Music News (7/19/17)

Ben Wells Signs With writerslist

Pictured (L-R): Noah McPike (Dickinson Wright PLLC), Bradley Collins (BMI), Christy DiNapoli (writerslist), Ben Wells and Nick R. Cua (writerslist)

writerslist has signed Ben Wells to an exclusive publishing agreement. His new single, “Do Some Drinkin,” is also available.

writerslist was founded in 2016 with Nick R. Cua, co-Founder and COO and Christy DiNapoli, Sr. VP of its Music Publishing division.

 
Freeman Wizer Joins Spirit Music Nashville As Sr. Director/Creative

Spirit Music Nashville has appointed Freeman Wizer Senior Director of Creative for the company.

An Arkansas native with over 16 years publishing experience in Nashville, Wizer was previously with the Sea Gayle creative staff where he helped secure cuts by Blake Shelton, Jerrod Niemann, Justin Moore and Toby Keith. Prior to his work at Sea Gayle, Freeman Wizer worked at Universal Music Publishing Group where he landed a No. 1 song with Tim McGraw’s “One of Those Nights” and secured cuts for artists including Kelly Clarkson, Darius Rucker, Jake Owen, Scotty McCreery, Blake Shelton, and more. Wizer joined the company as an intern in 2001 while he earned his BBA and MBA from Belmont University’s Music Business program.

 
Play It Again Music Publishing Names Alex Torrez As VP, A&R

Pictured (L-R): Alex Torrez, Kirby Smith

Play It Again Publishing (PIA) owner Dallas Davidson announced today the addition of industry veteran Alex Torrez as the company’s VP of A&R.

Along with adding Torrez to the staff, PIA has promoted Houston-native Kirby Smith to Creative Coordinator.

PIA’s roster includes writers Brian Kolb, Houston Phillips, Kyle Fishman and artist newcomer Trea Landon.

 
Round Hill Music Announces Four New Additions To Nashville Team

Round Hill Music has added four new staffers to its Nashville team.

Emily Frye and Erin Ruth Schleiff have joined the Royalty Services team as Coordinators. Frye joins Round Hill from SESAC, where she was a royalty distribution and research services team administrator responsible for processing TV and film cue sheets and ensuring affiliate registrations were current. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University.

Schleiff comes to Round Hill Music from Capitol CMG Publishing. She graduated from SUNY Oneonta, and during her tenure at Capitol CMG, she served as copyright and royalty administrator focusing on royalty tracking, statement auditing, financial analysis, and copyright conflict resolution.

Chelsea Grim and Darcie Van Etten are also joining the Round Hill administration team as Coordinators. Grim joins Round Hill Music from Bluewater Music Services. The Belmont graduate served as copyright coordinator for Bluewater, where she managed song registrations and dealt with the company’s foreign affiliates.

Van Etten joins Round Hill Music direct from her role as an intern to the administration department. The Belmont graduate with a Bachelor of Business Administration previously interned at both at TKO Artist Management and Country Radio Broadcasters Inc. before joining Round Hill.

Warner Music Nashville Adds Rohan Kohli As Director, A&R

Rohan Kohli

Warner Music Nashville has welcomed a new member to their A&R team with the addition of Rohan Kohli. Kohli, who has been named Director of A&R, will report to EVP Scott Hendricks.

Added Hendricks: “We are very fortunate to have Rohan on our team. He is well-respected in the music community for his discerning musical tastes and his relationships with artists, songwriters and publishers.”

Kohli graduated from Emory University in Atlanta with a degree in economics. He began at Ozone Entertainment in New York as a manager for bands including Boys Like Girls and Hey Monday, as well as songwriters/producers Sam Hollander and Dave Katz. He moved to Los Angeles and transitioned into full-time writer/producer management before settling in Nashville in 2013, where he worked with talents such as Paul DiGiovanni, Andy Albert and more.