Warner/Chappell Turns 200

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Earlier this year Warner/Chappell and Combustion Music signed hitmaker Brett James. (L-R): BJ Hill (Sr. Director A&R WCM Nashville), Steve Markland (VP A&R WCM Nashville), Nate Lowery (Creative Director for Cornman Music), Brett James, Chris Farren (President Combustion Music), Phil May (VP & GM WCM Nashville), Alicia Pruitt (Sr. Director A&R WCM Nashville), Chris Van Belkom (Sr. Creative Director Combustion Music), Kenley Flynn (Catalog/Office Manager, Combustion Music). Photo: LeeAnn Carlen.

Warner/Chappell Music is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year. Since its beginning in 1811 as Chappell & Co. the publisher has grown to a catalogue of more than one million copyrights and a diverse roster of 65,000 composers. A video tells the Warner/Chappell story, which began at a family music shop on London’s Bond Street, and continued through the rise of sheet music, a devastating fire, the merger with Warner Bros. and beyond. Included in the video are Nashville hitmakers Tim James, and Lady Antebellum’s Dave Haywood and Charles Kelley.

The local office has had recent hits with “Honey Bee,” and “Dirt Road Anthem.” Among the Nashville writers are Ben Hayslip, Little Big Town, Marv Green, Marcus Hummon, Randy Rogers, Tim Nichols, Wendell Mobley, Brantley Gilbert, Joel Shewmake, Deana Carter and many more. The Nashville branch is headed by VP/GM Phil May, and VP Steve Markland.

Design by Nick Bell, words and music by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant

Throughout its history, Warner/Chappell has been home to legendary songwriters Cole Porter, George & Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin, and Rodgers and Hammerstein.

Some of the contemporary hitmakers include Dave Grohl, Daryl Hall, John Oates, Eric Clapton, Katy Perry, Michael Buble, R.E.M., Green Day, Muse, Timbaland, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Bruno Mars.

Warner/Chappell Chairman & CEO, Cameron Strang, said, “This major milestone is testament to the enduring talent of our songwriters, our culture of innovation, and the dedication of the people at Warner/Chappell. We’re thrilled to be celebrating this unique anniversary and we are looking forward to finding new ways of expanding our leaadership position and building our reputation as the industry’s most passionate and creative music publishing company.”

As part of the celebration, Warner/Chappell has commissioned leading graphic designers to transform well-known lyrics from its catalogue into works of art. The artwork is being featured at London’s StolenSpace gallery and can be purchased, with the proceeds being donated to the Save the Children charity. Also in the works is a limited-edition commemorative songbook.

ole Annouces Acqusition

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ole’s production music company, ole clear, has acquired LA based MusicBox and its catalog of 24,000-plus tracks. The deal includes ownership in the flagship libraries MusicBox and PromoBox and the rights to represent music tracks in 17 sub-published libraries across the United States. No staff changes are expected, and MusicBox will continue operations at 9157 Sunset Blvd. in West Hollywood.

Robert Ott, CEO ole clear says, “Joel Goodman and Daniel Stein have created a great company at MusicBox. We take seriously our responsibility to continue the legacy of great customer service and Creative at MusicBox and will work hard to bring clients and sub-published companies an unrivaled experience.”

Adds MusicBox Pres. Goodman, “All of us at MusicBox are excited at being part of the ole family. Through working with ole as our Canadian sub-publisher, we saw first-hand their commitment to music publishing and knew we had found the right partner to take MusicBox to the next level and beyond.”

This moves MusicBox to ole’s automated, cloud IT services for a better client tech experience.

ole clear is one of the world’s largest providers of 100% cleared production music in all media. clear is committed to quality and offers 150,000 tracks of music in all genres from renowned libraries.

UMPG North America Names New President

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Evan Lamberg

Universal Music Group has promoted Evan Lamberg to President of Universal Music Publishing Group, North America. He previously served as Exec. VP, Creative, for UMPG’s East Coast division.

In his new role, Lamberg will lead North American operations for the company, which includes Pop, Urban, Country, Latin, Christian/Gospel and Canadian divisions. He will be based out of UMPG’s Santa Monica headquarters.

He reports to Zach Horowitz, UMG President & COO and Lucian Grainge, UMG Chairman & CEO.

Earlier this year David Renzer exited his post as UMPG Chairman and CEO.

UMPG Nashville Pres. Pat Higdon reports to Lamberg.

