It was a good night for UMPG. The publishing giant took home multiple prizes at the 2024 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards, including Publisher of the Year.
The ceremony, which took place on Thursday (9/5) at L.A.'s Fairmont Century Plaza, saw SZA honored with the BMI Champion Award for her "dedication and efforts in fostering the next generation of music creators." The UMPG star also won Song of the Year for her monster single "Kill Bill" as well as R&B/Hip-Hop Songwriter of the Year. "I have to say that songwriting awards mean the most to me because when I started and I needed people to come and write for me, I didn’t have anybody," she said. "I’m grateful to be honored today because there are so many songwriters in here who made me.”
Other UMPG artists collecting hardware included J. Cole, Ice Spice, Future, Coi Leray, Metro Boomin and Lil Yachty.
Pictured moments away from busting a move are (l-r) UMPG Manager A&R Gene Gaffney, Coordinator A&R Dylan Prince, Manager A&R Alessia Cusumano, Director A&R Deeba Abrishamchi, Manager A&R Nevin Sanitsky and Senior Manager A&R Daniella Rasho, BMI EVP, Chief Revenue & Creative Officer Mike Steinberg, UMPG Director A&R Omar Teagle and EVP & Co-Head of A&R Jennifer Knoepfle, BMI President/CEO Mike O’Neill and UMPG VP A&R Cristina Chavez.
Warner Chappell Music has signed a global publishing agreement with songwriter John Ryan, who co-wrote and produced eight songs on Sabrina Carpenter's latest album, Short n’ Sweet (Island). Other recent collaborations include Thomas Rhett's About A Woman album and the Teddy Swims single “The Door.” He's also worked with the likes of Harry Styles, Benson Boone, Maren Morris, Maroon 5 and Niall Horan.
“We are so honored to be working with John Ryan and his wonderful team," WCM SVP, A&R Katy Wolaver and VP, A&R Gabz Landman said in a joint statement. "We have viewed John as an extension of Warner Chappell for many years due to the continued success he has shared with our roster and look forward to even more wins with him on the team.”
WCM President, North America Ryan Press added: “John’s career as a pop powerhouse is inevitable. The way he connects with artists and his songs resonate with listeners underscores that talent, and there are many more great songs to come.”
After graduating from the Berklee School of Music in 2010, Ryan moved to L.A., where he landed his first big hit, One Direction’s “Story of My Life." To date, his catalog has surpassed 30b streams. We couldn't get 30 streams if we tried.
Pictured laughing at our obvious lack of musical talent are (l-r) Wolaver, Ryan, Landman, Press and Big Family CEO Damon Bunetta.
David Driessen is moving up the ladder at Downtown Music, where he has taken on the role of Chief Commercial Officer.
Driessen previously served as Downtown’s Chief Business Officer, where he was tasked with “driving growth and helping to maximize value for the company, its clients, and partners.”
In making the announcement, Downtown CEO Pieter van Rijn said “David’s leadership has been a key driver of Downtown’s success. His commitment to our artists, clients and DSP partners positions us to continue unlocking value for our many partners across the global music industry.”
Driessen added, “Downtown is relentlessly focused on connecting artists with audiences, providing technology and services to music companies, and making sure they get paid what they deserve, as quickly as possible. When artists, labels, and other rights holders trust Downtown, they know they have a partner who is deeply committed to their success.”
He’ll move into his new role at a pivotal time, following the May launch of the company's new Downtown Royalties & Financial Services division, as well as the completion of an integration strategy which merged CD Baby’s operations into Downtown.
