Music Industry Moves: Post Malone and Eddie Vedder Team Up to Raise $1 Million for EB Research

With help from Eddie Vedder and Post Malone, the second annual Reportin’ For Duty benefit concert raised over $1 million for the EB Research Partnership (EBRP) in honor of activist and late actor Leslie Jordan.

The pair sang a duet of Pearl Jam‘s “Better Man,” which is now available to view on Malone’s official YouTube account. Additionally, the War And Treaty, Jelly Roll, Ruby Amanfu, Jake Wesley Rogers and Dan Spencer, delivered performances. At the same time, a live auction helped raise funds for innovative and life-saving rare disease research projects. The organization, co-founded by Vedder, is dedicated to funding research to treat and cure Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB).

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Said Vedder, “I can’t find words to say how powerful and inspiring it was to be gathered with such incredible musicians under one small roof for a cause that’s so impactful on young people’s lives. The performances by Post Malone, The War and Treaty, Jake Wesley Rogers, Jelly Roll, Ruby Amanfu, Dan Spencer and Danny Myrick, were some of their best I’ve ever witnessed. I had chills. Had tears. And all the while with a grin of positivity and action.”

“I love when music connects me to great people, like Eddie and good causes, like EB Research Partnership,” added Malone. “Eddie is someone I look up to as a dad, a musician, and a person. I’m honored that he’s brought me into the EB community. Rowan is a superhero, and I’m very thankful to be able to support people like her bravely battling EB.”

Watch Malone and Vedder’s performance below.

+ Big Machine Label Group is rebranding its BMLG Records imprint to “Nashville Harbor Records & Entertainment.”

Initially founded as a joint venture in 2009 as Republic Nashville, Big Machine Label Group acquired full ownership of the imprint in 2015 and it was quickly renamed BMLG Records. The label’s new namesake will represent an artist roster that includes Riley Green, Brett Young, Chris Janson, Lady A, Greylan James, and Shane Profitt.

Jimmy Harnen remains the President/CEO with operations continuing as normal.

+ Warner Chappell Music has signed a new publishing deal with Brazilian producer Zerb.

His hit single “Mwaki” featuring Kenyan vocalist Sofiya Nzau, went viral earlier this year, reaching No. 1 on Spotify’s Global Viral chart and No. 2 on the Global Shazam chart. The track also gained momentum with recent mixes by Major Lazer and Tiësto.

“I couldn’t be happier signing with Warner Chappell and believe they are the right creative partner for me,” said Zerb. “I’ve felt at home from day one with Gabz Landman and the team, and I’m excited for the creative journey ahead!”

+ SoundCloud has announced a new feature dubbed “Mood Targeting” that aims to enhance ad relevance by allowing advertisers to match audio campaigns with a targetable music mood.

Mood Targeting leverages SoundCloud’s AI-powered mood analysis which is data generated based on the mood of tracks. Advertisers can now align their campaigns with these moods, ensuring an appropriate fit between the ad content and the listener’s experience.

Advertisers can choose from a combination of nine moods including angsty, celebratory, chill, energetic, focused, happy, soothing, love and relaxed.

“Mood Targeting is a unique way to provide ad targeting without looking at personal data. It’s our first step in unlocking SoundCloud’s unique service to increase ad relevancy on the platform, ensuring that advertisers reach the right audiences and that our community receives ads that are relevant to them,” said Aron Pettersson, VP of AI and machine learning at SoundCloud.

Thursday, Feb. 22

Sony Corporation of America’s Personal Entertainment Business has announced a partnership between Mexican breakout artist Peso Pluma and the company’s audio brand campaign, “For The Music.” Sony established the audio brand campaign “For the Music” for its premier consumer and professional audio products and services; the collaboration marks Pluma’s first brand partnership.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to collaborate with Sony’s “For The Music” campaign to continue opening pathways for Latin Music,” Pluma said.

“Since the launch of ‘For the Music,’ we have cultivated such amazing collaborations with artists on products and experiences that have brought their creative vision to fans in new and innovative ways” says Jordy Freed, Sony’s head of brand, business development, partner marketing & strategy, personal entertainment business. “We are thrilled to continue this work with Peso Pluma and support him as he takes his music to new levels.”

+ Following its launch in 2023, today TikTok announced that its “Add to Music” app is rolling out to users in more than 160 new countries.

