PULSE Music Group has upped Annie Aberle from Senior Creative Director to VP, A&R. The announcement was made by PMG co-CEOs Scott Cutler and Josh Abraham and President Ashley Calhoun; Aberle is a direct report to the latter. Seen above, just before enjoying a celebratory Silverlake repast of bone broth-infused eucalyptus cake, are Cutler, Calhoun, Aberle and Abraham.
“Annie has moved through the ranks at PULSE Music Group because she has impeccable taste and great creative instincts,” said Cutler and Abraham. “Her career trajectory reflects our commitment to be a creative home that people with her talent thrive in.”
“Our ability to find talent early and surround these creatives with a dedicated team and bespoke strategy is something that feels unique to this place,” added Aberle. “Thank you to Scott, Josh and Ashley, who have given me the support and autonomy to help my clients reach their fullest potential.”
Since joining PMG in 2018, Aberle has worked closely with client Tyler Johnson, who co-wrote and produced Harry Styles' “As It Was,” as well as nine other songs on the #1 album Harry’s House. Her roster also includes James Blake, ALDAE, Andrew Jackson, SG Lewis and Jonah Christian, as well as recently inked Ryan Beatty, Jorgen Odegard and Jonah Shy.
Prior to PMG, Aberle worked in artist management and film & TV development under Robert Kraft, following an internship with Red Light Management. The USC alumni also interned in the A&R Department of Warner Bros. Records and as a Spotify Campus Influencer.
The Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP) New York Chapter held a webinar on 7/26, which featured an update from the Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC). Co-hosted by New York Chapter board member Melanie Santa Rosa and MLC CEO Kris Ahrend, the virtual presentation included some promising metrics regarding the entity’s growth since its launch under the Music Modernization Act (MMA) in January 2021.
Royalties distributed to music publishers, songwriters and other rightsholders totaled over $564.1m as of this month, while new MLC memberships increased by over 13,000. As for newly registered works, that number came to over 14m, with a nearly 98% process rate.
The MLC Database itself has skyrocketed from 17.4m to 26.8m songs since The MLC’s inception plus works added to date totaled roughly 9.4m.
Ahrend also pointed out The MLC’s website has become much more user-friendly, thanks to the addition of various tools to streamline the process.
The U.S. Copyright Office—with the backing of the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA), Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) and Songwriters of North America (SONA)—designated The MLC to be the licensing and admin entity under the MMA after it was passed in 2018.
Under the MMA, all streams from 21 different DSPs—including Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, Amazon, Google Play and YouTube—must be reported to The MLC in order for creatives to receive proper payment. (Hey, somebody has to do it.)
As of July 2022, Ahrend announced, the 21 DSPs have transferred over $427m total in previously unmatched royalties to The MLC. (Month-by-month breakdowns can be found on The MLC website.) Toward the end of the presentation, Ahrend hailed his Publisher Services Team, which includes Head of Rights Management Maurice Russell, Publisher Services Manager Sean McNamara and Rights Management Team Lead Baylee Kuss.
Sony Publishing has inked a global deal with singer/songwriter Em Beihold. The Republic artist's provocative "Numb Little Bug" dropped earlier this year and went gold, helping to fuel considerable buzz and no small amount of Grammy chatter. The track is now hurtling toward the Top 5 at Pop radio. Beihold's debut EP, Egg in the Backseat (featuring new single "Too Precious"), dropped last week.
"Songwriting is the core of my artistry, and I'm so grateful to call Sony Music Publishing home," declared Beihold, who'll be joining King Princess on the road this fall. She further expressed her excitement to be with the pubbery that houses some of her favorite creators, including Regina Spektor and Sara Bareilles.
"Em is a natural-born songwriter, with an innate understanding of how to succinctly translate her thoughts and emotions into a song," proclaimed SMP SVP, Creative Jennifer Knoepfle and Creative Coordinator Adam Ikner, who are without peer in issuing unison quotes. "We are pleased to welcome her to SMP and are excited to be a part of her journey. And we will make sure that journey never goes anywhere near HITS."
