Universal Music Publishing Group has signed Ariana Grande/ Justin Bieber/ Blackpink collaborator Tommy Brown to an exclusive global publishing deal.
Brown worked with Ariana Grande on all six of her studio albums, including executive producing the most recent album “Positions,” as well as co-producing “Holy” by Bieber, “Ice Cream” by Blackpink, “Make Believe” by Juice WLRD and more.
Jody Gerson, Chairman and CEO of UMPG, said: “Tommy is the real deal. He is a top-notch songwriter and producer, and he is one of the best earlier identifiers of talent.”
Brown said: “Thank you Jody Gerson, David Gray and UMPG. I’ve always had great long-term business with Universal and I’m happy to be joining the publishing family. UMPG is a first-class support system for creatives and I look forward to making history together.”
+ In advance of Earth Day 2021, the Beggars Group and Ninja Tune label groups have announced environmental targets that will soon see both companies transform to a carbon negative position. These announcements come at the start of “Turn Up the Volume,” a week curated by Music Declares Emergency that aims to highlight the work on sustainability taking place across U.K. music.
The Beggars Group and Ninja Tune are founding members of IMPALA’s Sustainability Taskforce which, having been established in March 2021, aims to encourage European independent labels to work together to address sustainability issues in a collaborative manner. Both companies are focusing action on areas where they have the largest environmental impacts. Initiatives include encouraging pressing plants to switch to renewable power, reducing the impact of freight operations and minimizing business travel. In addition, both companies have installed renewable energy systems at their London offices.
+ Los Angeles-based sync licensing company HyperExtension has launched a publishing division through a worldwide partnership with Warner Chappell Music. As part of the deal, Warner Chappell will be overseeing administration for the new HyperExtension publishing division, in addition to offering support for HyperExtension songwriters through its Creative Services department. The first signings to the new HyperExtension publishing division include Erik Mattiasson (Melpo Mene), Christopher Barnes (Gem Club), and Henry MacLean and Dylan Grossman (Maryanne Bold).
HyperExtension founder and CEO Rachel Komar said, “I am thrilled to have found such a wonderful partner in Warner Chappell. This partnership has opened us up to new opportunities on a global scale, for our growing roster of exceptionally talented writers, all the while respecting and supporting our artists-first ethos.”
Warner Chappell Music EVP and Global Synchronization Leader Rich Robinson added: “We’re always looking to partner with companies that share our approach to getting songwriters heard and supporting them at all stages of their careers.”