The app allows fans to save the songs they discover on TikTok on the music streaming service of their choice (subject to availability).

The feature appears as a button that says “Add Song” next to a track name at the bottom of a TikTok video in the “For You” feed, inviting users to save the song to the music streaming service of their choice. The first time a user presses the Add Song button, they can choose to save it to their preferred music streaming service.

The track is then saved to a default playlist in the preferred music streaming service, but users can also choose to add the track to a new playlist or an existing playlist that they have created. Following the first use of the Add to Music App feature, the music app selected will then become the default music streaming service for future track saves.

“With Add to Music App, we are streamlining the music discovery experience for both TikTok users and artists,” said Isaac Bess, Global Head of Distribution Partnerships, TikTok. “Music fans are embracing the opportunity to save music from TikTok directly to their favourite music streaming services, driving music discovery and helping more tracks to break through and become hits. We are really excited to be bringing the feature to millions more music fans around the world, providing even more opportunities for music discovery and consumption, and for artists to reach new audiences and grow their careers.”

Already available in the U.S. and U.K. and 19 other countries, the app is now available in:

Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cayman Islands, Chad, Chile, Comoros, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Curaçao, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Iraq, Israel, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

+ The Core Entertainment has hired Dan Dymtrow as general manager and Jamie Sudhalter as senior director of A&R.

Dymtrow, a music manager and entertainment executive with over two decades of experience assumes the role of general manager at The Core Entertainment. Throughout his career, Dymtrow has worked with numerous globally acclaimed artists across various genres and career stages including, Britney Spears, Avril Lavigne, Aerosmith, Taylor Swift, Noah Cyrus and
more.

He most recently served as executive manager at Maverick Management and head of music at tech startup Curio. In his new role, he will oversee all operations, including artist management, content creation, live events and partnerships.

Most recently serving as senior director of A&R at Mercury Records, Sudhalter has worked across projects for artists like Hailee Steinfeld, AJR, Lyn Lapid, BoyWithUke and more.

+ ADA Worldwide, the independent label and artist services arm of Warner Music Group, has entered a new global distribution deal with Charlotte-based label, South Coast Music Group (SCMG). This marks SCMG’s first partnership with a globally renowned distribution company.

Founded by industry vet Arnold Taylor, SCMG is home to hip-hop talent including Dustystaytrue, DeeYounginn, Luclover, and Big Mali, who recently supported Sexxy Red on her nationwide tour this past fall.

“Arnold is an entrepreneur who had a vision and carved his own unique path in the industry. A decade in, and South Coast is thriving,” said Cat Kreidich, president of ADA Worldwide. “We’re thrilled he’s entrusted ADA to support and grow his business and put our firepower behind the rich talent coming out of the Carolinas. We share a deep love for the music and can’t wait to help these artists break through and connect with fans everywhere.”

After a successful career which included roles at Epic, Republic, Interscope, Def Jam, and Blackground Records, Taylor founded SCMG in 2014 as an expansion of his South Coast Marketing group. SCMG has since supported projects from a diverse group, including recent releases from TiaCorine, Goldiie Lux, and more.

+ The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC) has announced six appointments to the organization’s advisory committees, including three appointments to the Dispute Resolution Committee, one appointment to the Operations Advisory Committee and two appointments to the Unclaimed Royalties Oversight Committee.

Newly added to the Dispute Resolution Committee are songwriter David “DQ” Quiñones, Consuelo Sayago (Industry Relations Advisor at Spirit Music Group) and Matthew Skiba (VP of Rights and Content at Vydia).

Joining the Operations Advisory Committee are Lidia Kim (VP of Legal and Business Affairs at Concord Music Publishing). Songwriter, “Bruce” Waynne Nugent, has been appointed to the Unclaimed Royalties Oversight Committee, filling one of the five songwriter seats, along with Dale Esworthy (Executive VP for Worldwide Administration at Sony Music Publishing).

Wednesday, Feb. 21

Alissa Pollack, executive vice president of global music marketing for iHeartMedia, will succeed Evan Lamberg, president of Universal Music Publishing Group, as the new president of the City of Hope’s Music, Film and Entertainment Industry (MFEI) fundraising group.

With Lamberg transitioning to board chair, Pollack will aid the MFEI group in its long-term mission of funding cancer and other life-threatening illness research and treatment organizations in the United States. City of Hope’s MFEI also has honored some of the most important figures in the music and entertainment industry.

