Music News (7/8/15)

SESAC, Inc. announced July 7 it has entered into an agreement to acquire the Harry Fox Agency (HFA), the leading U.S. mechanical rights organization. The Harry Fox Agency is owned by the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA). The proposed transaction has been approved by the NMPA Board and is subject to NMPA member approval.

The New York Times reports the purchase price is upwards of $20 million.

According to SESAC, this transaction positions it to be the only music rights organization in the United States with the ability to offer singular licenses for the works of its affiliated writers and publishers that aggregate both performance and mechanical rights. This would allows greater efficiency in licensing for music users, as well as enhanced value for music creators and publishers.

SESAC’s acquisition of HFA is part of a previously announced strategy under its new leadership team to pursue a simplified and more efficient, multi-right, multi-territory licensing model utilizing an ongoing focus on information technology and data science to meet the developing needs of music users, distributors, writers, composers, publishers and other stakeholders. The transaction enables SESAC to offer music streaming and other digital platforms greater efficiency and transparency in the music licensing process.

Through its commercial relationships with over 48,000 music publishers, HFA has created one of the largest and most comprehensive databases of musical works in the world, including metadata on over 6.7 million compositions and 21.4 million unique master recordings. SESAC will integrate this database with its own. In addition, SESAC plans to introduce an expanded suite of services for publishers on the HFA platform including micro-licensing on social video networks, automated license verification with RADKey™ and premium YouTube Content ID administration services via its Rumblefish subsidiary.

A rep for SESAC tells MusicRow there are no immediate plans for HFA to relocate to Nashville, where SESAC is headquartered.

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Seth Mosley

Christian music producer and songwriter Seth Mosley has launched Nashville-based Full Circle Music—a production house offering songwriting, production, engineering, editing, mixing, instrumentation, arrangement, programming, vocals and mastering.

Comprised of a team of producers, engineers, songwriters, editors, studios and creators working with signed and independent artists, the group includes Mosley (Michael W. Smith, Jeremy Camp, Newsboys, For King & Country), Michael O’Connor (Phil Wickham, MercyMe), Jerricho Scroggins (TobyMac, Colton Dixon) and Brad Rempel (Trisha Yearwood, High Valley).

For more information, click here.

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Red Lane

Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Red Lane has passed away at age 76.

Lane died Wednesday night, July 1, following a long battle with cancer. He is noted as the creator of such big hits as “Til’ I Get It Right” (Tammy Wynette, 1973), “Darling You Know I Wouldn’t Lie” (Conway Twitty, 1969) and “New Looks From an Old Lover” (B.J. Thomas, 1981).

Lane’s first top-10 success came when Waylon Jennings recorded “Walk On Out of My Mind” in 1968. He repeated the feat with Eddy Arnold’s recording of “They Don’t Make Love Like They Used To” in 1969. Twitty’s 1969 recording of “Darling You Know I Wouldn’t Lie” inspired Elvis Costello to re-record the song in 1994.

Lane’s success continued into the new millennium. George Strait had a hit with his “Tell Me Something Bad About Tulsa” in 2003. His songs appeared on albums by Lee Ann Womack, Reba McEntire, Joan Osborne, The Del McCoury Band and more. In 2010, he was honored at the Country Music Hall of Fame’s “Poets & Prophets” songwriter series.

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Before the Striking Matches show at the Bud Light stage during CMA Music Fest 2015. Pictured (L-R): Missy Wilson, UMPG Nashville Sr. Creative Director; Kent Earls, EVP/GM UMPG Nashville; Justin Davis; Sarah Zimmermann; Cyndi Forman, UMPG Nashville VP Creative; and Ron Stuve, UMPG Nashville VP A&R.

Sarah Zimmermann and Justin Davis of I.R.S. Nashville duo Striking Matches have extended their exclusive global publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) Nashville. The announcement was made by Kent Earls, Executive Vice President/General Manager, UMPG Nashville.

Since 2011, UMPG has dedicated significant resources to develop and help advance the career of Striking Matches through releasing their debut EP, securing multiple high-profile synch placements, and promoting their repertoire. The company arranged for the then-unknown songwriters to perform for Frankie Pine, music supervisor for ABC’s Nashville, who featured their song “When the Right One Comes Along” on the show. Eight of their songs have since appeared on the series in its first three seasons.

In March, the band released a debut album Nothing But the Silence, produced by T Bone Burnett. Striking Matches are currently on tour to support the record, with multiple dates scheduled in the U.S. and U.K. throughout the summer and into the fall.

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Pictured (front row, L-R): Daniel Hill (President) and Tim Montana; (back row): Carrie Gallo (Creative Dir.), Ross Cameron (Sr. Dir. Acquisitions), Denise Stevens (Loeb & Loeb), Brian Bradford (Dir. Admin.), Paula Kay Hornick (Manager), Jon Singer (CFO), Billy Lynn (VP Creative), and Michelle Davey (Admin. Asst./Office Mgr.).

Spirit Music Nashville has signed artist/songwriter Tim Montana to an exclusive global publishing agreement, it was announced July 2 by Daniel Hill, President, Spirit Music Nashville.

Tim Montana and The Shrednecks are based in Nashville, where Montana co-wrote “This Beard Came Here to Party” with ZZ Top’s Billy F Gibbons. The song became an anthem for The Boston Red Sox during the 2013 World Series. Tim Montana and The Shrednecks have recently been tearing it up on the road, opening for Florida Georgia Line, Brantley Gilbert, Kid Rock, Montgomery Gentry and ZZ Top.

Montana’s first break came when David Letterman saw him perform and invited him to appear on the Late Show.

Spirit previously acquired Cal IV Entertainment, the StyleSonic catalog, contemporary Christian catalog West Main Music, a portion of Jason Ingram’s catalog, and signed songwriter Chris Wallin.