Music News (7/6/22)

UMPG Nashville Signs Marc Scibilia

Pictured (L-R): Troy Tomlinson (Chairman and CEO, UMPG Nashville), Marc Scibilia and Roxy King (Director A&R, UMPG Nashville). Photo: Courtesy of Universal Music Publishing Nashville

Universal Music Publishing Nashville has signed songwriter, artist and producer Marc Scibilia to an exclusive global publishing agreement.

Scibilia has co-written songs recorded by singer-songwriter Ben Rector, pop artist Lennon Stella, and rappers Jim Jones and Rick Ross. His chart-topping hit with DJ Robin Schulz, “Unforgettable,” has been certified Gold and is currently boasting more than 75 million streams on Spotify alone.

Scibilia has also made a name for himself in the sync community. Some of his successes include a Woody Guthrie cover of “This Land Is Your Land,” which was used in Jeep’s 2015 Super Bowl Commercial and became the most Shazamed moment of the Super Bowl. “How Bad We Need Each Other” was featured on Samsung’s “Stay Together, Stay Apart” global campaign in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. “On The Way” was synced on the “Summer of Jeep” campaign, which also featured Scibilia himself in the ad.

“I’m thrilled to be joining the UMPG family for the next chapter of my career,” Scibilia says. “In just the first few months, the team has proven to be a powerful force in opening doors and finding new opportunities for my music.”
 

Copyright Royalty Board Upholds 15.1% Rate Increase, Reduces Some Protections

The Copyright Royalty Board reached a determination of the appeal of the Phonorecords III proceedings today (July 1). The CRB decided to uphold the 15.1% headline rate increase that was determined in 2018, while returning the Total Content Cost (TCC) and bundle definitions to the Phonorecords II levels.

In 2019, Spotify, Amazon, Google and Pandora appealed the rate increase won in 2018 by NMPA and NSAI, which raised mechanical streaming rates from 10.5% to 15.1% over years 2018 – 2022. Due to this appeal, copyright owners received the lower rate while the remand was pending. The trial for CRB IV, which determines rates for 2023-2027, begins later this year.

Of the news, NMPA President & CEO, David Israelite, shares: “Today the court reaffirmed the headline rate increase we earned four long years ago, confirming that songwriters need and deserve a significant raise from the digital streaming services who profit from their work. We will fight to increase the TCC, or percentage of label revenue, which amounts to an insurance policy for songwriters, in the next CRB and will also fight for stronger terms regarding bundles.

“This process was protracted and expensive and though we are relieved with the outcome, years of litigation to uphold a rate increase we spent years fighting for is a broken system,” Israelite adds. “Now, songwriters and music publishers finally can be made whole and receive the rightful royalty rates from streaming services that they should’ve been paid years ago. We will work to ensure that the services quickly backpay copyright owners as they are required by law. We appreciate Pryor Cashman‘s relentless work to secure this result and the voices of all songwriters and publishers who supported this mission. As an industry, we move forward united as we press for even fairer rates in the next CRB starting this fall.”

Click here to read the full article on musicrow.com
 

Dave Pittenger Signs With Milk & Honey Music

David Pittenger. Photo: Jason Myers

Dave Pittenger has signed with Milk & Honey Management.

Pittenger is a Nashville-based producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who just came off a global No. 1 with co-writing Gayle’s “abcdefu,” and has had cuts with other artists such as Tyler Farr, Parmalee, AJ Mitchell, Jessie James Decker and Tenille Arts, among others.

“We are excited to be working with Dave and his publishers to continue elevating his career in Nashville, Los Angeles, and beyond,” says Shelby Yoder, Milk & Honey Head of Nashville, Manager. “He is hard working, focused, and kind. We couldn’t be happier to welcome him into the Milk & Honey family and look forward to building all to come.”

“I’m absolutely thrilled to be represented by Milk & Honey,” Pittenger shares. “They’re smart, relentless, and forward-looking, but most importantly they’re great people. I’m looking forward to a long, successful relationship!”

Milk & Honey Music + Sports + Ventures is one of the biggest global management companies for songwriters, producers, DJ’s and athletes in the world with offices in LA, London, New York, Nashville, Dallas and Sydney, as well as a sports division, an agency, marketing company and IP development group. The company represents over 100 clients that span across every genre of music, and have sold nearly a billion records collectively.
 

Adia Victoria Inks Publishing Deal With Reservoir, One Riot

Adia Victor. Photo: Huy Nguyen

Reservoir Media, Inc. has signed a new deal to publish singer-songwriter Adia Victoria through its joint venture with One Riot. The deal includes her 2021 hit album, A Southern Gothic, as well as future works.

Based in Nashville, Victoria incorporated elements of rock, blues, country, and folk into her music. In August 2021, she released “Magnolia Blues,” the lead single off her third album, A Southern Gothic, which dropped in September 2021. In May 2022, Victoria earned two nominations for the 2022 Americana Music Awards for Emerging Act of the Year and Album of the Year.

“It’s an honor to be partnered and creatively aligned with the wonderful teams at One Riot and Reservoir. Their strong collective sense of the publishing and synch worlds is a great fit for me, and I look forward to collaborating with their current artists as well as other new opportunities,” Victoria notes. “I’m as pleased as a hog at a trough to be joining the One Riot family.”

Earlier this year, Victoria toured with Jason Isbell, and kicked off her own headlining tour across Europe this month. She will return to the U.S. for performances later this summer.