Music News (5/25/16)

ACM Honors Set For August 30 With Lady Antebellum Hosting

Lady Antebellum. Photo: Joseph Llanes

Lady Antebellum will host the 10th Annual ACM Honors on August 30 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. The event recognizes special honorees and off-camera winners of the 51st Annual ACM Awards. Specifically, Ross Copperman will be honored as Songwriter of the Year.

ACM Honors will be produced for television by dick clark productions and broadcast at a later date on the CBS Television Network. Performers and air date for the primetime special will be announced in the coming weeks.

SESAC Signs “Peter Pan” Songwriter Jesse Lee Levin

Pictured (L-R): SESAC’s Shannan Hatch, Levin, Parallel’s Tim Hunze and Hannah Showmaker. Photo: Peyton Hoge

SESAC has announced the signing of songwriter Jesse Lee Levin for representation.

Levin, who is signed with Parallel Entertainment for publishing, is on the charts now with “Peter Pan,” as recorded by Kelsea Ballerini. Levin and Ballerini co-wrote the song with Forest Glen Whitehead.

Kobalt App Tracks Global Rights, Songwriter Earnings In Real Time

Kobalt has announced the release of the Kobalt App. For the first time, music creators will be able to view all their rights globally and see how each song directly translates into income.

Key features of the Kobalt App include:

• Music Feed: Kobalt clients can scroll through their top 100 music earnings at a glance, or explore by quarter, right type and territory. With daily updates, they will always have the latest income and activity data from all publishing sources, including Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, Pandora, and many more.

• News: Creators can stay up to date on industry news and important account updates from Kobalt, including real-time synch activity, payments, registration, and much more.

• YouTube: Clients can track where and how their music is being used on YouTube. Whether it’s an official video, a cover song, or a viral sensation, creators will know exactly how many views Kobalt is monetizing.

• Financials: Creators can see the money they’re making in real time, and break down income by top earning works, right type, or country. They can also compare financial data across previous quarters, and find out when their statements are due.

• Synch: From pitch to payment, clients can keep track of every synch opportunity around the world. They can favorite the synch opportunities they want to follow closely, or tap to explore more details.

The Kobalt App is free to use for Kobalt Publishing clients, and available in countries where the Apple App Store operates. The Android version of the Kobalt App is planned for release in the near future.

ASCAP Songwriters Discuss Fair Compensation With Members Of Congress

Pictured (L-R): Songwriter/ASCAP Board Member Desmond Child, Rep. Dave Trott (R-MI)

A number of ASCAP members and executives walked the halls of Capitol Hill in Washington on May 18 to meet with legislators and to urge them to stand with songwriters in the fight for fair compensation in today’s digital music marketplace.

Representative included: Paul Williams (“Rainbow Connection”), Desmond Child (“Livin’ On A Prayer”); Randy Goodrum (“Bluer Than Blue”); Jennifer Higdon (“Our Beautiful Country” from Cold Mountain); Brett James (“Something in the Water”); Brian McKnight (“Back at One”); Monica (“Before You Walked Out of My Life”), MoZella (“Wrecking Ball”), Priscilla Renea (“Somethin’ Bad”), Savan Kotcha (“Can’t Feel My Face”) and Needlz (“Just the Way You Are”).

They asked members of Congress to stand with songwriters and pass the Songwriter Equity Act, which would update two outdated provisions of the U.S. Copyright Act that prevent songwriters and publishers from earning fair royalties when their music is downloaded or streamed.

In between meetings, the group gathered to hear from Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT). Speaking as a songwriter himself, Sen. Hatch emphasized the need to protect music creators and reaffirmed his support for the Songwriter Equity Act. He also recounted fondly his experience of writing a number of songs with his friend Paul Williams.