NEWS
Four Tet Ivan Meneses for Insomniac Events
Kieran Hebden (Four Tet) has signed a new global publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) encompassing both his back catalog and future releases.
Known as an essential indie electronic artist and producer with two decades worth of work, Four Tet’s discography includes remixes for Rihanna, Tame Impala, Headie One, The XX, Bicep, Radiohead, Aphex Twin, Madvillain and more. Some of his most beloved cuts include the Nelly Furtado-sampling “Only Human” and “Two Thousand and Seventeen.” He also collaborated with David Arnold on “Crawl, End Crawl,” the closing score for blockbuster film Quantum of Solace and founded Text Records.
“Four Tet has soundtracked my life from GCSE revision to dancefloors at university and now I get the pleasure to work with him. I’m honored to represent a catalogue that means so much to not just me but the whole of UMPG,” says Pete Simmons, director of a&r at UMPG. “Looking forward to working with Kieran, Carol and the wider Solar team. Special thanks to Amy Samson for making the initial introduction.”
Reservoir Media has struck a new deal for the catalog of Nashville songwriter Buddy Cannon. The acquisition entails Cannon’s cuts made with superstar Kenny Chesney over the last 25 years, including Chesney’s “American Kids,” “You And Tequila,” “I Will Stand,” and “Live In No Shoes Nation.”
Notably, the deal does not include the songwriter’s SoundExchange Royalties, nor does it include his other cuts for stars like George Strait, Willie Nelson, and Reba McIntyre.
“I have worked very hard with Kenny for the past 25 plus years to make the best music possible and with the help of all the publishers and songwriters who have given us their very best songs we have managed to stay consistently around the top of the charts for a very long time,” says Cannon. “When I was presented with this offer from Reservoir it seemed like it was the right thing to do and the right time for me to turn over my portion of future Kenny Chesney royalties to them. And now it’s time to make some more records and I promise to continue making the best music that I can make from here on down the road.”
Reservoir executive vice president of creative John Ozier adds, “Buddy has created some of country music’s biggest tracks for over two decades. We are honored to be entrusted with rights to his phenomenal legacy and are excited to continue expanding our country catalog with these fantastic songs.”
Gordon Sumner, a singer-songwriter from Wallsend, England, has sold his entire song catalog to Universal Music Publishing Group.
Anthem Entertainment, an independent entertainment content and service company, has acquired the catalog of country hitmaker Kelly Archer. She has also signed a go-forward, worldwide publishing deal with Anthem and RED Creative Group.
Archer’s catalog includes her share of “After a Few” by Travis Denning, “Somebody Else Will” by Justin Moore, “Sleep Without You” by Brett Young and more.
“I’m thrilled to continue working with Jeremy, Taylor and team RED. Jeremy has put together an eclectic group of creatives who work hard and motivate me to keep growing as a writer. I’m equally excited to partner with Helen, Tim, Gilles, and team Anthem. They have a really great creative staff that I’ve admired over my years in the business but never had the chance to work with until now,” says Archer of the deal.
Norwegian singer/songwriter Dagny has signed a new worldwide publishing deal with Sony Music Publishing Scandinavia. Already a pop star in her home country, her hit song “Somebody” spent 18 weeks at No. 1 for Norwegian radio, and her debut album Strangers/Lovers (2020) also included another local hit called “Come Over.”
Dagny says of the deal: “I’m super excited to be joining the wonderful Sony Music Publishing family!… I’m especially happy they share my vision of continuing to develop my artist career as well as helping me progress as a songwriter for other artists. I’d like to thank Lasse and Johnny in particular for their support and guidance already.”
“We’ve been big fans of Dagny for a long time, and it is with much joy and excitement we welcome her to Sony Music Publishing.” added Lasse Ewald, vice president of a&r, Scandinavia and head of European song pitching, SMP Scandinavia.
Reservoir Media has announced a worldwide publishing deal with Istanbul-born songwriter/producer Warren “Oak” Felder. The new agreement includes all of Felder’s future songs, and it expands the independent publisher’s relationship with Felder, which began in 2017 with the formation of Felder’s joint venture.
The joint venture saw the signing of accomplished writing and production collective The Orphanage, comprised of Trevor Brown, Zaire Koalo, and Keith “Ten4” Sorrells.
Felder first gained prominence as a songwriter through his work with Andrew “Pop” Wansel. Together, the duo went by the monicker “Pop & Oak” and penned hits like “Your Love” for Nicki Minaj and “Here” and “Scars to Your Beautiful” by Alessia Cara.
Later, the writer went solo and wrote songs with stars like Demi Lovato, Rihanna, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Lopez, The Chainsmokers, Lizzo, Kehlani, Miguel, Trey Songz, Alicia Keys and more.
Reservoir’s executive vice president, global creative Donna Caseine says, “Oak has been a member of the Reservoir family for several years now, through our joint venture, and we could not be happier to deepen that relationship and officially bring him into the fold as a talent on the roster. As we expand our business, one of our goals is to represent creative talents who are at the top of their game and the very best at what they do, and that is Oak.”
Perry Farrell has released another public apology following an on-stage confrontation involving his bandmate Dave Navarro.
The Jane's Addiction frontman was involved in a physical altercation with guitarist Dave Navarro last year during a live performance, an incident that prompted the band to cancel their reunion tour and eventually led to their split.
“I'd like to address what happened on stage last year,” Perry, 66, said in a statement shared across both his personal Instagram account and Jane's Addiction’s official page. “I've reflected on it and know I didn't handle myself the way I should have. I apologize to our patrons and my bandmates for losing my temper and for disrupting the show.”
He went on to admit that he did not meet fan expectations and described himself as deeply remorseful toward everyone impacted by the incident.
“Jane's Addiction has been at the center of my life for decades. The band, the songs, the patrons, and the impact that we've had on music and culture mean more to me than any words I could ever possibly write down,” he shared.
“My aim has always been to give our audience the best possible show, something real, honest and positive. In Boston, we fell short of that, and I'm truly sorry to everyone who was impacted.”
Jane's Addiction also issued its own statement regarding the altercation, which ultimately led to the group’s remaining members filing a lawsuit against Perry alleging assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, and breach of contract.
“Today we are here to announce that we have come together one last time to resolve our differences, so that the legacy of Jane's Addiction will remain the work the four of us created together,” the band wrote, signaling that the group would not move forward with Perry. “We now look forward to the future as we embark on our separate musical and creative endeavors.”
