Radio, Rights Orgs Temporarily Agree On 7%

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accounting1The music publishing industry has been anxiously watching licensing negotiations between BMI, ASCAP and radio/TV interests. Rate contracts are in the process of being renewed and concerns on the music side of the table revolve around potential rate reductions due to falling radio/TV ad revenues.

Today it has been announced that the Radio Music License Committee (RMLC) and the performing rights organizations have agreed to an interim 7% rate reduction for both ASCAP and BMI. Radio broadcasters will begin paying the lower rate Jan. 1, 2010. A court will determine the actual rate, and when determined, it will be retroactive to 1/1/10.

RMLC Chairman Ed Christian was quoted saying he’s disappointed the process has stalled, but looks forward to realizing “significant reductions” in licensing fees. Analysts suggest that obtaining a settlement in this issue may take many months, but also point that the 7% drop shows that the rights organizations are aware that radio revenues have been sharply dropping.

Piracy Report: 2009s Most Downloaded Films

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Star Trek was downloaded on BitTorrent almost 11 million times during 2009.

Star Trek was downloaded on BitTorrent almost 11 million times during 2009.

The music industry is not alone when it comes to fighting the revenue-shrinking effects of piracy. Web analysts www.torrentfreak.com, a site dedicated to creating unique information pertaining to filesharing, has released its list of the Top 10 most pirated movies of 2009.

The site notes that although Internet piracy from the silver screen increased during 2009, the movie industry enjoyed an excess of $10 billion in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales, a new record.

Topping the list with almost 11 million BitTorrent downloads was Star Trek followed by Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen with 10.6 million downloads.

Interestingly, the number of downloads and a film’s worldwide gross revenue do not necessarily correlate. For example, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was the No. 7 most downloaded film (7.93 million) but was the highest grossing movie earning over $929 million.

The complete list of most downloaded movies on BitTorrent can be found www.torrentfreak.com

Bob Doyle, WMEE Sign The Band Perry

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band perryArtist management team Bob Doyle & Associates has signed Republic Nashville act The Band Perry, and Doyle’s publishing company Major Bob Music has also entered an agreement with the rising group. William Morris Endeavor Entertainment is handling booking for the band.

The Band Perry, made up of siblings Kimberly, Neil and Reid Perry, is busy on a radio tour supporting its debut single, “Hip To My Heart.”

“We are very proud to be a part of something as special as TBP and their music,” said Bob Doyle & Associates manager Josh Pegram. “Everything they do—from their writing and their style to how they deliver songs live—is so real and fresh.”

Major Bob Music, Inc. Mike Doyle, VP/GM of A&R, adds, ”We are so happy to have The Band Perry on board; their energy is contagious and we are thrilled to be a part of the team.”

Publishing Update: BMG Rights Mgmt.; Israelite Re-ups

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bmgBMG Rights Management, the global company which purchased the Crosstown Songs America catalog earlier this year, has officially established it US operations and announced the opening/transitioning of offices in New York, Los Angeles and Nashville. The Nashville office will continue being headed by Dann Huff along with Sr. VP Creative Darrell Franklin. The publisher is home to Neil Thrasher, Desmond Child, Jonathan Singleton and more.

Laurent Hubert has been appointed Chief Operating Officer, North America, and will be building US operations from the company’s New York office. Deirdre O’Hara has been appointed Chief Creative Officer, North America, and will work out of Los Angeles and New York. Both will report to Hartwig Masuch, CEO of BMG Rights Management. Headquartered in Berlin, Germany, BMG Rights Management also has offices in the UK, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands. The music venture, which is owned by Bertelsmann and KKR, purchased Crosstown for an estimated $70 million.

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David Israelite

David Israelite

David Israelite has accepted a contract extension to continue his role as President and CEO of the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) through 2014. Israelite has served in this capacity since February, 2005 and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the NMPA’s operations, from legal strategy and implementation to government affairs and advocacy.

His tenure to date has produced legal successes on behalf of publishers, including work on the Copyright Royalty Board’s royalty rate setting deliberations, negotiating a rate agreement with multiple industry trade groups on interactive streaming and limited downloads, a recent settlement with the RIAA regarding late fee payments to publishers and songwriters, and the PRO-IP Act.

Urban Toasts No. 1 With Steve McEwan

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Pictured are (l-r): BMI’s Jody Williams, Capitol Nashville’s Mike Dungan, 19 Entertainment’s LeAnn Phelan, Sony ATV Music Publishing’s Troy Tomlinson, producer Dann Huff, co-writer Steve McEwan, Keith Urban, EMI Music Publishing’s Gary Overton, BMI’s David Preston, and Borman Entertainment’s John Grady. Photo by Drew Maynard

Pictured are (l-r): BMI’s Jody Williams, Capitol Nashville’s Mike Dungan, 19 Entertainment’s LeAnn Phelan, Sony ATV Music Publishing’s Troy Tomlinson, producer Dann Huff, co-writer Steve McEwan, Keith Urban, EMI Music Publishing’s Gary Overton, BMI’s David Preston, and Borman Entertainment’s John Grady. Photo by Drew Maynard

Songwriter Steve McEwan celebrated another trip to the top of the charts with Keith Urban yesterday (12/1) in Nashville. Urban’s rendition of “Only You Can Love Me This Way,” co-written by his fellow BMI songwriters McEwan and John Reid, marks the 12th No. 1 single for the two-time Grammy Award winner and recent AMA victor, as well as the second chart-topper from his latest album, Defying Gravity.

