Music Industry Moves: Sarah Kinsley Signs to Verve Forecast/Decca Records UK, Makes Label Debut With ‘Oh No Darling!’
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Sarah Kinsley has joined Verve Forecast as part of a joint venture with Decca Records UK. She makes her Verve/Decca Records UK debut with the release of a new alt-pop track, “Oh No Darling!”
Kinsley joins the label following two self-released EPs – 2021’s “The King” and 2022’s “Cypress” – and headlining tour slots and appearances at SXSW and the Austin City Limits Festival. She is scheduled to play Lollapalooza later this summer.
More from Variety
Music Industry Moves: New West Records Signs Joe Pernice, Acquires Pernice Brothers Back Catalog
Music Industry Moves: Emily Stephenson Named President of Downtown Music Publishing
“Sarah is a true artist in the sense that she has such an expansive vision, has mastered the craft of songwriting, producing, and making deeply inspiring music,” commented Dahlia Ambach Caplin, senior VP of A&R and artist development. “We are thrilled to have her join the Verve and Decca families and we can’t wait to start this journey with her.”
Added Kinsley, “I’m excited to call Verve and Decca my partners for this next phase of my life as an artist. I’ve loved getting to know the teams and to feel their strong support towards me and my vision as a musician and creative.”
On the release of the song and its visual treatment, Sarah describes “Oh No Darling!” as “a massive rush of chaos, unashamed irony, a distinct rejoice in the stupidity and silliness of youth.”
+Texas-born country singer Tanner Usrey has signed to Atlantic Records and dropped his label debut single, “Give It Some Time.”
“I started writing this song about a year and a half ago,” said Usrey about the track which was also co-written by producer Beau Bedford (Jonathan Tyler, The Texas Gentlemen). “It wasn’t one that came easy, by any means. I had the hook and a verse down when I went to start the record with Beau Bedford. And we finished the song in an hour and recorded it later that day. It’s an anthem about change, holding on to the person you love, and riding out the storm, because things will get better with time. This song means a lot to me, it’s one that I had to work at for a long time to write, and it’s our first single release with Atlantic, so I’m super excited about working together with this awesome team and seeing what we can accomplish together.”
+ Discogs has hired Lloyd Starr as its new chief operating officer (COO), effective May 1. He occupies the role after having worked as president and COO of Beatport, and most recently, as president and COO of the vinyl subscription service Vinyl Me, Please.
“Lloyd’s extensive experience in the music industry and his track record of success in building and scaling companies make him an ideal addition to our leadership team,” said Kevin Lewandowski, CEO of Discogs. “We’re confident that his expertise will help us continue to grow and innovate as we serve our community of music fans, record collectors, and sellers around the world.”
Starr will spearhead Discogs’ day-to-day operations, with an emphasis on driving growth and innovation while working closely with Lewandowski and the rest of the executive team.
Added Starr, “I’ve long admired the Discogs mission and it’s passionate community. I am thrilled to join such a talented and creative team to help realize our vision and continue to add value for vinyl and music lovers worldwide.”
+ Warner Chappell Music has signed Oliver Tree to a global publishing deal. Tree has over two billion streams and one billion views across his music videos, with songs like “Here We Go Again” with David Guetta, and “Miss You” with Robin Schultz, debuting at the top of Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart.
“We strive to work with artists and songwriters who push boundaries and move our culture forward with their creativity, and that’s exactly what Oliver Tree is doing with his career,” said Ryan Press, president of WCM North America. “He has an innovative and future forward approach that inspires all of us at Warner Chappell and we’re looking forward to working together to create more hits.”
Wednesday, April 12
Universal Music Publishing Group has signed Maggie Rogers, a Capitol Records signee, to a global publishing agreement.
“Maggie is one of my favorite songwriters, and I’ve been lucky to work alongside her since the early stages of her incredible career,” said Jennifer Knoepfle, UMPG executive VP and co-head of A&R. “We are so excited for her next chapter in her new home at UMPG. She will have the best support for her creative journey.”
Rogers earned widespread media recognition as an NYU student when her song “Alaska” was played to Pharrell Williams during a master class at the university. After a video of the interaction went viral, several different record labels tried to sign Rogers but she ultimately joined Capitol, with “Alaska” being her major label debut.
Added Rogers, “I’m so proud to call UMPG my home and can’t wait begin this next chapter of my career alongside so many writers and professionals I respect and admire.”
Rogers recently embarked on her North American headline “Feral Joy Tour” and will be performing throughout the United States and Europe throughout 2023.
+ Warner Music Mexico has launched a new label called Gorgona which will be completely run and managed by women and will be focused on promoting female talent.
“Despite Mexico being the home of many great female artists, the presence of women in other key senior industry roles has historically been low,” reads the label’s official press release. “This has been exacerbated by the social context of a country with very serious labor inequality issues. This concern led to the formation of Warner Music Mexico’s Gender Equality Committee — which is composed exclusively of women from across the company. They wanted to be proactive and create a space that would bring more visibility to female executives and help their career development.”