“It’s been an honor for the last five years to serve as president of City of Hope’s MFEI,” Lamberg said. “In giving some deep thought into who should succeed me and step into this role, and after speaking with numerous MFEI board members, it was unanimous that we could not think of a better person than longtime MFEI board member, Alissa Pollack.”

Pollack has supported City of Hope with more than a decade of leadership of Taste of Hope, an annual wine tasting held in New York City that, according to a press release, has raised more than $5 million for City of Hope.

“I’m deeply honored to step into this expanded role at MFEI, building upon the remarkable foundation
laid by Evan,” Pollack said. “His visionary leadership as president has propelled City of Hope’s mission forward, harnessing the power of music and entertainment to drive groundbreaking cancer research. Evan’s legacy is one of compassion, innovation, and relentless dedication to our shared goal: a world without cancer. I am inspired by his incredible work and committed to carrying forward his legacy as we strive toward a future where cancer is eradicated for all.”

At iHeartMedia, Pollack works closely with brands and artists to provide custom data insights to inform their events, social media programs and advertising.

+ Pulse Records has appointed A&R exec Tim Glover to the role of president of A&R as announced today by Pulse Music Group co-CEOs Josh Abraham and Scott Cutler and Pulse Music Group President, Ashley Calhoun.

Glover, formerly executive VP of A&R for Interscope Geffen A&M, will sign and develop artists as well as oversee recording projects for Pulse Records. Glover will report jointly to Abraham, Cutler and Calhoun and will be based in the company’s offices in Silverlake, CA.

Glover worked as the point person with J. Cole and artists on the rapper’s Dreamville imprint which includes artists like JID and Ari Lennox, among others. He also oversaw A&R for the Atlanta-based record label and creative agency LVRN, which entered a joint venture with Interscope in 2016.

Glover helped develop LVRN artists Summer Walker and 6LACK, amongst others on the label. Glover also signed and oversaw platinum-selling rapper Lil Mosey, Tierra Whack and rising star, Jordan Ward.

+ SG Lewis has launched a “club-centric” imprint Forever Days to empower “music made strictly for the dance floor.”

“For a long time now, I have wanted to create an outlet for the club-focused music I am constantly creating and a place to champion music by artists that I love,” Lewis wrote in a heartfelt announcement post on Instagram.

SG Lewis will be hosting a monthly Forever Days Radio mix series where he will showcase talent from friends of the label as well as a series of Forever Days-themed parties around the world, curating lineups with some of the world’s finest selectors. Aiming to throw the kinds of shows that leave a lasting impression, the series will kick off at Koko in London on May 3.

+ Position Music has acquired the publishing catalog of the multi-platinum French artist, DJ, and producer Gesaffelstein. In the agreement, Position Music will own and administer the publishing rights of the catalog (before his Sony Music Publishing deal), giving Position Music publishing rights to 2013’s “Aleph.”

In addition to the publishing catalog acquisition, the deal also includes Gesaffelstein’s writer, artist, and producer royalties of his entire catalog. Gesaffelstein retains his future royalties and is currently signed to Sony Music Publishing and Columbia Records.

The distribution for the label will happen via Astralwerks in the U.S. and EMI in the U.K. All other releases will be distributed through Virgin Records. The deal was brokered by Jimmy Mikaoui of Mil3s Entertainment and Benji Vermeil of Jab Music. Attorneys Tim Mandelbaum and Cynthia Katz of Fox Rothschild represented Position Music. David Jacobs and Ted Harris of Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks represented Levy.

+ Singer-songwriter Evan Bartels has signed a global publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music (WCM).

Said Bartels, “I’m honored to see my name and work added to a roster of the best songwriters in the world. Rich Robinson and the entire sync team are some of the most creative and visionary people I’ve met and being able to work in tandem with BJ Hill in Nashville, is one of the greatest opportunities a songwriter could hope for. I’m excited to work with a passionate, driven team that’s dedicated to fostering great songs.”

+ Wasserman Music has announced the addition of four accomplished executives to its worldwide agent team.

Josh Dick joins Wasserman Music as a VP based in New York; Jonathan Insogna joins as a VP based in Nashville; Rebecca Prochnik joins as a director based in London; and Shay Royale joins as a director based in New York.

