Warner Chappell: Last News

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAs Spotify awkwardly attempts to defend its stance on Joe Rogan — first over the Covid-19 misinformation on his show, and then over his frequent use of the N-word on that same show — the controversies have revived musicians’ longest-standing problem with the platform: The royalty rates it and other streaming platforms pay, which most musicians and many rights-holders feel are far too low.This is particularly true in publishing: In January of 2018 the Copyright Royalty Board ruled to increase songwriter rates for interactive streaming by nearly 50% over the following five years, to 15.1%. However, in March of 2019, Spotify, Google, Amazon and Pandora then appealed to keep the previous rate of 10.5% — and are gearing up to argue for that rate for the next five-year period (2023-2027) as well.

Warner Chappell in France has signed an admin agreement with the estate of the late Jacques Brel, whose most famous musical works in the English speaking world include ‘Ne Me Quitte Pas’ (‘If You Go Away’) and ‘Le Moribond’ (‘Seasons In The Sun’).The deal covers the whole world excluding the late singer-songwriter, actor and director’s home country of Belgium. Specifically it’s a partnership with Les Éditions Jacques Brel, the publishing company launched by Brel’s wife in 1962, which is now controlled by their daughter France Brel.

DEALSReservoir has acquired the publishing catalogue of the late DJ, songwriter, and producer Fred Rister, including collaborations with David Guetta, Kelly Rowland, Kid Cudi, The Black Eyed Peas and more. “Sometimes, fate is a good provider and selling to Reservoir is also something that Fred would have liked”, says Rister’s wife Isabel.Concord Music Publishing has launched a new joint venture with songwriter and producer Tofer Brown, called Chromatic Music.

Chris Willman Music WriterJesse Frasure was named songwriter of the year by the BMI Country Awards, which was held online for a second consecutive year in lieu of the usual CMA Awards eve gathering in Nashville. “One of Them Girls,” a Lee Brice hit, was announced as song of the year for picking up the most plays.Heated competition in the publishing sphere was evident as two companies tied for the publisher of the year honor, Sony Music Publishing Nashville and Warner Chappell Music.Warner Chappell had singularly won the BMI prize for the previous three years running, and now can claim four wins in a row, shared or not.

Warner Chappell has signed Jhené Aiko to a new publishing deal, eighteen months on from the release of her third studio album ‘Chilombo’.“Jhené’s star power only continues to rise, and it’s been exciting to see her become one of the industry’s most influential acts”, says Warner Chappell’s President of A&R US, Ryan Press. “With each new release, she reveals a different side of her musical talent and captivates listeners with her artistry and lyrics.

Toddla T has signed a new publishing deal with Warner Chappell, just over a year after quitting his show on Radio 1 to focus more on production work.“The last few years for Toddla as a writer-producer have been fundamental to his career and now we are ready to step it up another gear with the brilliant team at Warner Chappell”, says his manager Helena Antoniades at Hale Artists.Warner Chappell UK’s Senior International A&R Manager, Sam Lowe, adds: “I’ve known T for many years in different capacities; his talent for producing and writing such a varied range of music, paired with his passion and ability to bring the best out of whoever he is working with is second to none.

DEALSMusic publisher Psychotic Reaction has announced a new partnership with Warp Publishing, having previously worked with Kobalt. “I want to thank all our friends and colleagues at Kobalt for having been so supportive of us over the years”, says CEO Leo Silverman.

DEALSWarner Chappell has signed Shaznay Lewis. Best known as a member of All Saints, of course, she has also written for plenty of other artists, including Little Mix.

DEALSWarner Chappell has signed Shaznay Lewis. Best known as a member of All Saints, of course, she has also written for plenty of other artists, including Little Mix.

Warner Chappell has signed Ari Lennox to a publishing administration deal that will cover her full catalogue.“Ari and I have known each other for a while now, and it’s been incredible to see her progress as both a songwriter and a performer”, says Warner Chappell Music VP Of A&R Wallace Joseph. “Her unique sound has captivated fans around the world, and I personally couldn’t be prouder to welcome her to our Warner Chappell family”.Also commenting, Lennox says: “The Warner Chappell team has always supported me.

DEALSPartisan Records has teamed up with Chris Robbins and Tom Wironen of management firm Friendly Announcer and Brontë Jane of Third Side Music to launch new label Section1. “Our intention with Section1 is to operate in an art-first way that sounds, looks, and feels deliberate in nature”, say the founders.

Chris Willman Music WriterAshley Gorley was named songwriter of the year for an eighth time as the ASCAP Country Awards unveiled its annual list of winners Monday. Song of the year went to the Old Dominion hit “One Man Band,” written by songwriter Josh Osborne with band members Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen and Brad Tursi.Warner Chappell won publisher of the year for the eighth consecutive year.

Warner Chappell has renewed its publishing deal with Chinese R&B artist David Tao.“Warner Chappell has always had my back”, says Tao. “I’ve worked with the team for many years and I do enjoy the professional service.

Kendrick Lamar has signed a new worldwide publishing agreement with Universal Music Publishing. The rapper has spent the last ten years with Warner Chappell.Announcing the move, boss of the rapper’s label Top Dawg Entertainment, Anthony Tiffith, says: “Kendrick and I are excited for our new partnership with Jody Gerson and UMPG.

Warner Chappell has signed a new worldwide publishing deal with Ashley Walters – aka Asher D of So Solid Crew. The agreement covers his back catalogue as well as future works.“I’ve been working on a lot of new music recently and have some really exciting projects lined up”, says Walters.

In a new series now amid the coronavirus pandemic, Billboard is asking individuals from all sectors of the music business to share stories of how they work now, with much of the world quarantined at home and unable to take in-person meetings, attend conferences or even go into the office. Submissions for the series can be sent to HowWeWorkNow@Billboard.com.

Pop Smoke, the beloved Brooklyn rapper and face of the New York drill movement who was fatally shot in February at age 20.The deal covers all work written by the late artist, including breakthrough hit "Welcome to the Party" and his upcoming debut album, which was largely completed prior to his passing and will be released posthumously this summer by Steven Victor's joint venture with Universal Music Group, Victor Victor Worldwide.“Pop meant so much to so many people across the world," Warner Chappell Music president of A&R, U.S. Ryan Press said.

German rapper Capital Bra has signed a worldwide publishing deal with Warner Chappell. A pioneer of the Deutschrap sound, he is Germany’s most streamed artist and scored no less than ten number one singles in his home country last year.