Music News (10/30/24)

Dream 3 Publishing & Kobalt Sign Andy Buckner

Pictured (L–R): Dream 3’s Greg Hill, Laurel Kittleson-Cobb, Andy Buckner, Dream 3’s Emily Olson and Kobalt’s Kevin Lane

Dream 3 Publishing and Kobalt have signed singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Andy Buckner to an exclusive publishing agreement.

Raised on a tobacco farm and cattle ranch deep in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, Buckner grew up listening to gospel, bluegrass, southern rock and classic country music. Drawing inspiration from his upbringing and influences like Travis Tritt, Waylon Jennings, Keith Whitley, Merle Haggard, Marty Stuart, Dwight Yoakam and Gary Allan, he seeks share authentic southern songs with fans.

Buckner generated buzz while opening for Zach Top, and is currently working on new music alongside producer and former VP of A&R for Mercury Records Nashville Carson Chamberlain.

“Andy’s authenticity in his writing and amazing country voice paired with Carson’s production is a real treat for real country music fans like myself,” says Emily Olson, Partner & Creative Director, Dream 3 Publishing. “We can’t wait for everyone to hear the music they’ve been working on!”

Tony Chetta Signs With Big Yellow Dog Music

Pictured (L–R, back row): Carla Wallace, Rachel Guttmann, Jonah Gordon, Alex Stefano, Nicole Rhodes and Kerry O’Neil; (front row): Tony Chetta

Producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Tony Chetta has joined Big Yellow Dog Music’s songwriting and sync rosters.

Known for bringing the old school soul sound into modern pop music, Chetta has worked in an array of genres, including pop, rock, folk and R&B. He has collaborated with Dasha, Jessie James Decker, various singers from Song House Collective and more. His work has seen sync placements with Febreze and many other brands, and can be heard on television shows such as Are You The One?, Selling Sunset and Love Island, among others.

“We are thrilled to be working with the talents of Tony Chetta,” says Alex Stefano, VP of Sync at Big Yellow Dog Music. “His ability to create these beautiful, powerful, cinematic tracks is so unique. We can’t wait to see what’s to come.”

“I feel so honored to be the new kid on this roster!” shares Chetta. “This team works so hard and they’ve got the reputation to back it, so I’m stoked to see what we can do together.”

SESAC Music Group Acquires HAAWK

Ryan Born

SESAC Music Group has acquired Helping All Assets With Knowledge (HAAWK), a media software and services company that specializes in copyright management and monetization for independent music, film, television and video catalogs.

HAAWK provides full-service administration of YouTube’s Content ID system and Facebook’s Rights Manager platforms, including Instagram, serving a broad range of record labels, publishers and music rightsholder clients. The company will now operate alongside Audio Salad as part of the artist and label distribution services segment of SESAC Music Group’s Music Services division, with headquarters remaining in Los Angeles under the leadership of CEO Ryan Born, who founded the company in 2017.

“This is truly a dream come true. HAAWK already leads the way in providing unmatched opportunities and increased royalty revenue for our clients across YouTube, Facebook, and social video platforms. By partnering with SESAC Music Group, we’re opening the door to even greater possibilities, enabling us to scale globally and offer more advanced royalty collection and administration services to our clients,” says Born.

“HAAWK’s mission aligns with SESAC Music Group in delivering maximum value and transparency to music creators. Their leadership and technology strengthen our services for independent labels and publishers worldwide,” shares John Josephson, Chairman & CEO, SESAC Music Group.