music Group. “We helped bring more voters to the polls in 2020 with our partner organizations and hope to help drive turnout even higher this year. Sony Music Group is proud to once again use our platform to support civic engagement.”
+ Independent Publishing Company prescription songs I promoted Ciara Behar And Eddie Forssell Both are promoted to Vice President of A&R. In their new roles, Behar and Forssell will continue to oversee the company’s roster of chart-topping and award-winning artists, songwriters and producers, while also discovering and developing new talent.
Prescription Songs founder Lucas “Dr. Luke” Gottwald shared the news, “Ciara and Eddie are great writers and creators at Prescription Songs. We are so grateful and proud to announce their well-deserved promotions and continued leadership roles.”
During his seven years at Prescription, Behar has signed Grammy-winning songwriters Play-N-Skillz as well as artists Dalex and Gente De Zona. Forssell joined the label in 2021 and his roster includes singer Friday, songwriter Lunchmoney Lewis and co-writer of Lil Durk and J Cole’s Grammy-winning “All My Life,” along with fellow Prescription writers Dr. Luke, Ryan Ogren, and Rocco Valdes; plus B Ham (“Nicki Minaj’s “Nicki Hendrix” featuring Future), Kaine (“Put it On The Floor” by Latto), and others.
+ Sony Music Publishing UK Announced a promotion Rob Stratton To Vice President, Visual and Media Rights. Since joining the division in 2019, Stratton has led major deals with Hasbro, Mattel, All3Media and others. Stratton first joined the company in 2014.
Tim Major, Co-Managing Director, Sony Music Publishing UK, said: “We have been really impressed with the way Rob has led the UK visual and media rights team and partnered with Kathy Merenda to deliver Sony Music Publishing’s strong global vision in this area. He is a thoughtful and intelligent executive who is focused on delivering great service to our partners and brings a calm and positive energy to our leadership team. We are delighted to see him grow within the company and he truly deserves this promotion.”
+ Concord Music Publishing House Announces signing of Juno Award-winning, Grammy-nominated Afro-Cuban soul singer Daimi ArosinaThe global publishing deal, effective immediately, includes a selection of Arocena’s catalog and all future work. Arocena’s latest studio album, “Alkemi,” was recorded in Puerto Rico with producer Eduardo Cabra (Calle 13) and released in February. She released her debut album, “Nueva Era,” in 2015 and in 2017 became a co-founder and member of the Cuban-Canadian jazz band Maqueque, with whom she was nominated for a Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Album in 2018.
“When I first walked into the Concord offices, I had to hold back my excitement so I wouldn’t cry,” said Arocena. “The walls were adorned with photos from Billie Holiday to Celia Cruz. It was like a storybook of my life. I still find it hard to believe that I am also part of that imprint. I am so proud that a publishing house with such a musical legacy continues to support the diversity of voices in the industry, especially in Latin America. I think it is a dream to be part of this family.”
Monday, July 29
veteran rapper Big Shawn – who will release his new album 'Better Me Than You' next month – has signed with Brandon Silverstein Entertainment on S10The company announced Monday. (Pictured above are the two men, with Sean on the right.)
“Brandon shares the vision, understands where I’m headed, and I’m so excited to work with him and the S10 team,” said the Grammy-nominated rapper, whose Eminem collaboration “Toby” debuted at No. 24 on the Hot 100.
S10 also has a publishing division, as well as a film and investment division. It has partnerships with Jay-Z, Max Matsuura, Ryan Tedder, Simon Fuller, and more. Silverstein also managed Brazilian star Anitta for several years before parting ways with her in June of last year, and continues to manage Puerto Rican rapper Mike Towers.
+ Music VotesArtist for Artist, a coalition of nonprofits working in the voting and activism space, announced the first wave of partners participating in the Improve the Vote (which includes registration, ensuring proper voter ID, and showing up to the polls) process. The partners are: Artist for Artist, Artist Rights Alliance, AEG Presents, ASM Global, Bandsintown, Downtown, Echoette: Sound + Vision, Fenway Recordings, High Road Touring, Music Business Association, Music Managers Forum-US, National Independent Talent Organization (NITO), Redeye, Songwriters of North America (SONA), Vector Management, and Wasserman Music.
Music Votes also added new industry members to engage in civic engagement, music policy, disability culture, gun violence prevention, and gender equality while providing additional options to support social and racial justice.
“We are honored to have such incredible support, both from our coalition members and our new partners,” said Eleanor Anderson, MSA Board Member. “It is important for the music industry to present a united front, and the support we are receiving from labels, promoters, venues and others shows that the music industry is ready to mobilize and encourage everyone to exercise their right to vote.”
Music Votes will also host a webinar on Thursday, August 1 at 2 p.m. EST, led by Bill Werd, director of the Bandier Program at Syracuse University. Go here for more information.
+ BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville And it happened K. MichelleLast year, the singer-songwriter announced that she would release her sixth studio album, I Am the Problem, which marked her full transition into country music. It was her final album in the genre.
“When we first met Kee Michelle, she was radiating a passion for country music. It’s the essence of who she is because the lyrics are the truth. She has built an incredible fan base with her unique, story-driven vocals that transcend genres,” said Katie Kirkover, VP of Artists & Creative at BMG.
“I was ready. I’m grateful for this moment,” K. Michelle shared. “It’s time Rebels and Real Outlawz! I’m excited and want to thank my BMG team. I’m happy to finally be singing the music I grew up listening to. I’m a country girl at heart and I can’t wait to share my country music with you.”
+ My voice Announced a “First-Of-Its-Kind” AI Music Competition Cascade And sound CloudThe competition gives aspiring artists the chance to showcase their songwriting talents, as well as win the chance to perform live alongside Kaskade, and release a song on his label, Arkade.
Participants are invited to create a piece of music in the Kaskade-style collaboration—Soundful’s collaborations capture the artists’ core musical aesthetic, or “sonic DNA,” allowing users to create tracks that sound like their favorite artists. Participants are encouraged to modify the track to reflect their own unique style.
The first place winner will have their music completed and released by Kaskade as a featured artist, perform live with Kaskade at one of their upcoming shows, receive a two-year Soundful Pro plan, one year of SoundCloud Next Pro, a $1,000 cash prize from Soundful, and up to $1,000 toward travel expenses for a meet and greet. Apply here by August 12, 2024.
+ Alison Donald, CobaltEntertainment Weekly's global creative chief announced she will be leaving the company at the end of the month to pursue other projects. During her seven-year tenure at the company, Donald has signed Sam Fender, Cigarettes After Sex, Koffee, Gabriels, Jungle, Khruangbin, Rage Against the Machine, The Last Dinner Party and Tom Odell.
“Alison’s passion for creativity and music was always felt throughout the organization, inspiring our teams every day,” said Janet Perez, president of Cobalt. “Her energy and tangible enthusiasm will be missed by everyone at Cobalt. We wish her all the best on her next journey.”
Donald joins Cobalt from Columbia Records UK, where she was Co-President. Previously, she held senior positions at Chrysalis Music Publishing and Warner/Chappell Music, and earlier in her career worked at Capitol/EMI Records and Arista Records.
“Working with the Kobalt team and all the amazing artists and writers on the roster has been incredibly rewarding, and I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve all accomplished,” said Donald. “I’m sad to leave my friends at Kobalt and our amazing roster behind, but I look forward to the next chapter.”