“We are excited to welcome Josh, Jonathan, Rebecca, and Shay to our growing global team of outstanding agents and career strategists,” said Lee Anderson, executive VP and managing executive of Wasserman Music. “Their unique backgrounds and experience will help to drive Wasserman Music’s accelerating growth across global territories, emerging genres, and innovative new ways to serve our valued clients around the world.”

+ Downtown Music Publishing (DMP) has signed global music publishing agreements with Boombass and Étienne de Crécy.

A notable producer and one-half of the duo, Cassius, Boombass will benefit from Downtown Music Publishing’s global administrative and sync services across the producer’s past and future catalog, as well as Boombass’ publishing efforts across the Cassius catalog. The deal will also include the single “I <3 U SO” which was famously sampled by Jay Z and Kanye West in their hit single, “Why I love You” on 2011’s “Watch The Throne.”

Acclaimed DJ and producer de Crécy will also receive global administration and sync placement from Downtown. The deal will include de Crécy’s back catalog and all future releases, including “Super Discount” and “Tempovision” released in 2001 and the 2009 follow-up to his debut solo album, “Super Discount 2.”

+ The Jazz Foundation of America (JFA) will present its annual “A Great Night in Harlem” gala concert on March 28. Proceeds from the event benefit the JFA’s programs, which provide housing assistance, pro bono medical care, disaster relief, meaningful work, and direct financial support to musicians and their families in times of crisis.

JFA’s annual “A Great Night in Harlem” will be held at the Apollo Theater, featuring a night of jazz, blues and rock at the helm of Bobby Weir, founding member of the Grateful Dead, and JFA Musical Director, Steve Jordan. Additionally, there will be a performance by the pioneers of Afrofuturism, the Sun Ra Arkestra, directed by 99-year-old Marshall Allen.

The gala will also feature a Max Roach Centennial Tribute led by trumpeter/composer Charles Tolliver and featuring fellow all-stars Dee Dee Bridgewater, Billy Harper, George Cables, and Rufus Reid. The segment will include three masters of the drums—Al Foster, Billy Hart, and Louis Hayes—who will be honored as Titans of Jazz.

The night will culminate with a special honor presented to JFA Chairman Emeritus Richard D. Parsons with JFA’s Dr. Billy Taylor Humanitarian Award for his leadership and service to JFA and musicians nationwide.

Tuesday, Feb. 20

Universal Music Group has acquired a 25.8% interest in Chord Music Partners — whose portfolio includes music from the Weeknd, Ellie Goulding, John Legend, Kid Cudi and more — for $240 million.

Chord, which was formed in 2021 by KKR and Dundee Partners, will work with UMG and Dundee as part of a long-term partnership where UMG will handle distribution and publishing administration for Chord’s existing catalog through Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) and UMG’s Virgin Music Group (VMG).

“Finding partners who share our passion for identifying iconic songs and recordings that will stand the test of time and deliver long-term growth is essential, which is why we’re so pleased to be working with Stephen and Sam Hendel and Dundee Partners,” said Sir Lucian Grainge, chairman and CEO of UMG, in a statement. “With the leadership of Jody Gerson at UMPG, Nat Pastor and JT Myers at Virgin, and the support of our experienced creative executives around the world, no one can do more with music rights than our teams. We look forward to creating maximum commercial and creative value for the songwriters and artists in Chordand building for the future.”

As part of the deal, KKR will sell its majority stake in Chord to Dundee, increasing Dundee’s share to 74.2% with UMG holding the remaining minority stake.

+ Music attorney Erica Bellarosa has been promoted to head of business affairs and general counsel for Atlantic Records.

Bellarosa, a 19-year veteran of Atlantic, is set to lead the label’s business and legal affairs and contract administration departments. Bellarosa started her career at Atlantic Records in 2005 as associate director of business and legal affairs, rising through the ranks to her most recent post as executive vice president of business and legal affairs.

Based in Atlantic’s New York headquarters, Bellarosa reports to Atlantic’s chairmen and CEOs, Julie Greenwald and Craig Kallman.

+ International advocacy organization Global Citizen has announced the first international edition of its Global Citizen NOW conference in Melbourne, Australia.

Set for March 4, the event will bring together more than 300 young leaders with world leaders, including World Bank President Ajay Banga and former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Celebrities, including Global Citizen ambassadors Hugh Jackman and Charlie Puth, as well as rock band Crowded House, will also make appearances.

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