Sebastián Yatra will sponsor the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation’s Prodigy Scholarship which will go toward a bachelor’s degree at Berklee College of Music for the 2024 fall semester.
The Foundation scholarship provides students with up to $200,000 in financial aid. Applications for all 44 scholarships available in 2024 are now open and available to music students between the ages of 17 and 25.
“Joining the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation for their annual Prodigy Scholarship is beautiful because I’m part of something that I would’ve wished for as a young kid,” said Yatra in a statement. “One of my big dreams was to study music at Berklee and although my career took a different path which I’m super grateful for, I would’ve loved to have that kind of preparation and knowledge. I hope that the person who gets this opportunity takes full advantage of the scholarship and enjoys it to the max. I’ll be looking out for applicants that share a lot of heart and sincerity in their art.”
Created nine years ago, the scholarship has been co-sponsored by a variety of Latin music creators since 2015, starting with Enrique Iglesias, and most recently, Nicky Jam in 2023.
In 2024, Gibson Gives – Gibson’s philanthropic arm – will also sponsor three Tuition Assistance Scholarships of up to $10,000 each, for students pursuing a music education with electric or acoustic guitar as their principal instrument.
+ The song catalog of songwriter Will Jennings has been acquired by his long-time music publisher and friend Lance Freed in partnership with Fuji Music Group. The acquisition was made through an exclusive joint venture between Freed’s new publishing company, All Clear Music, and Fuji Music Group, which together acquired 100% interest in both Jennings’ publishing rights and writer’s share catalog.
In a career spanning over 5 decades, Jennings — a Songwriters Hall of Famer — has written hits for Celine Dion (“My Heart Will Go On”), Eric Clapton (“Tears in Heaven”), Barry Manilow (“Somewhere in the Night,” “Looks Like We Made It,”), Tim McGraw (“Please Remember Me”), Whitney Houston (“Didn’t We Almost Have It All”) and Dionne Warwick (“I’ll Never Love This Way Again”), to name a few.
“Will was a schoolteacher who moved to Nashville in the early 1970s intent on becoming a songwriter. We signed him and he struggled for nearly three years until he eventually found success with Clive Davis and Arista artists, like Barry Manilow,” said Freed in a statement. “Having worked so closely with Will throughout his career, it’s very personal to me, as he is a cherished friend and I have been honored to know and help support him throughout his career. When the opportunity to acquire the song catalog presented itself, I called my long-time friend Ichi Asatsuma, who had expressed he wanted to work together on something we truly loved. We agreed that this could be that labor of love, and we feel a deep responsibility to take care of his beautiful songs and legacy.”
+ ADA Worldwide, the independent label and artist services arm of Warner Music Group, has partnered up with Omnivore Recordings, which will see the company cover global distribution for Omnivore’s entire catalog as well as new releases.
Based in Los Angeles, Omnivore was founded in 2010 by producer Cheryl Pawelski; graphic designer and photographer Greg Allen; former WMG executive Brad Rosenberger; and music industry vet Dutch Cramblitt. Omnivore’s catalog includes recordings from the likes of the Muffs, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Steve Cropper, Alex Chilton, Art Pepper, and the Cowsills, to name a few. The label recently landed a 2024 Grammy nod for Best Album Notes for “I Can Almost See Houston: The Complete Howdy Glenn.”
+ Warner Music Group has announced a partnership with MediMusic, the British health tech start-up, to help trial “music as medicine” to relieve pain, anxiety, and stress.
Through the partnership, MediMusic will conduct research testing in several closed Randomized Controlled Trials in both the U.S. and UK where they will deliver playlists from WMG’s catalog of music to various patients and sample groups, and observe how they respond in real-time. Beginning next year, this partnership with MediMusic will allow further trials to take place in hospitals and care homes.
“This partnership with WMG is hugely important in helping us on our global mission to prescribe music and medicine to ease anxiety, pain, and stress,” said Gary Jones, CEO and co-founder of MediMusic. “We’ve always known music is good for our soul. But there are thousands of medical papers and studies that prove music can also improve our health. Together with WMG’s catalog of music, we can gather more data to improve our technology so that music can be used as medicine to help people around the world.”
+ Warner Chappell Music U.S. Latin has signed an exclusive worldwide administration deal with standout Mexican singer-songwriter Gabito Ballesteros. Boasting over 22.1M monthly Spotify listeners, Ballesteros has collaborated with Peso Pluma, Becky G, Fuerza Regida, Miguel Cornejo, Natanael Cano, and Piso 21. Most recently, his collaboration “Lady Gaga” with Peso Pluma and Junior H earned him his first No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart.
“Every step of my career has led me to moments like this, and I want to express my deep gratitude to my entire team, especially Nata and Emilio from Los CT, as well as my manager René Mejia,” said Ballesteros. “They are an essential part of my career, and celebrating this latest achievement together is truly special. Now, with the support of Gustavo and the entire Warner team, my Chappell family, I’m working on many new and exciting projects, and I couldn’t be happier about all that is coming up and getting to work with them!”
+ Warner Chappell Music has signed an exclusive global publishing agreement with Mick Jones, the founding member of the British-American rock band Foreigner. Warner Music’s Rhino Entertainment represents Foreigner’s catalog.
“I am thrilled to announce that Foreigner, Warner Chappell Music, and Warner Music Group have come full circle, returning to the very place where our story began. It all kicked off with ‘Feels Like The First Time’ years ago,” said Jones. “It is incredible to see Foreigner’s music and legacy now in the capable hands of this remarkable team including my son, Alexander Dexter-Jones, serving as Executive Vice President of Somerset Songs, marking an important addition to this milestone in our musical odyssey.”
