SoundExchange, has announced a pair of promotions on their team for Tim Dadson and Brieanne Jackson.

Dadson has risen to General Counsel where he will oversee the organization’s comprehensive legal functions, including regulatory issues, enforcement programs, rate proceedings, corporate governance, compliance, and more. Dadson will also serve as the chief legal advisor, forming part of the executive team reporting to Michael Huppe, President and Chief Executive Officer.

Dadson has been serving as Deputy General Counsel since 2017. He first joined the organization as Assistant General Counsel in 2012, and has been instrumental in building the organization’s legal practice and processes over the past decade. Dadson has more than 20 years of legal experience, including posts at the Washington Football Team, Sidley Austin LLP and Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP.

“It is an exciting time at SoundExchange as we innovate technology solutions, grow our suite of fintech services, and expand our data capabilities to empower creators everywhere,” Huppe says. “Tim is an exceptional leader with more than two decades of experience that will help support our transformation by leading the legal team at this critical juncture. I look forward to working more closely with him as we continue to improve how the industry enables the creative community.”

“I am thrilled to continue my journey at SoundExchange during this exciting period of transformation at the organization,” comments Dadson. “The importance of music in our lives is clearer today than ever before, and I am looking forward to building a tech-first future of music that empowers creators and values the incredible contributions they make to the world.”

Jackson has been promoted to Deputy General Counsel from Assistant General Counsel, Licensing & Enforcement. She has nearly 15 years of legal experience, 10 of which being at SoundExchange. Jackson began her career as a litigation associate at Ropes & Gray LLP and also served as Assistant Attorney General (Trial Division) for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She currently serves as co-chair of the SoundExchange Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.

Separately, Colin Rushing, Chief Legal Officer, will step down at the end of 2021 after nearly 14 years at the company, SoundExchange has announced.

Rushing first joined SoundExchange in 2008 as Senior Counsel and has since led rate setting efforts securing substantial increases in the royalty rates for digital radio services; worked on legislation benefiting creators as well as ongoing work to secure a performance right for broadcast radio; spearheaded litigation on behalf of SoundExchange payees; and oversaw the development of several programs. He was subsequently promoted to General Counsel in 2011, Senior Vice President and General Counsel in 2014, and his current role of Chief Legal Officer in 2020. Rushing was named a top music industry lawyer by Billboard several years in a row.

“Colin has been an invaluable member of the SoundExchange team over the past 14 years. We thank him for his countless contributions to our organization and the important role he has played in striving for fairness for creators everywhere,” Huppe shares. “We are excited for Colin and wish him the best in his next chapter.”

“It has been a tremendous honor to serve music creators in my time at SoundExchange,” says Rushing. “I am proud of what our team has accomplished, and I am especially proud to be leaving the department and the entire company in excellent hands. I’m looking forward to my next chapter, and plan to keep pursuing my passion: helping music creators thrive in a constantly changing landscape.”

In addition to staffing announcements, SoundExchange also shared its second quarter digital radio report, showing a total payout of $241.6 million which is a 0.9% decrease year to year and a 1.5% decrease from Q1.

Zachary Williams, one-third of Nashville-based group The Lone Bellow, is stepping out on his own for his latest project, Dirty Camaro, due out Oct. 22 on Dualtone Records. Williams has shared the first single, “Game For Guessing,” which includes an appearance from the album’s producer, Texas singer-songwriter Robert Ellis.

Produced bu Ellis and Josh Block at Niles City Sound in Fort Worth, Texas, the album features guests including Anderson East, Ashley Monroe, John Paul White, Thad Cockrell, and the gospel group Settles Connection. 

“It’s an ode to me and everyone else like me who’s pretty self involved, pretty confused, and pretty hopeful that maybe we’re actually good inside,” Williams says. “It’s a confession that I don’t know what I’m doing, a song about that razor sharp line that we walk between being a competent, but self involved person, and being a person that’s on the verge of losing their mind at any given second. The first time Robert Ellis heard me sing this song he started dying laughing and said ‘I can relate’… and maybe we all can.”