The label, led by Andrea Fernandez, A&R manager at Warner Music Mexico, will have women in roles ranging from songwriting and pitching to digital music services. “Cypher 1: Ella” — a collaboration between Mabiland, Emjay, Mare Advertencia, and Delfina Dib — is the newly minted label’s first release.
+ Jen Ashworth has been promoted to the position of senior VP of commercial marketing and streaming for Capitol Music Group, it was announced today by Mike Sherwood, CMG’s executive VP of global commercial marketing and strategy.
Ashworth will oversee the company’s streaming strategies across its portfolio of labels and artist roster, focusing on editorial and partner activations with Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, YouTube and Pandora.
She will continue to manage CMG’s relationship with Spotify as the company’s account lead. Ashworth is based in Hollywood and will report directly to Sherwood who adds, “Jen is a dynamic music executive with strong instincts and unparalleled relationships. Her passion for sharing and elevating our artists music worldwide is inspiring and I’m proud to work beside her every day.”
Ashworth said, “Capitol has been my home for 10 years, and I’m so fortunate to have been mentored by some of the best executives in the business along the way. I’m particularly grateful to [CMG Chair & CEO] Michelle Jubelirer, [CMG President] Arjun Pulijal and Mike Sherwood for their continued belief in me and the opportunity to work with some of the most amazing artists in music. I absolutely love what I do, and it’s an honor to be part of the CMG team that works so tirelessly to help our artists execute their creative visions and present their music to the world.”
+ Mateo Dorado has joined Atlantic Records as senior director of A&R. In this role, Dorado will help to develop the careers of artists including Luh Tyler as well as Alicia Creti.
Based at Atlantic’s New York City headquarters, Dorado reports to the label’s co-president of Black Music, Lanre Gaba. Dorado comes to Atlantic from Alamo Records where he signed multi-platinum rapper Rod Wave and spearheaded the development of numerous acts in the alternative Latin music space.
“Mateo has all the qualities you want in an A&R – he has incredible creative instincts, knows how to nurture talent, and is unafraid to explore new sounds,” said Gaba in a statement. “It’s rare to see someone accomplish everything he’s accomplished this early on in their career, and I know it’s just the beginning for Mateo. I look forward to watching him continue to grow while bringing exciting new artists into the Atlantic fold.”
+The Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC), Nashville Music Equality, the Recording Industry Association of America, and Wasserman Music have launched the second annual installment of their Maymester Music Accelerator Program, which this year includes not just Tennessee State University, but also Fisk University.
The program, powered by Amazon Music, offers Black college students in Tennessee career resources to help them break into the music industry. With an emphasis on mentorship, the Coalition bring in executives and artists to guest lecture throughout the program. This year’s program will be sponsored by Primary Wave’s BMAC-James Brown Education Fund — a fund announced at BMAC’s second Music In Action Awards Gala that’s set to grow annually and that will cover the costs for 30 students to take this elective class for free.
“Tennessee State University is fortunate to have these music-related companies participating in our Maymester course,” said Dr. Mark Crawford, coordinator of TSU’s commercial music program. “They bring deep content and wide contacts. From the beginning of this partnership, we identified a mutual goal, which is to provide real-world opportunities for students who otherwise might be under-represented in the music industry.”
“We were intentional about Tennessee State University being the hub for this program and with Nashville being such an important part of the music industry, it’s imperative that we are building programs like this right here down the street from Music Row,” added BMAC Co-Founder/Co-Chairman, Willie “Prophet” Stiggers. “This year we expanded the music accelerator program to include FISK University and the goal is to eventually have students from all 107 HBCUs to participate in this program annually.”
Tuesday, April 11
Khalid will be honored with the BMI Champion Award at the 71st Annual BMI Pop Awards. The artist and songwriter will be celebrated for his artistry and philanthropic efforts. At the event, BMI’s Pop Song of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Publisher of the Year and BMI’s top 50 most-performed pop songs in the U.S. of the previous year will also be named. The private event, hosted by BMI President and CEO Mike O’Neill and Vice President Worldwide Creative Barbara Cane, will be held on Tuesday, May 9th at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA. Previous honorees include Mark Ronson, Residente, Sebastian Krys, Keith Urban and Lee Thomas Miller.
“Khalid exemplifies the true spirit of a Champion as one who believes, one who does and one who generously gives back,” said Cane. “In addition to recognizing him for his many creative accomplishments, we’re honoring Khalid for his dedication to charitable causes, community, education, and his commitment to supporting the next generation of songwriters and music makers. We’re looking forward to celebrating our BMI family of award-winning songwriters and publishers with a fantastic night of music.”
+ Music industry veteran Jonathan McHugh has joined global independent music publishing, rights management, and catalog marketing company AMR Songs as Senior Advisor Creative and Sync. He will also serve on the company’s board.
A veteran independent filmmaker and TV/film music supervisor, McHugh began his career working in record promotion at A&M and Elektra Records and then segued to producing soundtracks and music supervision. As VP of Soundtrack Music at New Line Cinema from 1996-1999, McHugh co-produced many platinum and gold soundtracks including “The Wedding Singer,” “Rush Hour,” “Austin Powers,” “Blade” and “Mortal Combat 2.” He was then VP of visual media at Jive/BMG where he launched Zomba Films, co-produced the Britney Spears film “Crossroads,” and produced multiple soundtracks, and then was SVP Soundtracks and Supervision for Island Def Jam and Def Jam Films, where he co-produced Justin Bieber’s “Never Say Never.”