“It’s sometimes an intangible thing that draws me to a song,” said Urban, who also co-produced the song with longtime collaborator Dann Huff. “When I heard ‘Only You Can Love Me This Way,’ I was struck by the opening guitar riff and the beautiful sentiment. It’s certainly a song that says how I feel. I loved the melody, the simplicity and the honesty, and when a song hits me that way, I’m not likely to be alone.”

A perpetual hitmaker, McEwan is also behind Kenny Chesney’s “Young,” Brooks & Dunn’s “That’s What It’s All About,” and Carrie Underwood’s “Just a Dream,” and many more. Reid, who was unable to attend, is also a songwriting superstar: He penned Leona Lewis’s breakout smash “A Moment Like This,” as well as hits for Tina Turner, Rod Stewart, Kelly Clarkson, and more.

Songs Score Big With Soundtracks: “The Climb,” “Southern Voice”

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L-R

ASCAP recently hosted a #1 party for "The Climb." Pictured L-R: ASCAP's John Briggs, Lyric Street & Disney Music Publishing's Doug Howard, Jessi Alexander, Disney Music Publishing's Kos Weaver, Jon Mabe, Stage Three Music's Tim Hunze and Missy Roberts. Photo Credit: Kay Williams

Songwriters Jessi Alexander and Jon Mabe had stellar success with their song “The Climb,” which spent an amazing 15 weeks at #1 on Billboard‘s AC Chart. As the lead single from Hannah Montana: The Movie, “The Climb” was also voted Best Song from a Movie at the 2009 MTV Music Awards. It was published by Disney Music Publishing, Hopeless Rose Music, Mabe It Big Music and Stage Three Music.

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Also celebrating a hit song in a movie are longtime charttopping tunesmiths Bob DiPiero and Tom Douglas, who co-wrote the new Tim McGraw single “Southern Voice.” The radio hit is featured in the new movie The Blind Side, starring Sandra Bullock and McGraw. The film raked in $34.5 million at the box office over its opening weekend to land at No. 2, just behind the wildly popular New Moon vampire flick.

BMI Promotes Jessica Frost

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Jessica Frost

Jessica Frost

BMI has promoted Jessica Frost to Director, Business Development/Licensing. Based in the organization’s Nashville office, Frost began working for BMI in 1999 as a Customer Relations Executive. She was promoted to Account Representative in 2000, and then was named Account Executive in 2001. She became Assistant Manager, Industry Development in 2003, and was promoted again in 2007 to Associate Director, Business Development, a position she held until her current promotion. Frost reports directly to Michele Reynolds, Assistant Vice President, Business & Industry Development, General Licensing.

FlySongs Forms To Connect Songs With Film/TV

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Sandra Fox

Sandra Fox

FlySongs will specialize in the music of Texas, Tennessee and Louisiana and represent it to the film and television industry. The new company will actively seek to place compositions in movies, television specials, soundtracks, primetime and cable series, video releases, and commercials.

“We have spent our energies developing deep production and film industry contacts,” says company founder Sandra Fox. “We have established solid relationships in Hollywood, and in the national film community, and are using those connections to expand and enhance this music we love. There is a wealth of opportunity, but success demands immediate response. Filmmakers very often phone to say they need a specific type song for a project and, especially when dealing with television, they need it now! Our job is to quickly and expertly provide those songs.”

Fox spent over 25 years working in the publishing business including 15 years with MCA Nashville Publishing, plus time with EMI-Tower Street, Mercury Records, Big Picture Entertainment and others.

“I was fortunate to have been mentored by two of the best in the business, Gary Smith and Keith Stegall,” says Fox. “The next step for me was a logical one, to open my own company and to represent the best songs available. I was born in Louisiana, raised in Texas and learned about the music industry in Tennessee. That’s where FlySongs will look for the music we present to filmmakers.”

FlySongs will host a launch party on Thursday Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. at Nashville’s Blue Bar, 1911 Broadway. flysongs@yahoo.com

Ray Bruce To Sharp Objects

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ray_bruce

Ray Bruce

Nashville-based Sharp Objects, a song plugging and artist development company has added Ray Bruce to its marketing and promotions department. Bruce’s new title will be Creative Director/Special Projects Coordinator and he will report to company CEO Steven Sharp. Chief among Bruce’s new responsibilities will be to represent the Sharp Objects song catalog and secure cuts.

Bruce, an Atlanta native, has previously worked with Ashley Rivera, Georgia Entertainer of the Year, 3-time NACMA vocalist of the Year (’07, ’08 and ’09) and many other artists and songwriters. Most recently he plugged songs for Christian Contemporary writer Kris Miller. Bruce can be reached at slsharp10@hotmail.com or 615-320-1030.

Sharp Objects, now in its sixth year represents Michael Peterson, Randy Sharp, Maia Sharp, Jeff Silbar, Dave Stewart, Jan Buckingham, Jay Lazaroff, Kathy Fisher and Ron Wasserman. The office is located at 62 Music Square West, Nashville, TN.  www.sharpobject.com

Combustion Promotes Chris Van Belkom

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Chris Van Belkom (L) with Combustion Music Pres. Chris Farren (R).

Chris Van Belkom (L) with Combustion Music Pres. Chris Farren (R).

Combustion Music has promoted Chris Van Belkom to Sr. Creative Director. He previously served as Creative Director and has spent five years with the publisher, helping oversee the careers of songwriters including Blair Daly, Ashley Gorley and Gordie Sampson, as well as local major label rockers Kings Of Leon and American Bang, and duo Sam & Ruby. Under Van Belkom’s new agreement with Combustion, he joins VP Stephanie Greene in heading up the publisher’s creative forces.