Music News (10/11/23)

Hunter Phelps Renews Deal With Tape Room Music & Warner Chappell Music

Hunter Phelps. Photo: Hunter Berry

Hit songwriter Hunter Phelps has renewed his global publishing deal with Tape Room Music and Warner Chappell Music. Warner Chappell Music has also acquired Phelps’ catalog.

The Florida native was first introduced to songwriting by his father, who owned a small recording studio, and had taught himself how to play guitar by the age of 12. While in college, he joined a a band and quickly gained a loyal following. Phelps moved to Nashville in 2012 to focus on songwriting. He has collaborated with top country artists including Hardy, Cole Swindell, Dierks Bentley, Jelly Roll, Ernest and more. He earned his first Songwriter of the Year and Song of the Year nominations at the 2023 ACM Awards for his work on “Wait In The Truck,” which also scored a Song of the Year nomination at the upcoming CMA Awards in November.

With over 455K monthly Spotify listeners, the CMA Triple Play Award winner also releases his own music. His work includes “My Kinda Livin’” with Hardy and Jameson Rodgers as well as “Throwin’ Parties” and “Breakup Sex.” Last year, he released his most recent single, “Bird Dog.”

“We could not be prouder of Hunter as he has grown into a true superstar songwriter. Because of his innate talent, the songs he writes always stand out on projects and playlists and become the music that artists and labels want to support. He is also one of the most sincere, appreciative, and hard-working humans working in country music, and we couldn’t be happier for him,” says Ben Vaughn, President & CEO, Warner Chappell Music Nashville.

Ashley Gorley, Tape Room Music Founder, adds “Getting to see Hunter develop from a new writer to one of the top writers in Nashville has been amazing to watch. I’m excited to continue this partnership and keep rockin!”

“The first nine years went so well, I figured we should add some more and keep it going. I’m just as excited to sign this deal as I was back in 2014. I love working with this crew, and I’m thankful to have them on my team. Everyone at Tape Room and Warner Chappell believed in me from the start, and I can’t to wait see what’s next,” says Phelps.

All Clear Music, Fuji Music Group Acquire Will Jennings’ Catalog

Will Jennings

All Clear Music and Fuji Music Group has acquired 100% interest of the publishing rights and writer’s share of songwriter Will Jennings’ catalog.

Jennings has penned timelessly beloved songs for an eclectic range of artists such as Steve Winwood, Whitney Houston, Roy Orbison, B.B. King, Celine Dion and Tim McGraw, among others. His iconic hits include “Back in the High Life Again,” “While You See a Chance,” “Please Remember Me,” “Where Are You Christmas,” “Somewhere in the Night,” “Higher Love,” “Up Where We Belong,” “Tears In Heaven,” “Can’t We Go On Together,” “People Alone” and “Street Life.”

Jennings’ biggest hit remains the 1997’s Titanic theme “My Heart Will Go On.” The song, written by Jennings and composer James Horner and sung by Celine Dion, earned numerous Oscars, Grammys and Golden Globes, and became the most-played radio hit in history according to the Songwriter Hall of Fame.

Jennings was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York and The Texas Songwriters Hall of Fame in Austin.

Born in Kilgore Texas, and relocated to Tyler, Texas as a child, Jennings primarily loved the iconic blues songs influenced by B.B. King. He recognized that he couldn’t make a living writing three-chord songs about the blues, so he studied poetry and earned degrees that landed him a job as an Associate Professor of English and French literature at the University of Wisconsin. Jennings’ love of music overwhelmed his desire to teach, and he eventually decided to move to Nashville to write songs. That move caught the attention of music publisher Lance Freed.

“We signed Will Jennings to a publishing agreement with Almo/Irving Music publishing around 1974,” shares Freed, President of All Clear Music. “His work as a lyricist initially landed him several opportunities to write contemporary pop songs, and he began a collaboration with Richard Kerr (‘Mandy’). He moved on and wrote songs with notables like Joe Sample, Steve Winwood, B.B. King, James Horner, Jimmy Buffet, Roy Orbison, and Rodney Crowell.”

“Will’s catalog is so diverse and rich, it’s a publisher’s dream,” adds Darrell Franklin, SR VP of Sheltered Music, All Clear Music’s Nashville Division. “He excelled in whatever direction his musical muse led him. Whether it was pop, rock, R&B, country, the blues or music for film, he wrote songs that we have all come to know by heart. He was never bound by any specific genre.”

Ichi Asatsuma, Chairman of Fuji Music Group, adds, “We are very honored to represent one of the world’s finest songwriters with Lance Freed’s All Clear Music, and we will give his music the very best promotion and all the respect it richly deserves.”

Red Street Publishing Signs Daymon Osborn

Pictured (L-R, back row): Rachel Mangan, Kelly Rich, Alex Valentine, Kelly King, Mike Craft, Harrison Sokoloff; (L-R, front row): Dan Crockett, Daymon Osborn, Jay DeMarcus. Photo: Courtesy of Red Street Publishing

Red Street Publishing has signed newcomer Daymon Osborn to its writer roster.

Originally hailing from Fort Wayne, Indiana, Osborn took a leap of faith after working the Texas oil fields and moved to Music City in 2019 to pursue his dream of being a songwriter. After nearly four years of playing writer rounds and pursuing every co-writing opportunity that came his way, he has earned his first-ever publishing deal at Red Street. Osborn joins the Red Street roster alongside writers Kelley Lovelace and Ryan Griffin.

“I’m grateful to the whole Red Street family for believing in me,” says Osborn. “I’m surrounded by a team that knows the industry well. As excited as I am to have signed my first publishing deal, this is only the beginning. I’m ready to get to work.”

Though fairly new to the music community, Osborn has worked with buzz-worthy songwriters such as Logan Wall, Jenna LaMaster and Troy Cartwright, and just landed his first cut with Tyler Chambers‘ “Loves Me Like A Small Town.”

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to have Daymon Osborn signed to Red Street Publishing,” shares Kelly King, Red Street’s Sr. Director of A&R. “Daymon brings a wealth of ideas, energy and great story telling to each and every song he writes. I can’t wait to see and hear the magic Daymon creates with us on the Street!”