Music Industry Moves: Niall Horan Inks Exclusive Worldwide Publishing Deal With Universal Music

Niall Horan has signed an exclusive, worldwide publishing agreement with Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG). This follows the release of Horan’s third album “The Show,” which earned the former One Direction member his second UK No. 1 single as a solo artist.

“It’s my absolute pleasure to sign with UMPG,” shared Horan in a statement. “I have known Mike [McCormack, UMPG UK managing director] personally for many years and I’m so happy that I get to work with a man who firstly genuinely cares about artistry and the art of writing a song, and secondly knows the world of publishing like no other. To have met the great Jody Gerson who I’ve known of throughout my career as being a badass publisher and when I felt the love from her and Mike, I wasn’t going anywhere else, to be honest.”

Horan, a songwriter and self-taught guitarist, has sold over 80 million records and toured the world multiple times as a member of One Direction. In 2017, he released his first full-length solo album “Flicker” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 as his first solo No. 1 in the U.S.

“I’ve known Niall for years and he has always shown a deep commitment to the art of songwriting,” said McCormack. “I’m thrilled UMPG has the privilege to represent his past, present and future solo works and support his artistry alongside Harry and Richard from Modest Management. We are especially excited to be celebrating Niall’s fantastic new LP and know he has a bright future ahead.”

Modest Management’s Harry Magee added, “Mike has been talking to me about Niall since our lockdown bike rides and when the album finally started to come together, it was then very post-lockdown in McCormack’s kitchen with some great wine, my phone and the obligatory Bluetooth speaker. He really gets Niall’s musicality and singer-songwriter spirit which has reached new levels of maturity on this record. Mike was excited from that day and so this partnership has always been written in the stars!”

Pictured above (L-R): Niall Horan, Mike McCormack (UMPG), Harry Magee (Modest Management), Richard Griffiths (Modest Management)

+ Peermusic has acquired the song catalogs of famed bluegrass/country music pioneer Earl Scruggs and the majority of the song catalog of his son, Gary Scruggs. Through this deal, peermusic acquires the U.S. rights it was previously administering for Earl Scruggs as well as some of the songs that were previously controlled by the Scruggs estate. The deal also includes the acquisition of the majority of the song catalog of the late Gary Scruggs.

Peermusic has served as the publisher of the Earl Scruggs’ song catalog for decades, dating back to their early conception. The Scruggs family is now in their third generation of family working with the music publishing team at Peermusic.

“It’s a rare opportunity to acquire these incredible catalogs of songs in this competitive music rights landscape, but what makes this most meaningful to us is the decades-long relationship that Peermusic has enjoyed with Earl Scruggs and Gary Scruggs,” said Kathy Spanberger, president and chief operating officer of Peermusic. “This deal really exemplifies everything a relationship between a songwriter and a publisher should be. Earl and Peermusic worked together successfully for decades to share his music with the world, and Peermusic continues that tradition with the songs of Gary Scruggs. We thank Jesse, Jaime, and the Scruggs family for this opportunity—the entire team at Peermusic is honored to continue championing and protecting Earl and Gary’s incredible legacy of music so that these songs can be enjoyed for generations to come.”

+ Warner Chappell Music (WCM) has promoted Wallace Joseph to senior vice president of A&R, and Jon Chen to VP of A&R. They will continue to report to Ryan Press, president of North American operations.

Joseph works with top talent including Summer Walker, Wale, Ari Lennox, JetsonMade, Tay Keith, Turbo, Section 8, Pooh Beatz, and many others. He also works closely with record label LVRN to sign and develop writers and producers through WCM’s publishing partnership.

Chen, who was featured in Variety‘s “10 AAPI Music Executives Making an Impact in 2023” list, supports talent including Ian Kirkpatrick, Benson Boone, BEAM, Sir Nolan, Ashnikko, Heavy Mellow, DZL, Jorgen Odegard, J.Lauryn, Khamari, and Baby Fisher, among others. Prior to joining WCM, Chen held positions on both the label and publishing side.

“A&R is all about following your instincts and being deeply ingrained in the culture, areas where both Wallace and Jon excel,” said Press. “They go above and beyond for our team and our songwriters, and they’re masters at connecting talent with other music creators – not just here in the U.S., but all around the world. I’m very proud to see them both continue to grow with us as leaders. Here’s to many more No. 1’s to come!”

+ Singer-songwriter and producer Projexx has signed to Electric Feel Entertainment for publishing.

Originally from Jamaica, and currently living in Miami, Projexx is the son of music producer Lloyd “John John” James and grandson of Lloyd “King Jammy” James, one of dancehall’s most recognizable producers.

Projexx has collaborated with established artists such as Wizkid on “True Love feat. Projexx, Tay Iwar,” which appears on Wizkid’s “Made in Lagos” album. Projexx also worked with Konshens on “Brace It,” in addition to writing and producing with younger artists such as Jesse Royal, Ruger, Juls, Bakersteez and more.

Austin Rosen, founder and CEO of Electric Feel Entertainment and Ventures, adds: “Projexx is an artist and songwriter that I really see filling a void in songwriting right now and we are excited to welcome him to the Electric Feel Entertainment roster for publishing. I look forward to working alongside his team at Warner/R&R Digital/Big Wave and Super Music Group/Bashment on all of his upcoming releases.”

+ Chaka Khan and Rufus‘ “Ain’t Nobody” recently became RIAA-certified Platinum, marking the first-ever platinum song award for the funk band fronted by Khan. The track experienced a streaming boost some 40 years after its original release, accounting for a total 47% increase

The band previously secured gold plaques for “Sweet Thing” and “Tell Me Something Good.”

Pictured above (L-R): Chaka Khan, Rhino President Mark Pinkus, and Catalog and Marketing Consultant John Hughes.

+ Capitol Music Group (CMG) and Capitol Christian Music Group (Capitol CMG) have relaunched Tamla Records as a mainstream imprint focusing on hip-hop and R&B music, it was announced today by Capitol CMG Co-Presidents Brad O’Donnell and Hudson Plachy. EJ Gaines, currently senior VP of marketing for Capitol CMG, has been tapped to oversee the label’s roster of artists and staff.

Berry Gordy first founded Tamla Records nearly 65 years ago before changing the startup label’s name to the now-emblematic Motown Records. The first release on the label was the 1959 single “Come to Me,” from gospel-singer-turned-R&B-artist Marv Johnson. Tamla’s artist roster boasted Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and Smokey Robinson & The Miracles.

The first partner announced under the revived imprint is Quality Control’s longtime mix engineer and collaborator, Thomas “Tillie” Mann (Lil Baby, Lil Yachty, Drake, Migos) and his label, Encouragement Music. The Tamla roster of artists will be further supported by parent company Capitol Records.

+ Dr. Jan Fischer has been appointed chief executive officer of EMP, Europe’s leading online specialist music and entertainment retailer owned by Warner Music Group.

“Our sector is continuously changing and we need to ensure that we’re adapting with it to operate at the heart of the relationship between creators and fans,” said Dr. Fischer. “We’ve taken steps to upgrade our systems and reboot our teams so that EMP can remain the market leader in this fast-growing sector.”

Fischer has been part of the EMP team since 2013, joining as chief financial officer and also acting as chief operating officer since 2022. He will be based in EMP’s headquarters in Lingen, Germany and report to Karl Walsh, executive VP and head of global commerce for WMG, who is based in Los Angeles.

Fischer’s appointment as CEO follows the departure of his predecessor, Ernst Trapp, last month.

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