McHugh has produced 40 films and TV series and music-supervised 85 feature films and TV shows. In addition to his new role with AMR Songs, McHugh will continue his work as an independent producer/director and music supervisor and teaching Music Industry Studies at Loyola University/New Orleans.
“I’m thrilled that Jonathan is joining us at AMR. We have a strong history of working together, as well as a friendship. His creative/A&R guidance is a key part of AMR’s mission and ethos,” said Tamara Conniff, CEO of AMR Songs.
Monday, April 10
Rimas Entertainment CEO Noah Assad, his star client Bad Bunny, and Rimas exec Jonathan Miranda have jointly launched a sports management agency with a starting roster comprised of Major League Baseball players.
“We are thrilled to break into a new industry with the launch of Rimas Sports. In the music world we accomplished success by knowing how to develop talent, helping our clients reach their vision by catering to their unique needs,” said Assad in a statement. “This new venture is an expansion of that mission as we aim to bring greater representation to the Latin community in the world of sports.”
Miranda will serve as president of the newly-created Rimas Sports which offers services like agent management and public relations, performance and skills training, financial guidance, concierge, and logistics. As for the talent, it’s an All-Star affair with Iván “Pudge” Rodríguez, a 14-time All-Star winner and an American League MVP honoree (1999), tapped as an ambassador.
The current roster includes Santiago Espinal (Toronto Blue Jays), Yonathan Daza (Colorado Rockies), Wilmer Flores (San Francisco Giants), Livan Soto (Los Angeles Angels), Jordan Diaz (Oakland Athletics), as well as top prospects: Diego Cartaya (Los Angeles Dodgers), Ezequiel Tovar (Colorado Rockies), Ronny Mauricio (New York Mets), Marco Luciano (San Francisco Giants) and Wilmer Flores Jr. (Detroit Tigers).
“Our move into the world of sports is driven by our passion for developing and nurturing talent. We know what it takes to lead a promising star to the top; now, we are ready to offer the same best-in-class services and unique approach to clients in a new industry to help them achieve their goals,” added Miranda.
+ Nashville-born artist Morgxn is gearing up to release “Beacon,” his first single since signing to Nettwerk, on April 14. The new music is said to reference the indie-pop artist’s return to Nashville “and the feelings surrounding coming home and finding his voice after his father’s death, especially right now as a vocal member of the LGBTQ+ community in Tennessee,” per the announcement.
+ Multimedia Music has signed an eight-figure deal to acquire the catalog and income streams of Emmi-winning composer Trevor Morris. His music appears in feature films such as “London Has Fallen”, “Olympus Has Fallen”, “Brick Mansions” and “Immortals,” and the hit television series “Taken.”
Morris’ catalog comes to Multimedia Music as they close a round of acquisitions in STX Entertainment’s music library (“Bad Moms”, “The Gentlemen”, “Den of Thieves”), Atlantic Screen Music library and the catalogs of music income and copyrights from numerous composers.
Since launching in late 2021, Multimedia Music has deployed over $120 million on acquisitions that have included; James Newton Howard (“Hunger Games,” “Pretty Woman,” “Emily in Paris”), Tyler Bates (“John Wick,” “Guardians of Galaxy,” “Californication”), David Buckley (“Nobody,” “Greenland,” “Papillon,” “Jason Bourne”), Michael Corcoran (his deal covers music in “iCarly,” “Victorious”) and Sean Callery (“Homeland,” “24,” “Bones”). The company also recently received a $100 million investment uplift into its Multimedia Music fund.
+ CJ Baran has signed with Luke Mitzman and Mike Caren at 100 Management. The singer-songwriter recently scored a No. 2 album debut with Melanie Martinez’s “Portals,” which he executive produced and contributed to.
Baran also successfully sold out the LA theatre run for his gothic and CGI-infused musical “Cages,” which he co-wrote/produced/directed. The cast for the musical, which will open in new cities in 2024, is made of primarily holograms and CGI that live actors play off of on stage.
“[Baran] one of the few producer/songwriters who knows how to work with an alternative artist across a whole project and take it mainstream,” commented Mitzman. “The creativity, vision and execution he’s demonstrated with both ‘Cages’ and the Melanie Martinez album is just the start of him, CJ is a potential EGOT winner.”
+ Polimá Westcoast has signed a new global deal with Sony Music U.S. Latin, expanding his presence on the label after having signed with Sony Music Entertainment Chile in 2019.
“This is something fundamental for me that not only I worked on, but also along my great team. A lot is happening with my career at the international stage. We are ready and determined to take the necessary steps to achieve the next level,” said Westcoast, one of Chile’s leading urban music stars.
“We are very happy to continue working with Polimá Westcoast, who has proven to be one of the most talented and creative artists of his generation. We are confident that together we can bring his music to new audiences worldwide,” said Alex Gallardo, president of Sony Music U.S. Latin.
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