Dirty Camaro is filled with string arrangements, vaudevillian piano, touches of honky tonk, and saxophones–elements not often found in The Lone Bellow’s music. With quieter moments in “Elizabeth” and in the scorned-lover duet “Her Picture” with Monroe, there are also burn-the-house-down revivals (“That’s Why I Still Sleep With The Lights On”), gospel meditations (“Road Over That Mountain” featuring Settles Connection), bar-band tracks (“Dirty Camaro”) and lounge-singer longings (“Airplane”).

Williams is currently on tour with The Lone Bellow with solo tour dates expected in the coming months.

 

BMI has closed out its full 2021 fiscal year. The company has distributed and administered a record $1.335 billion to its songwriters, composers and publishers, marking its highest distribution ever, up $102 million or 8% over last year.

Through growth in the digital sector, BMI’s total domestic licensing revenue exceeded $1 billion for the first time, reporting a total of $1.361 billion.

“In a year marked by incredible challenges, the power of music is stronger than ever,” says Mike O’Neill, President & CEO, BMI. “BMI was once again able to demonstrate record growth, both in revenue and with the largest royalty distributions in our history. I am very proud of the team at BMI who, throughout the year, continued to focus on our top priority of mitigating the financial impact of the pandemic on our creative community. We are very pleased to not only provide this stability to our songwriters, composers and publishers, but also to grow the value of the BMI repertoire now and into the future.”

BMI’s total distributions of $1.335 billion include domestic and international royalties as well as distributions from direct deals that BMI administers. Those direct deals, which make up approximately 6% of BMI’s distribution, totaled $85 million which is a $14 million increase over the previous year.

BMI’s record performance in total domestic revenue, comprised of the digital, media and general licensing categories, was driven by a 47% increase in digital licensing revenue, which closed the year at $423 million. Digital audiovisual services contributed greatly to the increase, due to new agreements with several free ad supported TV services, strong growth from subscription video-on-demand services (Disney+, Hulu, Netflix), and direct-to-streaming film premieres (Apple, Amazon, YouTube, Fandango NOW).

Total domestic media licensing revenue, comprised of cable and satellite, broadcast radio and television, posted an 11% decline from last year to $472 million. Cable and satellite derived revenues remained the largest contributor, coming in essentially flat to last year at $269 million. Radio posted a $50 million decline year-to-year. Broadcast television came in at $95 million, down 6% from last year.

Meanwhile, the general licensing sector, consisting of live concert venues, bars, restaurants, fitness centers, along with other income, was down 2% year-to-year for a total of $127 million.

BMI’s international revenue grew to $339 million this year, a $15 million or 4% increase over last year. Additionally, affiliate membership grew 11% this year to 1.2 million, with nearly 120,000 new songwriters, composers and publishers joining the organization.

The company processed 1.98 trillion performances, up 13% from last year. Of that, 1.95 trillion were digital plays. BMI’s number of licensed musical works increased by 10%, now totaling 18.7 million.

Relative Music Group, in partnership with Sony Music Publishing, have signed country songwriter Nick Donley to a worldwide publishing agreement.

Originally from Ohio, Donley began writing songs in college and started his career writing commercials for radio. He moved to Nashville in 2006 to pursue his career as a professional songwriter.

Since then Donley has written popular songs including “Sittin’ Pretty” by Florida Georgia Line; “Unapologetically Country” and “4×4” by Hardy; “That Ain’t Me No More” by Matt Stell; “Mama Got The Chair” by Chevel Shepherd; and many more.

“We’ve been wanting to work with Nick for quite a while now, and I am so excited it finally happened. Nick is a perfect fit for Relative—he brings great ideas and a work ethic that won’t quit, and he is a great hang. We have an amazing team between Relative and our Sony Family and we can’t wait to get to work,” says Founder of Relative Music Group, Dennis Matkosky.

Relative Music Group Partner, Hardy, adds: “I’m so excited to start working with Nick Donley. I’ve heard and have been a fan of his songs for a long time and I’m happy that he is finally a part of this team. Nick is a hardworking, positive guy with a ‘go get it’ attitude, which is exactly what we need here at Relative. Nick is also one of the first people I ever met in this town, and after 11 years, I’m proud to see such a full circle moment come together. Welcome to the family, Nick.”

Donley sums, “Relative Music is a small family with a big vision and I’m grateful to call it my songwriting home. I couldn’t be more excited to work with this driven creative tight-knit group of people.”