Music News (3/20/19)

Emily Landis Inks Publishing Deal With BMG Nashville

Pictured (L-R): Chris Oglesby, VP Creative, BMG Nashville; Rakiyah Marshall, Creative Director, BMG Nashville; Emily Landis; Kos Weaver, EVP, BMG Nashville; Noah McPike, Attorney, Dickinson Wright PLLC

Songwriter Emily Landis has signed a new worldwide publishing agreement with BMG Nashville. A graduate of Belmont University, where she studied songwriting, Landis highlighted her musical skills in spring 2016, co-writing four of the eight original songs performed in the esteemed Belmont Showcase Series for the country genre.

Since then, Landis has joined the Nashville songwriting community co-writing songs with recording artists Kassi Ashton, Seaforth, Walker McGuire, Cassadee Pope, Tegan Marie, and James Otto, among others.

Big Yellow Dog Music Signs Emery Dobyns

Pictured (L-R): Sophie Hopkins (Big Yellow Dog Music), Alex Stefano (Big Yellow Dog Music), Emery Dobyns (Artist), Jeff Colvin (Marcus & Colvin, LLP), Carla Wallace (Big Yellow Dog Music)

Big Yellow Dog Music has signed Emery Dobyns, a Grammy award-winning songwriter and producer.

Nashville-based by way of New York City, Dobyns has had songs featured on Grey’s Anatomy, Nashville, Shades of Blue, Roswell, Wynonna Earp, and more. He is also known for his work with artists like Patti Smith and Sia, with credits ranging from country to pop and various genres.

MOJO Music Acquires Nashville’s HoriPro Entertainment Group

Mojo Music & Media, a new publishing and brand and legacy marketing company formed by Spirit Music Group founder Mark Fried, former Spirit SVP Peter Shane and former Ernst & Young executive Alan Wallis, has formally launched with the acquisition of Nashville-based HoriPro Entertainment Group.

The deal brings 15,000 songs, spanning 6 decades and reflecting more than 250 charted hits, including the collected works of ‘80s hit-makers REO Speedwagon, a 50 percent interest in the songs of hard rock pioneers KISS, the complete catalog of singer, songwriter and actor Jerry Reed and more than 25 hits and cuts by country legend George Strait, with whom the company has had a long relationship. Thanks to nearly 30 years of deals which saw HoriPro purchase such vaunted collections as Merit Music, Double J Music and Dick James Music’s Nashlon and Dejamus companies, the catalog boasts a trove of iconic songs chronicling the history of country music, including Top 10 singles by Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Charly McClain, George Jones, Reba McEntire, Alabama, John Anderson, Diamond Rio, Gretchen Wilson, Toby Keith, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean and The Band Perry, among others.

The company’s active writer roster, which includes Bart Butler, Joe Clemmons, Neil Medley, Sarah Allison Turner and Mike Walker, has turned in a steady stream of hits in recent years including Thomas Rhett’s “Make Me Wanna,” Sam Hunt’s “Make You Miss Me,” Kenny Chesney’s “The Boys Of Fall,” Jon Pardi’s “Head Over Boots” and “Heartache On The Dance Floor” and Rodney Atkins “Caught Up In The Country.”

With the deal, Mojo, which has offices in New York and London, opens its Nashville base in Berry Hill with former HoriPro executives Butch Baker (SVP Creative), Carrie Wilkins (VP Administration & Business Affairs) and song pluggers Keithan Melton and Courtney Crist, along with most of their support staff, continuing in their posts. The company has also appointed former HoriPro international executive Nobu Yamamoto to pursue new writer and catalog opportunities in Los Angeles and strengthen its presence in Japan and throughout Asia.

David Corlew, Bob Frank Launch New Publishing Company

Pictured: David Corlew (back), Bob Frank (front). Photo: Nate Shuppert

David Corlew and Bob Frank have formed a new Nashville-based publishing company, Corlew-Frank Music, with Scott Brown of The Scooter Brown Band as the group’s flagship songwriter. Publisher Kim Jones joins as the company’s Creative Director.

Corlew’s previous publishing ventures include Kicking Bird Music, Bud Dog Music and the Corlew Music Group. Over the years, he’s worked with songwriters including including Chris Wallin, Keith Follesé, Tim Owens, Ben Stennis, Jason Sellers, and Jaron Boyer.

Thompson Square Joins Reviver Entertainment Roster

Pictured (L-R): Gator Michaels (Reviver Entertainment Group), George Couri (Triple 8 Management), Dwight Wiles (Wiles + Taylor), Shawna Thompson, David Ross (Reviver Entertainment Group) Keifer Thompson, Shawn Pennington (Triple 8 Management), Chip Petree (Ritholz Levy Fields LLP)

Thompson Square’s Keifer and Shawna Thompson have inked recording and publishing deals with Reviver Entertainment Group.

Thompson Square parted ways with BBR Music Group in mid-2017, but they continued creating and releasing music. Last year, the duo teamed with producers Nathan Chapman, Dann Huff and Ilya Toshinskiy, as they independently crafted and released the album Masterpiece, marking their first album release in five years.

In November, the duo ventured into other creative outlets, releasing the children’s book Time To Get Dressed, which was inspired by the duo’s three-year-old son, Rigney Cooper.