Jones was represented in the deal by Jonas Herbsman of Herbsman Hafer Weber & Frisch.
Tuesday, Dec. 12
Snoop Dogg has elected Kat MacLean Daley as the first vice president and head of publishing of Death Row Records.
After acquiring Death Row Records in 2022, Snoop appointed Daley to manage the company’s day-to-day operations in music, with her primary focus being on their newly established publishing business. She is expanding their already existing catalog and roster, as well as building on Death Row’s existing relationships with writers, producers, and estates. She will report directly to Snoop.
“Kat’s already a legend in the world of clearances and publishing, and her drive and discipline was what I wanted to bring to Death Row,” said Snoop. “The talent that has been a part of Death Row for over 30 years deserves to have their songs heard, but also to be properly licensed and paid as songwriters and producers. I know that Kat is the right person to take care of our history, while also helping us write the story for the chapters to come. There’s a Kat in the Dogg house now.”
Prior to joining Death Row, Daley had been at Universal Music Group, starting as a college marketing rep in 2016 during her time at Berklee College of Music. She was hired by Universal Music Publishing Group full-time, eventually working her way up to director, music sampling and business development. During her time at UMPG, Daley created and implemented processes and data tracking standards, clearing samples for over 1,300 released songs for artists including Drake, Jack Harlow, Doja Cat, Lil Nas X, Beyoncé, Cole Swindell, songs for the “Barbie” soundtrack, and more.
“I am beyond hype to be joining Death Row! I’m extremely grateful for my time at UMPG – I felt like I completed what I set out to do there, so it was time for the next challenge, the next mission,” said Daley. “Deborah Mannis-Gardner connected me with Snoop and his team and after hearing his plans for the company, it was a no-brainer. I am working closely with Snoop to modernize the already existing deals, find new and exciting ways to leverage and license the legendary catalog, and bring Death Row to the top of people’s minds and playlists.”
+ Warner Chappell Music (WCM) has signed a global publishing deal with Jay Versace, the producer behind a string of singles for SZA, along with Doja Cat and Summer Walker.
Based in Los Angeles, Jahlil Gunter, known professionally as Jay Versace, started his career in entertainment as an internet personality and comedian. Since 2018, he’s worked with top artists and helped produce award-winning and culture-defining songs like “Safari” from Tyler, the Creator’s Grammy Award-winning album “Call Me When You Get Lost,” “Lil Diamond Boy” by Lil Yachty, and “Versace” by Westside Gunn – which also marked Gunter’s first official producer credit.
“Huge thank you to Cate, Ryan, and the entire Warner Chappell team! I’m excited to start this new journey with such a wholesome team of people,” said Gunter. “And big thank you to Motisola and everyone who helped me get settled with the Warner team! Very honored to create amongst such talented and inspiring creatives.”
+ Helix, PayDay Records and SoundCloud have announced a new partnership to offer expanded global artist services to discover, nurture, and invest in emerging electronic and hip-hop music artists. SoundCloud will identify and refer promising artists on the platform for potential signing with Helix or PayDay Records.
“The A&R alliance between Helix and PayDay with SoundCloud is very exciting. Between us we’re uniquely positioned to give emerging artists global reach through expert marketing, promotion and A&R support,” shares Patrick Moxey, president and founder of Helix and PayDay Records. “SoundCloud has always incubated new talent and shares our artist-friendly ethos. I’m delighted to work with SoundCloud, Eliah Seton, Jessica Rivera with partnerships, and emerging talent with our new association.”
Added SoundCloud CEO Eliah Seton, “Hip-hop and electronic music are core to SoundCloud’s identity, and in Patrick Moxey, there is no better partner with whom to give artists the opportunity to build their careers. I’ve known Patrick for years – as we all know, he’s paved the way for some of the biggest names in the industry, and this partnership exemplifies our commitment to identifying and nurturing what’s next in music.”
+ Pulse Music Group co-CEOs Scott Cutler and Josh Abraham, along with president/head of creative, Ashley Calhoun, have formed a music publishing creative joint venture with Dan Wilson.
Through the deal, Wilson establishes his own publishing company, Supermoon Songs (a joint venture with PULSE Music Group) and will sign and develop his roster of artists, writers and producers. Wilson’s manager Jim Grant (JGM Management) and business partner Rick Markowitz (Fast Casual) are also co-founders in the new Supermoon Songs venture.
Wilson’s songwriting resume includes “Closing Time”, which he wrote for his band, Semisonic, “Not Ready to Make Nice” (co-written with the Chicks), and “Someone Like You” (co-written with Adele and Wilson also produced the track), among many others.
“For a long time, I’ve been acting as a mentor to young writers and artists, being as helpful as I can purely as an advisor,” said Wilson. “But I’ve wanted to find a way to take that mentorship and build it into something that can provide even more partnership and leverage along the way. I’ve wanted to be able to offer more than good advice – to help young, brilliant artists expand their opportunities, their interconnection, their network of collaborators. That’s the vision for Supermoon Songs, my joint venture with Pulse Music Group. We’ve made our first signing to the company, a brilliant songwriter and singer named Paul Dally.”
+ DistroKid, the world’s largest distributor of independent music, unveiled today a mobile app for Android. Like its iOS predecessor, the new Android app puts DistroKid’s suite of tools directly in the hands of artists, enabling them to upload new releases, receive instant payment alerts, access stats from Apple and Spotify, edit metadata, and more.
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