Electronic producer based in Los Angeles Jauz works with global distribution company OneRPM to relaunch his six-year-old label, Bite This. Together, the two teams plan label acquisitions, pop-up events and compilations as they bring genre-spanning sounds from up-and-coming artists to the release calendar. The partnership with OneRPM – whose client list also includes artists such as Chance Peña, Yelawolf, A$AP Twelvyy and Alejo – will provide work from emerging Bite This acts such as Albert Breaker and Edison Cole with label services that normally would be rare to have in an artist's impression. – Katie Bain
based in the United Kingdom ATC managementwhose clients include Bring Me the Horizon and Bullet for My Valentine, has signed a new collaboration deal with a Chinese independent music label Modern sky. Through the agreement, the two companies will leverage their resources in management, live performance, merchandising, marketing and digital technology to drive the careers of artists in their respective markets.
AWAL works with the LA-based networking and mentoring program Creative Futures Collective to launch the AWAL Futures program, which will focus on launching artists' careers and supporting creatives from underrepresented communities. Artists selected for the program will receive an EP release from AWAL (including an EP release event at Soho Warehouse in July) as well as mentoring from AWAL executives. Creatives from the Creative Futures Collective will assist with marketing assets such as music videos, photography and other artwork. Featured artists for the inaugural program are Brooklyn-based act BITTERS, featuring British frontwoman Claudia Mills. Columbus, Ohio, Ghanaian-American singer-songwriter NanaBCool; and Chicago rapper/producer Jay Wood.
Two French collective management companies, the SCPP (for recording producers) and ADAMI (for musicians and audio-visual artists), signed a cooperation agreement to bring together their respective databases and distribution tools for private copying and fair remuneration. A study is currently underway to draw up the operational implementation of the pact, which includes a clause under which the two companies can decide to merge into a joint subsidiary created under the agreement. The creation of the subsidiary will be submitted for approval at the upcoming general meetings of the shareholders of each company. “Both companies jointly recognized that the situation in France creates inefficiencies that are detrimental to all rights holders and weakens their ability to negotiate their rights,” according to a press release. “This is because there are 7 organizations for the collective management of related rights in France, while in most European countries there is only one.”
UK physical distributor Correct distribution signed an agreement based in the USA Firebird Music Holdings to serve Firebird partner labels, artist management offices and other creative businesses. Proper will lead physical sales and distribution for Firebird's frontline and catalog releases across the UK, Republic of Ireland and Europe (via Proper's partner Bertus) for selected signed and self-released artists on the partner roster of Firebird. Firebird partners will have access to Proper's facilities and resources, specialist knowledge of local record retailers and marketing and sales teams in agreed territories. Self-released artists under Firebird will enjoy a streamlined process for releasing music in physical formats. The deal will include releases from Slash, Chase Rice, The WAEVE, Moonchild Sanelly, Whiskey Myers, Danielle Bradbery and Rainbow Kitten Surprise, among others.
Keywords Studioan international provider of technology-enabled solutions to the gaming and entertainment industries, in partnership with Reactionary Music, a music personalization engine that enables live music and audio production in video games. As part of the agreement, Keywords will help facilitate the integration of Reactional into game development projects on behalf of its customers. “In collaboration with [Keywords’] groups and studios provide an incredible opportunity to scale Reactional,” said the president of Reactional Music David Knox in a statement. “We believe that the implementation teams at Keywords can also enable Reaction to extend its music production and creator tools in innovative ways beyond the core gaming space.”
Producer Eli Brown (Drake, Giveon, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Chris Brown) signed an exclusive deal with Warner Music Canada through which he will develop and sign Canadian artists to the label through his imprint, Loophole Records.
Code.orga nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding access to computer science in schools, particularly for students from underrepresented groups, in partnership with Amazon to launch Music Lab, a platform through which K-12 students can learn to code through interactive music composition featuring hit songs by artists such as Tinashe, The Chainsmokers, Rosa Linn and Aloe Blacc. Through an educational partnership with Amazon, each artist contributed tracks and samples for use on the platform. Over the past six months, Code.org has tested Music Lab with thousands of students and teachers.
The European Music Managers Alliance (EMMA) announced a new partnership with AI-based funding platform msuic beatBread, which uses billions of data points to predict an artist's earning potential in order to offer advances on existing catalog as well as new and unreleased music. The artists then repay their advances as a percentage of their revenue over a period of time that the artists can set. The partnership will kick off with an exclusive online workshop for EMMA members on July 2 that will focus on financing and business creation.
.MUSICa top-level domain name designed for the global music community, in partnership with a global identity verification provider Shutfi Pro. Through the agreement, Shufti Pro will certify the digital identity of the music community to create a “trusted ecosystem of verified artists, creators, industry professionals, organizations, businesses and brands” in the .MUSIC domain.
Mastercard Midnight Theatrea 150-seat venue in Manhattan, selected Oak View Group (OVG) to manage its operations. OVG plans to debut a new restaurant concept at the space, an investment by Dolphin Entertainment, this spring.
UK taxi app FREE NOW announced a third year of financial support for Music Venue Trust (MVT). As part of the deal, FREENOW customers can choose through the company's app to pool the cost of their fares and donate to MVT, which supports grassroots music venues across the UK. Donations will be collected for each trip completed and sent to MVT, which will use the funds to run the emergency response service — an MVT claim has saved “hundreds” of venues from closure since it was founded in 2017.
