Music News (2/19/20)

Universal Music Publishing Group Unveils New Royalty Portal

UMPG has unveiled a new royalty portal, UMPG Window, that provides UMPG writers and clients with instant access to clear, complete and real-time earnings and data. The UMPG Window app can be installed on iOS and Android platforms.

UMPG Window is a state-of-the-art solution that empowers clients with 24/7 access to all of their royalty information. Using the latest in cloud-indexing technology, the system offers information on a highly-granular level available in both numeric and graphic representations. Clients can instantaneously view earnings by work title, accounting periods, territory, digital service provider, income source, income group, income type, local/international and more. 

It also features customizable settings that provide tailored information snapshots based on user preference. Royalties are available through high-level overviews or detailed reports with deep analytics and insights and it provides not only society registration information but also registration status and full song copyright information on all works.

John Reston, EVP Global Administration at UMPG, said, “In designing and developing UMPG Window, our team worked closely with our songwriters and clients to best understand what they most wanted from a world-class, fully transparent portal and app. This kind of collaboration is a reflection of how we do business: our songwriters and publisher clients are partners in everything we do. We will always keep innovating to better the lives of our writers and support their songs, and that is why UMPG continues to raise the bar for the industry.”

UMPG circulates international income on a quarterly basis to all UMPG affiliates, accelerating international income to all of its songwriters and clients. The portal launch also sees the introduction of a brand-new international royalty ‘pipeline’ feature, enabling users to preview and access earnings as they are received around the world. Building on its popular one-click advance feature, UMPG Window now offers the unique ability for clients to request no-fee advances based on both current period earnings and international pipeline earnings.
 

Spotify Rolls Out Songwriter Pages

Spotify has revealed the beta launch of the new feature Songwriter Pages, which will highlight the songwriters who craft today’s top hits. “Written By” playlists are also being rolled out in partnership with music publishers and labels. These pages can be accessed while listening to music on Spotify, which lets listeners learn more about the people behind their favorite music.

“Spotify is always working to create new and better ways to promote music discovery—for artists, for songs and, increasingly, for songwriters,” Jules Parker, Head of Publishing & Songwriter Relations at Spotify said via a press release.

“The launch of publicly visible songwriter credits on Spotify in 2018 was merely a first step. Together with the publishing industry, we’ve continued to evolve our data sharing and analytics efforts, and are proud to unveil this next iteration. Clicking on the credits in this pilot will take users to dedicated songwriter pages—providing a home for a songwriter’s work—and present listeners with ‘Written By’ playlists, a new series of playlists dedicated to songwriters.”
 

Curb Publishing Signs Darren King

Pictured: ET Brown (SESAC), Darren King, Joel Timen (VP, Publishing and A&R, Curb | Word Entertainment), and Jordan Mattison.

Curb Publishing has inked an exclusive songwriting deal with Darren King. King is a founding member of MuteMath and was one of the creators behind reimagining five of Twenty One Pilots’ songs for MuteMath’s EP TOPxMM.

The Nashville-based King has also co-written and co-produced tracks with Kanye West and Travis Scott and is currently working on his debut album DK the Drummer Presents Lockers: Vol. 1.

“I am beyond excited to welcome Darren to Curb Publishing,” shares Joel Timen, VP, Publishing and A&R at Curb. “He is one of the most talented songwriters and producers I have encountered in my career. Darren is the type of songwriter, artist and producer that inspires me to show up and work hard every day, and is the perfect addition to our already impressive roster of pop writers.”

Darren adds, “I’m honored to join the Curb Publishing team. Joel Timen has earned a reputation amongst the music community as being one of the most affable, trustworthy, and inspiring people you can find. I am thankful that I get to work with him and I’m excited to hear what songs come from our collaborations.”

“We have known Joel for a long time and have been impressed with the work he has done while at Curb,” comments Jordan Mattison of Goodfolk, Darren’s manager. “We are excited to be a member of the family and have a lead who aligns with a big vision and is able to carry out and execute our mutual goals for Darren.”
 

Nashville Songwriter Awards Set For Sept. 22

The Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) has teamed with City National Bank to present the third annual Nashville Songwriter Awards, set for Sept. 22 at the Ryman Auditorium.

The ceremony will honor Song of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Songwriter-Artist of the Year, and celebrate recognition of the “10 Songs I Wish I’d Written.” This year will also include special segments to honor Songwriter and Songwriter-Artist of the Decade, as well as the Kris Kristofferson Lifetime Achievement Award.

Honorees, performers and ticket announcements for this year’s event are forthcoming.