“Evan’s stellar track record for discovering, signing and nurturing the very best songwriting talent, combined with his managerial, organizational and business skills, makes him the ideal choice to build on UMPG’s market leading position and to take our North American operations to the next level,” says Horowitz. “He is a complete publisher—great ears, great relationships, and innovative approaches to maximizing the many new opportunities emerging in the marketplace.”

During his tenure with UMPG, Lamberg has been signed or worked with some of music’s best known talent including Justin Bieber, Owl City, Desmond Child, and more. He also signed a joint venture agreement with GloJoe Music that yielded eight cuts for DJ White Shadow on Lady Gaga’s Born This Way, including the hit title song and followup “Edge Of Glory.” Prior to joining UMPG, Lamberg spent over 17 years with EMI Music Publishing, including time as Executive VP of Creative, North America.

Signing Photo: Forest Whitehead

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Blanchard, La., native Forest Whitehead recently inked a publishing agreement with Black River Publishing. This is the 20-year-old songwriter’s first publishing deal.

(L-R) Standing: ASCAP’s Robert Filhart and Black River Publishing’s Robert Carlton, Celia Froehlig and Gordon Kerr. Seated: Whitehead

Magic Mustang Ropes New Creative Director

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Keithan Melton

Magic Mustang Music has added Keithan Melton as Creative Director for the publishing company where he will be involved in all day-to-day creative activities.

Most recently Melton was in a similar role at Wide Open Music Group. He previously spent three years as the Creative Director for Sea Gayle Music. Over the course of Melton’s career he has placed songs with Trace Adkins, Jake Owen, Danny Gokey, Love and Theft, James Otto, Blake Wise and more.

“We’ve been very fortunate to be able to grow so quickly as a company,” says Magic Mustang Sr. Creative Director Juli Newton-Griffith. “With the hiring of Keithan, who has been able to hit the ground running, we have the perfect addition to our team.” The company represents songwriters Jason Aldean, Thompson Square, Sherrie Austin, Ash Bowers, Rob Hatch, Kristy Lee Cook, Kurt Allison, Tully Kennedy, John Edwards, Rich Redmond and Westin Davis.

Melton is already on the job and can be contacted at [email protected].

 

Photo Tuesday

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Some of Music City’s top songwriters came to the Country Music Hall of Fame Sept. 29 for Wake Up Nashville, benefiting national non-profit Wake Up Narcolepsy. Writers Bobby Wood, Dave Gibson, Tyler Hayes, and many more joined the stage to have their voices heard for the disabling sleep disorder. With more than 150 people in attendance, the organization raised a little over $50,000 for research and awareness.

(L-R): Kia Jarmon, Denise Fussell, co-organizer Bob Saporiti, co-organizer Tabitha Crawford, Caitlin Rantala

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Nashville framing and gift store The Beveled Edge recently hosted Nashville author Jack Isenhour to sign copies of his new release He Stopped Loving Her Today: George Jones, Billy Sherrill, and the Pretty-Much Totally True Story of the Making of the Greatest Country Record of All Time. The book tells the story and struggle behind the creation of the George Jones classic, now regarded as the quintessential country song.

“How Jack wrote this book is a testament to the very character of Nashville,” said Susan Taylor, co-owner and founder of The Beveled Edge. “His interviews for the book were arranged through someone, who knew someone, who knew someone, all of whom were willing to help—something fellow Nashvillians will recognize and relate to.”

(L-R): William Smithson, Jack Isenhour and Susan Taylor

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The downtown Nashville location of Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville recently hosted a Songplugger Mixer event, where pluggers of all stripes mingled and the fun included a tropical dress up contest.

(L-R) Penny Everhard, Melanie Howard, Will Byrd, Jason Morris and Carrie Bleitner

ASCAP To Honor The Civil Wars

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ASCAP will honor Nashville duo The Civil Wars with the Vanguard Award, which recognizes the impact of musical genres that help shape the future of American music. The duo will be presented with the honor during the invitation-only 49th Annual ASCAP Country Music Awards, set for Sun., Nov. 6 at Nashville’s Gaylord Opryland Hotel.

Past ASCAP Vanguard Awards honorees include Sara Bareilles, Beastie Boys, Beck, Nine Inch Nails, Arcade Fire, The Killers, Jack Johnson, and Björk.

“We are elated and honored to be receiving this year’s ASCAP Vanguard Award,” say Joy Williams and John Paul White of The Civil Wars. “Past winners over the years have been inspiring and influential to us in individual ways. We are thrilled to be added to such a list.”

“The Civil Wars not only epitomize indie success in the ever-changing landscape of the music business, they also create beautiful, expressive art that has deeply connected with listeners,” says Tim DuBois, Vice President and Managing Executive, ASCAP Nashville. “We are honored to present Joy and John Paul with the ASCAP Vanguard Award as an acknowledgement of their unique impact on American music.”

The breakout indie duo have experienced a whirlwind year following the release of their full-length debut Barton Hollow. The acclaimed album debuted at No. 12 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and has sold over 180,000 units to date. The duo has also appeared on Jay Leno and been selected as a “You Oughta Know” artist to watch by VH1. They are currently nominated at the annual Americana Honors and Awards and the 45th Annual CMA Awards.

The 49th annual ASCAP Awards will also salute the songwriters and publishers of ASCAP’s most-performed country songs from April 1, 2010 to March 31, 2011. Awards for Songwriter of the Year, Songwriter/Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, and Publisher of the Year will be revealed as well. As previously announced, Don Williams will also be presented with ASCAP’s Golden Note Award.

Ralph Murphy Book Details Songwriting Laws

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Hit songwriter, publisher, veteran ASCAP executive, author and former President of the Nashville Songwriters Association International, Ralph Murphy will be talking about his recently released book Murphy’s Laws of Songwriting, The Book, Oct. 4, 4 p.m. at ASCAP’s Nashville offices.

Murphy has been successful as a songwriter for five decades. Consistently charting songs in an ever-changing musical environment makes him a member of that very small group of professionals who make a living doing what they love to do. Murphy’s book helps arm songwriters for success by demystifying the process and opening the door to serious professional songwriting.

Nashville Songwriters Association Executive Director Bart Herbison called the book, “A must read.” Grammy winnning Hall of Famer songwriter Don Schlitz has said about the book, “Ralph has taught countless grateful students (myself included) and still loves the art, the craft and the process. Now he has taken the time to write it down… lucky us!”

 

AIMP Nashville Elects Officers

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The Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP) Nashville Chapter announced newly elected officers of its steering committee: President Jill Napier, VP Tim Fink, Co-Secretaries Dianna Maher and Jewel Coburn, and Treasurer Eli Ball.

“We are pleased that a chapter of the AIMP has been approved for our close-knit community,” commented Napier. “Independent music publishing is more prevalent than ever. Our chapter will focus on exploiting and monetizing music in a positive way and provide its membership with educational opportunities on the latest national and international trends, as well as addressing issues specific to the Nashville music community.”

All members of the music community are encouraged to join now before the holiday mixer and the first membership meeting in February 2012. Membership dues are $74 per year. To register go to www.aimp.org.

Back row (L-R): Teri Nelson Carpenter (LA Chapter Board Member), Randy Watchler, David Preston, Ross Archer, Walter Campbell, Kevin Lamb, Kerry O’Neil, Josh Collum, Marc Driskill. Front row (L-R): Jewel Coburn, Eli Ball, Jill Napier, Tim Fink, Dianna Maher

 

TuneSat Offers New Portal And Extends Reach

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Audio service TuneSat is extending its TV monitoring services to all music rightsholders with a new online portal. The service which aids copyright holders in recovering royalties and tracking unauthorized use will now monitor eight new European territories:  Austria, Denmark, Finland, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland, in addition to over 200 channels in the US, UK, France, Germany and Italy.

Monthly subscription rates vary by number of tracks, type of service, and territories to be monitored, starting at as little as $10 per month. Within hours after a user uploads the audio files for fingerprinting, TuneSat begins to deliver tracking of usage within an hour of broadcast, providing the tracking data and the audio clip necessary to monitor licensing and royalty payments.  In addition to tracking royalties and resolving copyright infringement, TuneSat reports also provide important business intelligence regarding usage rates for a catalog, or specific writers, artists, and tracks, as well as gauging revenue patterns over time.

“Our monitoring to date shows that 80% of music on TV is unreported, and often music synchronization is not properly licensed in the first place,” said Chris Woods, Co-Founder and COO of TuneSat. “TuneSat has been trusted by companies such as Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, NBC Olympics, and many more, but my vision was always to make TuneSat accessible to any size copyright holder who cared about how their songs were being used. Now anyone can quickly and easily get started using TuneSat to ensure they are getting paid what they deserve for the use of their music.”